A tough job but ...

A tough job but …

Yes, I know, there should be a way more sexy pic here. But that’s all there is: a down and dirty get it done, direct from the action shot that exposes the gritty reality of judging the morning’s first flight.

We had planned to have all kinds of intellegent analysis of the awards to offer but ran out of time before the results release. So there you go.

Stay tuned as they say. There may be more later.

Full details of all the medals here.

Update:

A few random comments:

It helps to understand the process, which is very stringent. The gold medal contenders (determined by preliminary panels) are tasted by all nine judges. To win gold a wine must have majority support.

I have to say that when I saw the final list (the judging is completely blind), the first thing that jumped out at me was the string of four Road 13 golds, underscoring the tremendous progress made in recent years.

Kudos also to 8th Generation, Jackson-Triggs, Quails Gate, and Thornhaven for their double gold performances.

I knew, of course, that there was a significant Syrah presence but found it interesting that Thornhaven (Summerland) popped up, and noteworthy that Sandhill Small Lots Phantom Creek is here yet again. It’s a perennial winner in so many contests.

By luck of the draw, there was a good spread of wineries large and small, from the top to bottom of the valley, which is always a good thing.

Some others of note include 50th Parallel Rosé, a standout from this newbie; Mount Boucherie Gamay Noir—made from 100 percent Similkameen fruit; Clos de Soleil Capella (also Similkameen); and Grey Monk stalwart Ehrenfelser, which jumped out of an entire flight of Ehrenfelser—only in BC can that happen! And there are more …

Yes, there will be rumblings (there always are) about who should have been here and who isn’t. But a wine does have to be entered to win …

Ultimately, even though it may be all about the gold for a lot of people, I strongly suggest you don’t overlook the Silver line-up for some very serious contenders and, yes, also the bronze.

Congratulations to all—and especially to my fellow judges, who were so professional—and collegial.