At the 2015 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada, BC wineries took home an impressive amount of hardware. Mission Hill was, once again, recognized as Winery of the Year.
It will come as no surprise to fans, that the top ten BC wineries this year, included: Mission Hill, Arrowleaf, Road 13, Church & State, C.C. Jentsch Cellars, Quails’ Gate, Cedar Creek, Haywire, Deep Roots and Tightrope. However, it needs to be said, that not all wineries participated in this competition. They can’t all participate in every competition.
From this competition, a few of the standouts for me include:
Mission Hill – Compendium and Quatrain
Arrowleaf – Pinot Gris and Zweigelt (too few have tried this easy –to-drink red)
Church & State – Trebella and Coyote Bowl anything
C. C. Jentsch – Syrah, The Chase
Cedar Creek – Platinum Series anything
Haywire – all of them
Tightrope – Riesling
Daydreamer – anything, especially the Marcus Ansem series
Joie – anything (PTG is one of my favourites)
Wild Goose – anything, especially their specific vineyard series
Cassini Cellars – The Aristocrat, Quatro
Tin Horn Creek – Gewürztraminer
50th Parallel – Gewürztraminer, Riesling
Thornhaven – Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris
Bench 1775 – Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris
Orofino – Red Bridge Red
Hester Creek – Pinot Blanc
Meyer Family – Pinot Noir
La Stella – Fortissimo
Moon Curser – Dead of the Night, Contraband
Eau Vivre – Riesling
Summer Gate – Kerner
Terravista – Figaro, Fandango
Even though I am a wine judge and am often one of the ones deciding which wine is better than another, I can also talk out of the other side of my mouth. While wine competitions and the medals and recognition they bring are good in that they help to promote the industry, some people pay far too much attention to them and only buy ‘high point’ wines. I am sometimes guilty of this too (and I often disagree with the points awarded). What needs to be said is that YOU should drink what YOU like, regardless of ‘points’ or medals won. You can never ignore the importance of ambiance, who you are with, the mood you’re in, etc. Sometimes prime rib is great, other times a grilled ham and cheese hits the spot. Personally, I have a lot of great wines in my cellar, but often reach for an inexpensive light red to go with a particular meal. Sometimes I’m in the mood for that big expensive red and other times I prefer a simple, fruity, tasty white.
So what’s the take away here? Drink what you like, but never be hesitant to try something new. Pay attention to award winning wines and try a few. You may or may not like them, but in the world of wine, it always pays to keep an open mind and be a bit adventurous.
