Looking to buy an award-winning wine? One that’s made in B.C.?
Put this on your list: Lake Breeze Vineyard’s 2016 Pinot Noir, which was named Wine of the Year at the 2018 British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards in Penticton on Thursday evening. The awards featured a dozen judges sampling and testing more than 700 B.C. wines.
The awards were announced at the opening of 38th annual Fall Okanagan Wine Festival. The competition is open to all licensed B.C. wineries, with bronze, silver, and gold medals being awarded. The top winners received Lieutenant Governor’s platinum medals, with the top prize being the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Wine of the Year.
Of note, the British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards replaced the Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in B.C. Wine and the B.C. Wine Awards.
The 12 judges hailed from B.C. (eight), Ontario (two), Winnipeg (one) and Washington state (one), and they awarded a record number of medals to more than 100 British Columbia wineries.
The full list of finalists is available at thewinefestivals.com.
The top wines that received platinum medals were:
- Black Hills Syrah 2016
- Hillside Winery Reserve Pinot Gris 2017
- Kismet Estate Winery Cabernet Franc Reserve 2016
- Kismet Estate Winery Syrah Reserve 2016
- Little Engine Wines Pinot Noir 2016
- Moon Curser Vineyards Touriga Nacional 2016
- Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Chardonnay 2016
- Quails’ Gate Winery Totally Botrytis Affected Optima 2017
- Rust Wine Co. Syrah 2016
- Sperling Vineyards Sparkling Brut 2011
- Wild Goose Vineyards Mystic River Pinot Blanc 2017
- Wild Goose Vineyards Riesling 2017