BC Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Awards 2018 Announced

This year’s British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Wine Award winners were announced last night in Kelowna. The winners were unveiled at Okanagan Wine Festival’s signature tasting and reception at the Packing House. The event kicked off the 39th Annual Fall Okanagan Wine Festival.

Wine of the year is:

Deep Roots Syrah 2017 (Naramata Bench) $29.48—which edged out other strong Syrah finishers.

Winners of Platinum Awards (which replaced the original BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in BC wine) are:

Black Hills Estate Winery Roussanne 2017 (South Okanagan) $29.90 • C.C. Jentsch Cellars Syrah 2016 (South Okanagan) $31.90

Deep Roots Winery Parentage Red 2016 (Naramata Bench) $32.56

Lake Breeze Vineyards Aura Pinot Noir 2017 (Naramata Bench) $40.00

Harper’s Trail Pioneer Block Riesling 2018 (Thompson Valley) $18.29 Moon Curser Vineyards Touriga Nacional 2017 (South Okanagan) $39.99

Nk’Mip Cellars Winery Qwam Qwmt Riesling 2018 (South Okanagan) $ 23.99

Privato Vineyard and Winery Tesoro Pinot Noir 2016 (North Okanagan) $34.69

Road 13 Vineyards Syrah Malbec 2017 (South Okanagan) $32.17

Sandhill Riesling Icewine 2018 (Okanagan Valley) $47.00

Van Westen Vineyards Vulture Cabernet Franc 2016 (Naramata Bench) $40.00

Wayne Gretzky Okanagan Signature Series Shiraz 2016 (Okanagan Valley) $ 24.99

Gold medals reflect good results in particular for Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Syrah/Shiraz and Riesling.

The evening’s bitter sweet highlight was the posthumous presentation of the Founder’s Award to Harry McWatters.

Christine Coletta (the 2018 recipient) presented the award to Christa-Lee McWatters and family.

Harry was founding president of the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society and was instrumental in establishing the award. The award has been renamed the Harry McWatters Founders Award in his memory.

Click here for the full list of awards, including Gold, Silver & Bronze medal winners.

About the Author: Tim Pawsey

Tim has been covering the food and wine revolution for about 20 kilos. Count 15 kg alone thanks to the blossoming cuisine and wine culture of British Columbia, Canada. His awards include: BC Restaurant Assn. Hall of Fame, Okanagan Wine Festivals Harry McWatters Founder's Award, BC Wine Growers Industry Recognition Award, Vancouver International Wine Festival Spirited Industry Professional award. Tim’s hallmark is seeking out and recommending value wines from BC and around the world that offer quality at every level. He also scopes out noteworthy restaurants that live up to their promises—and often over deliver. For several decades Tim wrote columns in the Vancouver Courier and North Shore News. He currently contributes to several magazines, including BCLS Taste, Vitis and others. Tim is a frequent judge for wine competitions and was a founding judge of The BC Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Wine. He is frequently invited to judge at The BC Wine Awards, and others. Tim has traveled to taste in many of the world’s leading wine regions, across Europe, in North America, Argentina and Chile, Australia and New Zealand, and South Africa.