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THE FIFTH AND FINAL JUDGMENT OF BC

THE SHOW

 The Wines of British Columbia were put to the ultimate test at the final Judgment of BC on Tuesday, October 29, where special guest and wine expert Steven Spurrier joined 32 top wine professionals from around the world and across the country to take part in a full-day, blind tasting of 24 of BC’s celebrated grape varieties; Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah against 16 international benchmarks.

I was honoured to be one of 32 wine judges in the room on the day.

Trust me, it was/is a humbling experience tasting wines “blind” and have a sheet in front of you that asks you to decide whether the wine is from BC or The World.

Your nose, your mouth,  your mind plays tricks on you.

For each varietal there were 6 from BC and 4 benchmarks from around the world.

We started with Pinot Noir, then Chardonnay.

Following that grueling morning we all headed for lunch and lots of talk about what was to come.

The afternoon was spent tasting and spitting Riesling and Syrah.

Paperwork was furiously filled out and collected.  DJ Kearney, the moderator and people wrangler asked for comments about what we had just experienced. Everyone seemed to have a comment, especially those from outside BC.

So many faces and memories in the room.  Most of them friends who had watched the BC wine industry grow and  work hard to be better.

Hosted by the BC Wine Institute, and curated by wine expert DJ Kearney, the final Judgment of BC took place in Penticton. Inspired by the legendary Judgment of Paris in 1976, the inaugural Judgment of BC was hosted in 2015 by the BC Wine Institute in honour of Steven Spurrier’s visit to British Columbia.

Steven Spurrier

Five years later, the BC wine industry was thrilled to welcome Steven Spurrier back to BC wine country to taste and evaluate world-class wines from the region.

DJ Kearney

“What I think is really exciting about BC wines is we’re tasting more and more like ourselves, our individual regions and individual sites. Our best examples are fresh on the palate, pure of fruit and really speak to our beautiful, cool, but hot climate.” Judge Barb Phillip, MW.

Tasting Room Radio would like to congratulate all BC wines who made the Judgment list and  the following BC wineries who took home top prizes in their categories. Arrowleaf Cellars ranked first among the Pinot Noir flight.

Terry and Manual Zuppiger (Arrowleaf)

Meyer Family Vineyards came in first for the flight of Chardonnay, with 50th Parallel Estate Winery in close second. For the Riesling flight, CedarCreek Winery came in second with St. Hubertus and Oak Bay Estate Winery coming in third.

The final flight of Syrah saw BC wines take all three top spots with Tightrope Winery coming in first, Le Vieux Pin Winery in second and Stag’s Hollow Winery and Vineyard in third.

(Complete results at the bottom of page)

Guests on this edition of Tasting Room Radio  include:

• Gurvinder Bhatia – Edmonton Journal/Quench Magazine
• Daenna van Mulligen – The Wine Diva
• DJ Kearney – New District
• Dr. Jamie Goode – Wine Journalist/Wineanorak.com
• Laura Kittmer – Wines of BC
• Steven Spurrier – Decanter
• Mark Filatow – Waterfront Bistro
• Kurtis Kolt  – Georgia Straight
• Rhys Pender – Master of Wine
• Anthony Gismondi – Vancouver Sun/Best of Food and Wine
• Sebastien Le Goff – Cactus Club Canada
• Manual Zuppiger = Arrowleaf Vineyards
• Larry Gerelus – Stag’s Hollow
• JAK Meyer – Meyer Family Vineyards
• Lyndsay O’Rourke –  Tightrope

www.winebc.com

PINOT NOIR RESULTS:

1. Arrowleaf Cellars Archive Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. La Crema Pinot Noir Monterey 2016 California

3. Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir Estate Dundee Hills 2015 Oregon

4. Sperling Vineyards Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Meyer Family Vineyards McLean Creek Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

6. Louis Jadot Beaune Grèves Premier Cru 2015 Burgundy

7. Shaw + Smith Pinot Noir Adelaide Hills 2016 South Australia

8. Tightrope Winery Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

9. Quails’ Gate Winery Richard’s Block Pinot Noir 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. CedarCreek Estate Winery Platinum Block 2 Pinot Noir 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

