2013 Best of Varietal Wine Awards

Wow, it’s been pretty quiet here on BC Wine Lover, but that doesn’t mean I have been just sipping wine all winter long (although there was plenty of that too).

Last week the Okanagan Wine Festival Society announced the 2013 Best of Varietal Wine Awards. Out of the 430 wines that were entered, the following were chosen as the best of the best:

The Best Chardonnay – Cassini Cellars Reserve Chardonnay 2009
The Best Unoaked Chardonnay – Gehringer Brothers Estate Winery Dry Rock Vineyards Unoaked Chardonnay 2011
The Best Cabernet Franc – Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery Cabernet Franc 2009
The Best Cabernet Sauvignon – Silkscarf Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
The Best Fortified/Late Harvest/Dessert – Hester Creek Estate Winery Late Harvest Pinot Blanc 2012
The Best Fruit Wine – Elephant Island Orchard Wines Framboise 2012
The Best Gewurztraminer – Wild Goose Vineyards Gewurztraminer 2012
The Best Icewine – Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate Reserve Riesling Icewine 2011
The Best Merlot – Nk’Mip Cellars Qwam Qwmt Merlot 2009
The Best Pinot Blanc – Clos du Soleil Winery Pinot Blanc Grower’s Series Chegwin & Baessler 2012
The Best Pinot Gris – Gray Monk Estate Winery Pinot Gris 2012
The Best Pinot Noir – La Frenz Winery Reserve Pinot Noir 2011
The Best Other Single Red Varieties – Quinta Ferreira Estate Winery Malbec 2009
The Best Other Single White Varieties – Gray Monk Estate Winery Ehrenfelser Gray Monk Vineyard 2012
The Best Red Meritage Blend – Cedar Creek Estate Winery Cabernet Merlot 2010
The Best Red Blend – Other – Painted Rock Estate Winery Red Icon Estate Grown 2009
The Best Riesling – Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve Riesling 2011
The Best Rose/Blush – Clos du Soleil Winery Rose 2012
The Best Sauvignon Blanc – La Frenz Winery Sauvignon Blanc Rattlesnake Vineyard 2012
The Best Sparkling – Sumac Ridge Estate Winery Steller’s Jay Brut 2007
The Best Syrah/Shiraz – Cassini Cellars Syrah 2009
The Best White Blend – Wild Goose Vineyards Autumn Gold 2012
The Best Viognier – Elephant Island Orchard Wines Unconventional Wisdom Viognier 2012