By Madeline Baker, Times Chronicle
British Columbia wineries dominated the awards list at Winealign’s National Wine Awards of Canada in June, with Osoyoos- and Oliver-based wineries ranking in the provincial and country-wide top 10 and East Kelowna’s CedarCreek taking the top national spot.
Sixteen of this year’s top 25 wineries in Canada, and four of the top five, are based in B.C.: SpearHead and Mission Hill in Kelowna took numbers three and four, and Penticton’s La Frenz rounded out the top five. SpearHead Winery and La Frenz were also recognized as the top two Best Performing Small Wineries.
Both Osoyoos and Oliver performed very well in all the rankings, with Osoyoos’ Bordertown Vineyards and Nk’Mip Cellars placing 7th and 9th, respectively among the top 10 B.C. wineries and 9th and 13th in the best 25 Canadian wineries.
In Oliver, Black Hills Estate ranked 5th in B.C. and 7th in Canada, Kismet Estate ranked 10th in B.C., 19th in Canada, and 5th among small wineries, and Oliver’s Tinhorn Creek and Road 13 rounded out the top 25 in Canada at 23 and 24.
Along with their #1 placement among Canadian wineries, CedarCreek also won 19 medals for their individual wines. Winemaker Taylor Whelan credited this spectacular performance to the winery’s shift to regenerative farming in 2020, which he called “a huge amount of work, and commitment on a grand scale.”
CedarCreek is now an actual working farm as well as a winery, complete with cows, chickens, honey bees, and a dedicated earthworm farm. This increased biodiversity, according to Whelan and viticulturist Kurt Simic, has very literally improved their product from the ground up by returning important nutrients to the soil.
“Winning the Winealign Winery of the Year title is a reflection of all our hard work and changes that we have made to maximize the true potential of our vineyards. As a result, we’ve seen dramatic increases in soil quality and corresponding improvements in vine health and fruit quality that is ultimately expressed in the quality of our wines that are the best we have ever produced,” said Whelan.
Paul Jordan, the main sales agent for Bordertown Winery, told the Times Chronicle that they’ve already had a sharp increase in phone calls regarding their award-winning wines, though it’s still too early to know how much of an impact they may have on sales.
“[Awards are] definitely important for the trade,” said Jordan. “We are revising all of our sales and marketing materials aimed at trade buyers to reflect these awards. It definitely props the brand up in terms of the brand awareness and recognition, and it certainly builds a respect factor for the brand and what the winery is doing.”