RIESLING RESULTS:

1. Nik Weis St. Urbans-Hof Wiltinger Alte Reben 2014 Mosel, Germany

2. CedarCreek Estate Winery Platinum Block 3 Riesling 2018 BC VQA Okanagan Valley
3. St. Hubertus & Oak Bay Vineyards Family Reserve Riesling 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

4. Tightrope Winery Riesling 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Culmina Family Estate Winery Riesling Decora 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

6. Upper Bench Estate Winery Riesling 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

7. Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling 2015 Columbia Valley Washington State

8. Rieslingfreak No. 3 Reverence of Riesling 2018 Clare Valley, South Australia

9. Martin’s Lane Winery Fritzi’s Vineyard Riesling 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. Nigl Dornleiten Riesling Kremstal 2015 Austria

CHARDONNAY RESULTS:

1. Meyer Family Vineyards Chardonnay Tribute Series Donovan Tildesley Old Main Road Vineyard 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. 50th Parallel Estate Winery Chardonnay 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

3. Craggy Range Chardonnay Kidnapper’s Vineyard 2017 Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

4. Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2017 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

5. Chartron et Trébuchet Pouilly Fuissé 2017 Macon, Burgundy

6. Laroche Chablis Premier Cru La Chantrerie 2016 Burgundy, France

7. Tantalus Vineyards Chardonnay 2015 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

8. Monte Creek Ranch Winery Chardonnay Reserve 2016 BC VQA British Columbia

9. Culmina Family Estate Winery Chardonnay Dilemma 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley
10. Bethel Heights Vineyard Chardonnay Estate Eola-Amity Hills 2015 Oregon

SYRAH RESULTS:

1. Tightrope Winery Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

2. Le Vieux Pin Winery Cuvée Violette Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

3. Stag’s Hollow Winery & Vineyard Syrah Amalia Vineyard 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

4. Saint Cosme Crozes-Hermitage 2016 Northern Rhône, France

5. Torbreck Woodcutter’s Shiraz Barossa Valley 2017 South Australia

6. Time Winery Syrah 2014 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

7. Painted Rock Estate Winery Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

8. Domaine Jamet Syrah Collines Rhodaniennes 2015 Northern Rhône, France

9. C.C. Jentsch Cellars Syrah 2016 BC VQA Okanagan Valley

10. K Vintners MCK Syrah 2015 Washington State, USA

… and the winners below!

JUDGMENT OF BC JUDGES:

• Gurvinder Bhatia
• Jenna Briscoe
• Sid Cross
• Dr. Janet Dorozynski
• Mark Filatow
• Zach Geballe
• Anthony Gismondi
• Dr. Jamie Goode
• Christina Hartigan
• Lingzi He
• John Isacs
• Kelcie Jones
• Kurtis Kolt
• Sebastien Le Goff
• Bryant Mao
• David McIntyre
• Sharon McLean
• Michaela Morris
• Terry David Mulligan
• Tim Pawsey
• Rhys Pender, MW
• Barbara Philip, MW
• Iain Philip
• Rod Phillips
• Treve Ring
• Brad Royale
• John Schreiner
• Dawn Smith
• Steven Spurrier
• Shane Taylor
• Daenna Van Mulligen
• Matt Wentzell
• Jason Yamasaki
  

  STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON:

  Phantom Creek Rises

  The Italians pour in Vancouver (Michaela Morris co-hosts)

  Chef Bill Jones – Foraging and cooking at Dearholme Farm

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New Zealand Pure Discovery 2019

THE SHOW

New Zealand is recognised as one of the world’s premium wine regions,
mainly due to the success of their Marlborough region Sauvignon Blanc

This explosive varietal introduced the world to New Zealand Wine.

In 2019 they would like to celebrate the success of their famous white
through sub-regional expressions as well as showcase the lesser known
varieties such as Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Rose.

Several weeks ago I was offered the opportunity to “speed date” a handful of
New Zealand Winemakers as they passed through Vancouver. I sat at a desk and
they showed up one at a time..each with a wine in hand.

Frankly, it was a blur.

