Just 12 B.C. Wines are taking home hardware after competing against more than 450 different wines for the 2017 Lieutenant Governor’s Awards for Excellence in British Columbia Wines.

This year a total of 486 wines were submitted by 132 wineries for judging.

“2017’s winning wines represent the best from our province.” said Judith Guichon, Lt.-Gov. of British Columbia. “The hundreds of exceptional wines entered each year make it a challenge to select just twelve winners.”

Of the twelve winning wines, all twelve are from the Okanagan. Oliver’s Cassini Cellars was the only winery to take home two of the prestigious wine awards. In fact, Oliver was an award-winning region with five of the 12 hailing from the area. Oliver is called the ‘Wine Capital of Canada’ as it is home to nearly half of British Columbia’s vines.

The lieutenant-governor will visit each of the winning wineries in September to present the awards.

Members of the Consular Corps of British Columbia will accompany her when she makes these presentations so they can gain knowledge and experience British Columbia’s celebrated wine industry.

All wineries in B.C. were invited to submit their wines for blind judging by a panel of wine industry professionals.

Wines submitted had to be from 100 per cent British Columbian grown grapes and produced in the province to be eligible.

The winning wines are;

• Burrowing Owl Estate Winery – Cabernet Franc 2014 – Oliver, B.C.
• Cassini Cellars – The Aristocrat Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 – Oliver, B.C.
• Cassini Cellars – Nobilus Merlot 2013 – Oliver, B.C.
• Castoro de Oro Estate Winery – Crimson Rhapsody 2014 – Oliver, B.C.
• Gray Monk Estate Winery – Odyssey White Brut 2014 – Lake Country, B.C.
• The Hatch- Crown + Thieves The Broken Barrel Syrah 2013 – West Kelowna, B.C.
• Howling Bluff Estate Winery – Century Block Pinot Noir 2013 – Naramata, B.C.
• Kitsch Wines – Riesling 2015 – Kelowna, B.C.
• Maverick Estate Winery – Bush Vine Syrah 2014 – Oliver, B.C.
• Noble Ridge Vineyards and Winery – “The One” Sparkling 2012 – Okanagan Falls, B.C.
• Perseus Winery – Invictus 2013 – Penticton, B.C.
• Upper Bench Estate Winery – Upper Bench Estate Chardonnay 2015 – Penticton, B.C.

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