Wild Goose winners
British Columbia’s wine of the year is not only zippy delicious, it’s affordable. The 2016 Riesling ($19) from Summerland’s Evolve Cellars was judged the best wine in the province at the British Columbia Best of Varietal Awards.
Winners were announced this week at the kick-off event for the 24th annual Spring Okanagan Wine Festival at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre.
After 572 wines entered in 34 varietal categories were narrowed down to 135 finalists, judges picked an overall varietal winner based on $19 and under and over $19 categories for whites and $26 and under and over $26 for reds.
From those 34 varietal winners a best of the best was chosen, making Evolve Cellars 2016 Riesling wine of the year.
It’s incredible to see a friendly, approachable and inexpensive wine judged the champion.
It means more people will buy and enjoy it and not be shocked by the price.
It also means sipping the best doesn’t have to be confined to a special occasion.
You can drink Evolve’s Riesling on its own on a sunny day on the patio, pair it with casual crab cakes or red curry at home or take it to a dinner party and brag you only show up with the best.
Evolve’s 2016 vintage is classic Riesling with a touch of sweetness balanced by zippy acidity.
You’ll get some floral notes on the nose and tastes of peach and honey. Evolve has also just released its 2017 Riesling. Both were crafted by winemaker Lawrence Buhler, who has been with Evolve for years and previously worked at Colio and Peller Estates in Ontario and Cape Mentelle in Australia.
Evolve is part of the Encore collection of brands, which also includes Penticton’s Time and McWatters Collection wineries.
The company was founded by Okanagan wine pioneer Harry McWatters, who has been around the B.C. wine industry for half a century, and his daughter, Christa-Lee McWatters, the marketing director and the current chair of the B.C. Wine Institute. Here are the 34 best of varietal winners: – Chardonnay $19 and under: Nk’Mip 2016 – Chardonnay over $19: Inniskillin Dark Horse 2016 – Merlot $26 and under: Gray Monk Odyssey 2014 – Merlot over $26: Serendipity 2012 – Pinot Gris $19 and under: Inniskillin Pinot Grigio 2017 – Pinot Gris over $19: 50th Parallel 2017 – Rose $19 and under: Arrowleaf 2017 – Rose over $19: The View Pinotage 2017 – Riesling $19 and under: Evolve 2016 – Riesling over $19: Summerhill Pyramid Organic 2016 – Pinot Noir $26 and under: Therapy 2016 – Pinot Noir over $26: Quails’ Gate 2016 – Best Sauvignon Blanc: Gehringer Brothers Dry Rock 2017
– Gewurztraminer $19 and under: Baillie-Grohmann 2017 – Gewurztraminer over $19: Lang 2017 – Best Cabernet Sauvignon: Bordertown 2015 – Best sparkling: Gray Monk Odyssey rose brut 2016
– Best Viognier: Red Rooster Rare Bird Series 2017 – Syrah $26 and under: Moon Curser 2015 – Syrah over $26: Nk Mip Qwam Qwmt 2015 – Red Meritage blend $26 and under: See Ya Later Ranch Ping 2015
– Red Meritage blend over $26: Jackson-Trigges SunRock 2015
– White blend $19 and under: The View Silver Lining 2017
– White blend over $19: Time White Meritage 2017
– Cabernet Franc $26 and under: Tinhorn Creek 2015
– Cabernet Franc over $26: Indigenous 2013
– Red blend $26 and under: Wayne Gretzky Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah 2016 – Red blend over $26: VinAmite Hidden Corner 2015 – Other single white varietal $19 and under: Wild Goose Mystic River Pinot Blanc 2017
– Other single white varietal over $19: Hillside Muscat Ottenal 2017
– Other single red varietal $26 and under: Quinta Ferreira 2013 Malbec
– Other single red varietal over $26: Sandhill Small Lots Petit Verdot 2015 – Best icewine: Inniskillin Reserve Vidal With so many winners, it’s now your job to go out and taste as many of them as possible at Spring Okanagan Wine Festival events through May 13 and buy bottles to enjoy now and in the future.
Cheers!
For the second year in a row, a Pinot Gris from Okanagan Falls’ Wild Goose Vineyards has won best of show at the Cascadia Wine Competition held in Washington state.
“Words cannot express how excited we are here at Wild Goose,” said senior winemaker Hagen Kruger.
“My winemaking team of Tanya (Booth) and Nikolas (Kruger’s son) did an amazing job bringing this wine together. We have been talking about this Pinot Gris since last fall, how fantastic it was.”
Judges at the competition evaluated 1,012 wines from Washington state, Oregon, Idaho and British Columbia to award best of varietal and gold, silver and bronze medals.
From the crop of best of varietal winners, judges chose a best of show and that was Wild Goose’s 2017 Pinot Gris ($16.50).
Last year, it was Wild Goose’s 2016 Pinot Gris that picked up best of show at the same contest.
This year’s winner fills the nose and palate with peach, pear, melon, honey and spice.
Drink it on its own on a sunny day, or pair it with barbecued salmon or chicken or pasta in cream sauce.
It’s exemplary of why Pinot Gris is the most grown white grape and the most popluar white wine in the Okanagan.
“Wow. I am at a loss for words,” said Hagen’s brother and general manager, Roland Kruger. “To win two years in a row is quite an accomplishment.” Wild Goose also won best Pinot Noir for its 2016 Pinot Noir ($20), top Gewurztraminer for its 2017 Mystic River Gewurztraminer ($20) and a gold medal for its 2017 Gewurztraminer ($17).
The difference between the award-winning Gewurztraminers is one comes from a single vineyard, Wild Goose’s Mystic River, and the other a blend of the best Gewurz grapes from Kelowna to Oliver.
The Mystic is reminisent of tropical fruit, the other more peach and apricot.
While the Pinot Noir was submitted for judging, Wild Goose isn’t quite ready for the public to buy it.
It will be released first to members of Wild Goose’s wine club and then to the general public in the fall.
Steve MacNaull is The Okanagan Weekend’s business and wine reporter and columnist. Reach him at steve.macnaull@ok.bc.ca.