In listening back to the discussions several things became clear.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is World Class but now it’s time to check out
sub regions of the North and South islands.

Simon Toneycliffe GM Whitehaven. (Marlborough’s Golden Mile)

Simon Toneycliffe WhiteHaven

Whitehaven wines are grown, crafted and bottled in Marlborough. Each wine is
a powerful, elegant and consistent expression of Marlborough’s classical
wine styles. The white label is the flagship. Their growth has been nothing
short of fantastic.

Whitehaven has been successfully exporting to the United States since 2004
when its first shipment totaled just 5,000 cases. In 2015 Whitehaven
celebrated the export of its millionth case of wine to the US.

Canada is showing the same kind of growth.

The reason is simple. Affordable World class wines.

www.whitehaven.co.nz

Wayne Leadbetter – VP Sales Te Awanga Wines (Hawkes Bay)

Wayne Leadbetter Te Awanga

Planted 25 years ago by a group of friends in one of Hawke’s Bay’s oldest
wine growing areas, they dreamt of making the region’s greatest wines.
They say they’re still working on it but believe their vineyard, right by
the coast truly captures something unique.

Sitting on an elevated site in the Te Awanga foot hills, the cellar door has views down through our vines,
across the Te Awanga basin and out to the Pacific Ocean. Spectacular.

Syrah and Chardonnay are exceptional.

www.teawangaestate.co.nz

Jim Robertson Global Wine Ambassador NZ Brands – Stoneleigh/Pernod Ricard
(Marlborough)

Jim Robertson – Stoneleigh

Stoneleigh Vineyard is situated in the heart of the Rapaura area on the
northern side of the Wairau valley in Marlborough, New Zealand. The ‘Golden
Mile’ of vineyards.

Stoneleigh takes its name from the stones that cover the
vineyard – land that’s now home to some of the oldest grafted Sauvignon
Blanc blocks in Marlborough.

The stones store and reflect the sun’s heat up into the vines, enhancing the ripening process and contributing to the
unique taste of Stoneleigh wines.

Jim travels the World – a natural storyteller and what a story. NZ wines
are recognized the World over.

http://www.stoneleigh.com <http://www.stoneleigh.com/>

Joel Watson – Winemaker at Luna (Martinborough)

Joel Watson – Luna

Luna Estate has been lovingly renovated and transformed into one of
Martinborough’s premier wineries.

While their main love is Pinot Noir, they also produce elegant Pinot Meunier Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot
Gris, Chardonnay, and Syrah. It’s almost impossible to capture how
passionate Joel Watson is about NZ winemaking and Luna. It shows in his
wines.

A fierce believer in Martinborough.

www.lunaestate.co.nz

Rory Crawford – Loveblock (Wellington)

Loveblock is the home of Erika and Kim Crawford. Yup, the same Kim Crawford
who sold his namesake winery and Loveblock is what they did with the money,
honey.

This 180 acre (72 hectare) vineyard is perched on top of the hills
overlooking the Awatere Valley above Wellington..

The site is perfect for growing premium aromatic white varietals. Due to the
strong winds, the vine growth is slow and they tend to get very small
berries giving high aromatic concentration in the wine.

The main vineyard area produces Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris
predominantly, as well as Pinot Blanc, Tempranillo, Gewurztraminer, Chenin
Blanc and of course, Riesling.

www.loveblock.co.nz

Hamish McRae – Forrest and The Doctors (Marlborough)

Hamish McRae – Forrest & The Doctors

The vineyard of Doctors John and Brigid Forrest.

Forrest Wines – The first vintage for Forrest Wines came in 1990 when an
over-filled red wine fermenter “accident” resulted in a trophy-winning
Merlot Rosé.
Fast forward almost 30 years; many awards and accolades, 5 labels and
vineyards across the country. Forrest is set for generations.

Forrest is all Marlborough.

