Two Stories.  The Judgement of BC and BC Pinot Noir Celebration.

With a cast of All-Stars.

 

 

 THE SHOW

 

The Judges visit Tinhorn

 

It’s the third annual Judgement  of BC.  Presented by Wines of BC

12 from around the World and 12 from BC. Poured head to head to see where BC stands in comparison.

This year we tasted the two most grown  varietals in BC  Pinot Gris and Merlot

 

12 BC Wines against 12 acknowledged global benchmarks. We are proud to announce BC’s Checkmate Black Rook Merlot 2013 from the Okanagan Valley ranked first among the flight of Merlot, and Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 2016 from Marlborough, New Zealand came out on top for the flight of Pinot Gris with BC placing third, fifth and sixth.

Hosted by the BC Wine Institute, and curated by celebrated Vancouver wine expert and Director of Wine at NewDistrict.ca DJ Kearney, the Judgment of BC third edition event took place last Friday in Summerland, during which 22 international and national wine judges tasted and ranked 24 wines.

The Judges

So much to talk about..

Each judge had to set aside the style of Pinot Gris that they preferred and just start fresh.

And the merlot judging has big bold dark fruit go head to head..with no sign of  lighter style.

One esteemed judge could only identify  2 BC wines out of 24 in a blind tasting.  The mind and palette play tricks on you.

 

Guests include:

 DJ Kearney – New District.ca

Rhys Pender – Master of Wine

Richard Hemming  – Master of Wine

Sid Cross – Food and Wine Educator and judge

Kurtis Kolt – Wine Expert

Michaela Morris – Wine Expert

And Yours Truly

 

Here are the results…

PINOT GRIS RESULT ORDER

  1. Kim Crawford Pinot Gris 2016 | Marlborough, New Zealand | 13% | $19.49
  2. Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris Turkheim 2014 | Alsace, France | 13% | $41.00
  3. 50thParallel Pinot Gris 2016 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 13.5% | $19.90
  4. King Estates Pinot Gris 2015 Willamette Valley, Oregon | 13.5% | $26.49
  5. Gray Monk Pinot Gris 2015 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 13.4% | $16.99
  6. Arrowleaf Cellars Pinot Gris 2016 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 13.9% | $20.99
  7. Pfaff Steinert Grand Cru Pinot Gris 2012 | Alsace, France |13.5% | $30.99
  8. Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Vigneti del Dolomiti IGT 2015 | Italy | 12.5% | $25.99
  9. Blue Grouse Estate Pinot Gris 2016 | Vancouver Island, BC | 13.5% | $22.00
  10. Haywire Switchback 2015 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 13.6% | $26.99
  11. Poplar Grove Pinot Gris 2016 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 13.1% | $16.99
  12. Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio Valdadige DOC 2016 | Italy | 12.5% | $19.99

 

MERLOT RESULT ORDER

  1. CheckMate Black Rook Merlot 2013 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 14.4% | $85.00
  2. Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot 2013 | Napa Valley, California | 14.5% | $63.99
  3. La Stella Maestoso 2012 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 14.6% | $90.00
  4. Sterling Merlot 2013 | Napa Valley, California | 14.2% | $29.99
  5. Château Haut Carles 2010 | Fronsac, Bordeaux, France | 15% | $64.99
  6. McIntyre Heritage Reserve Merlot Ardua 2012 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 15.5% | $80.00
  7. Casa Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Apalta Vineyard 2012 | Colchagua, Chile | 14.5% | $33.99
  8. Burrowing Owl Merlot 2014 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 14.8% | $30.00
  9. Intersection Merlot Silica 2013 | Okanagan Valley, BC | 14.8% | $29.00
  10. Charles Smith The Velvet Devil Merlot 2015 | Washington State | 13.5% | $19.99
  11. Château de Ferrand 2011 | Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France | 14% | $51.99
  12. Culmina Merlot 2014 | Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, BC | 14% | $35.00

 

 

http://www.winebc.com/judgment-bc

Pinot Party. Christine Coletta & Curtis Krouzel

The BC Pinot Noir Celebration.  Linden Gardens,  Kaleden, BC

The fourth annual BC Pinot Noir Celebration brought  together 34 of the province’s best Pinot Noir producers to celebrate the varietal that is defining the region.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More than 300 guests  sipped, swirled and discovered the nuances of BC’s Pinot Noirs on Saturday, August 19th at Linden Gardens  in Kaleden. The event paves the way for provincial, national and international recognition of BC Pinot Noirs as a wine of excellence.

There were lively breakout sessions, special key note speaker with special keynote speaker Master of Wine Richard Hemming.

Pairing only the best foods were  Cameron Smith & Dana Ewart from Joy Road Catering, Alex Sielmann  from Frog City Café, former Okanagan Chef Matt Batey  & Mike Bernardo from Vij’s and Sutra in Victoria.

 

 

Our guests include:

 Barb and Iain Phillip – Wine Experts

Chris Turyk – Unsworth

Jak Meyer – Meyer Family Vineyards

Christine Coletta – Haywire and OK Crush Pad

Thorsten Allander – Foxtrot

Doug Reimer – Mirabel

Leslie d’Andrea – Noble Ridge

Jeff Martin – La Frenz

Curtis Krouzel – 50th Parallel

DJ Kearney – with the wrap.

 

We couldn’t fit everyone in.

So next week we’ll complete the story with…

Andy Johnson – Averill Creek

Luke Smith – Howling Bluff

Bryant Mao – Hawksworth

Gustav Allender – Foxtrot

 www.bcpinotnoir.ca 

  

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

Canadian Whisky

Okanagan Crush Pad

Fort Berens