The Doctors – The Doctors’ range is about innovation and excellence.
New grape varieties, alternative winemaking techniques and select parcels of
fruit all qualify to create very special wines under this unique label.

https://www.forrest.co.nz <https://www.forrest.co.nz/>

https://www.forrest.co.nz/collections/doctors

www.nzwine.com

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

2019 Judgment of BC – The Final One

The spectacular Phantom Creek Winery

Checking out  Cedar Creek Winery

The Italians pour in Vancouver – Michaela Morris co-hosts

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Charles Smith ‘s Third Jet City Rose Experience in Seattle.

( Ann Sperling stays home and makes New Direction wines)

THE SHOW

Charles Smith – Founder Wines of Substance

Charlie is the founder of Washington’s largest winemaker owned winery and the 4^th largest wine producer in Washington State.

Charles Smith

He created and then sold Charles Smith Wines, and five other wines to Constellation.

His new  company, Wines of Substance made 53 different wines last year in their Seattle Jet City facility. 51 were single varietal.

Today he has a portfolio that includes

 K Vintners – The original. Royal City. The Creator. The Boy.

SIXTO – High Elevation Chards. Uncovered, Moxee Vineyard, Frenchman Hills

CasaSmith –  Italian inspired. CasaSmith Sangiovese, Barbera, Primitivo

Substance – Cabernet Sauvignon is the star.

B Leighton  –  By winemaker Brennon Leighton. From Olsen Hills in Yakima.

Wines of Substance showcases Charles Smith’s dedication to producing the very best  wines. From vineyard to glass.

Charles built and opened Jet City in Seattle.  It’s the largest urban winery on the West Coast.

When I saw the artists that would take the stage in the cellar..Rev Horton Heat and Har Mar Superstar – I realized none of my questions or their answers would be heard.

Guests from this wild ride include

Charles Smith  http://winesofsubstance.com/

Chef Stuart Lane http://www.spinasse.com/about/chef-bio/

Andrew Latta – Latta Wines  http://www.lattawines.com/

Ann Sperling –  Winemaker Sperling Vineyards

Sperling Vineyards (Tourism Kelowna)

Note – Sperling Vineyards 2015 Old Vines Riesling Estate Bottled.  95 Points Decanter Wine Awards.  The only Gold medal winning still wine from BC

 A true original.

Ann Sperling creates wines in Ontario, Nova Scotia and most importantly in her family’s home vineyard in Kelowna at a special piece of land called Pioneer Ranch.

It was established and planted in 1929.

Ann grew up in those vineyards but found herself pulled away as more and more vineyards sought her expertise.

She spent several years at Cedar Creek. Then headed back East to the organic and biodynamic vines of Southbrook Vineyards in  Niagara.

Ann Sperling

Finally in 2008 Ann and her immediate family members decided to launch  Sperling Vineyards at Pioneer Ranch.

So..here we are 11 years later and the wines are  pushing the outer edges of what we know BC wine to be.  Wines to keep an eye on.

Their portfolio has specific series called Heritage, Market and Late Harvest/Icewine.

The one series that is really game breaking is The Vision Series of wines.

That’s what Ann and I are going to be talking about .

Organic Natural Amber Pinot Gris 2017 – Like no other Pinot Gris you’ve tasted. Orange and made from 40% whole cluster, 40% whole berry and 20% pressed juice. Nothing added. Nothing taken away.

Vision Chardonnay  2016 (BC Left Gov Award)  . Large French Oak barrels. Minerality and structure.

Organic Pinot Noir 2014 – Hand harvested Dijon clones  144. 777. 828

And the star of the show  Speritz Pet Nat 2018.  (Love and Labour)

Perle of Csaba grapes planted in 1934 – Honouring the Past.

8.3% alcohol.  No fining, No filtration. Wild ferment. Bottled with lees.

Seek and enjoy!!

www.sperlingvineyards.co

Many thanks to our great pal Tim Meeks, who suggested this event and ferried  us around Seattle!

STORIES WE’RE WORKING ON

Tofino Food and Wine

A special feature on “field blends”

Fire Season in The Okanagan

The Wickaninnish Inn opens a spectacular cellar

Tofino mid-week experience. Chefs and more chefs

BC Shellfish Festival / Courtenay-Comox

Cowichan Valley Wine Festival

Chefs speak out on their/our  role in saving fishery