It doesn‘t matter that it‘s 10 a.m. on Wednesday and she won‘t be able to actually drink any of the wine.

“This is the world of wine judging,” she said with a laugh.
“It‘s sniff, swirl, taste and spit out.”
Vancouver-based Philip, Western Canada‘s only female Master of Wine, was in a conference room at Kelowna‘s Manteo Resort for a three-day marathon of wine judging to determine the winners of the B.C. Wine Awards that will be announced tonight.
“This is the gold medal round of judging (for white wines) – the one I most look forward to,” she said.
“By this point all the wines we taste are good. We‘re just deciding if it should get gold or silver or maybe even be named top white wine.”
But before Philip and her eight fellow judges made it to this point there were two days of sniffing, swirling, tasting and spitting a total of 455 wines.

Three panels of three judges each do the preliminary work of blindly judging different wines by varietal.
Blind tasting means the judges know the variety of the wine (pinot gris or merlot, for example) but nothing more because the wine is brought to them in a numbered glass.

Preliminary judging determines what wines get bronze medals and which wines don‘t merit a medal at all.
The best wines from the preliminary rounds go to the gold medal round where all nine judges taste to determine gold and silver medals and top wine.

“This is also when we get the most passionate discussion amongst the judges,” said Philip, who works as a portfolio manager for the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch and runs a consulting business with her husband, Iain, that bears an amalgamation of their names – Barbariain Wine. “When you award a gold medal, it sends a message about it being true to style and quality. You want to make sure it truly deserves it.”

Judging a competition like this gives a snapshot of the B.C. wine industry, according to Philip.
“Every year, the quality is better and the consistency is there,” she said.

“That‘s the mark of a world-class wine region – consistently good quality. I‘m particularly amazed by the quality of the syrahs and rieslings coming out of B.C.”

The judging chairman was grape grower and consultant Rhys Pender from Cawston, who became Canada‘s youngest Master of Wine in 2009.
Since there are only four Masters of Wine in Canada, it meant half of them (Pender and Philip) were in the same conference in Kelowna this week.

Other judges included Master of Wine D.C. Flynt from Louisiana, 2010 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival sommelier of the year Kurtis Kolt, Jim Martin from Kelowna‘s Metro Liquor, Washington state-based Eric Degerman of Wine Press Northwest magazine, Vancouver-based wine writer and broadcaster Jurgen Gothe and Vancouver-based wine educator and chef D.J. Kearney.

The B.C. Wine Awards, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tonight at Kelowna‘s Rotary Centre for the Arts, gives people a chance to hear who wins first and then taste the best wines accompanied by tapas and canapes.

The awards kick off the 31st annual Fall Okanagan Wine Festival, the Valley‘s largest annual party with 120 events throughout the Okanagan.
Last year, the fest attracted 40,000 people to events and wineries. They spent $4.7 million directly on wine and tickets, and more when accommodation, transportation and other shopping is added in.

Since those 40,000 usually visit multiple wineries or take in several events, the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society estimates 180,000 consumer visits.

“We‘ve grown the fall fest about as big as we can,” said society co-ordinator Blair Baldwin.

“And given the challenging economic times, we‘ll be pleased if this year‘s spending and visits holds its own compared to last year.”

For a full list of the tastings, wine and food pairing dinners, lunches, grape stomps, seminars and other events of the fest, check out

www.TheWineFestivals.com or pick up a guide at participating wineries, restaurants, hotels and tourist information centres.

Kelowna Wine Tours : For more information on Club Wine Tours call 250-762-9951 or visit the website at www.clubwinetours.com

The history of the Okanagan Valley (http://www.bcwine.ca/) wine-region is a short and troubled one by modern standards: the first vineyard was planted in the 1850′s by a Catholic missionary at a time when Europeans were virtually unheard of in British Columbia. (B.C. didn’t become a recognized province until it joined the Dominion of Canada in 1871)
Well, that missionary may have done well working for God, but in working for the grape he perhaps didn’t do as well… plantings of vines were sporadic at best until the 1920′s when prohibition came into effect. Then out came all the vines and fruit wines were virtually the only wines produced in the province.

Fast-forward to the 1970′s and a few enterprising individuals began to invest time, money and themselves to this northern climate (it lies on the same lines of latitude as Champagne in France) to see if something other then fruit wines could be made here. Walter Hainle (http://www.hainle.com/) was one such individual.

In 1972 an early frost threatened to wipe-out one of Walters’ first crops. Rather then lose his entire years work, he decided to fall back on his Germanic heritage and made an icewein or icewine. It was Canada’s inaugural vintage of 178 bottles, and if one could be found today, it would be worth approximately 1,500,000 British Pounds Sterling at auction. One bottle.

I have not been fortunate enough to sample one of those bottles. I haven’t even had the pleasure of tasting one of their vintages of icewine. What I did happen across, in a little winestore in Chiliwack, was the 2002 Pinot Blanc selling for less then $25. I thought to myself, “How bad could it be?”

The truth was, I had no idea how good it could be. Pinot Blanc is a varietal grown in Alsace (France), Germany, Hungary and Slovenia most notably. The Hainle family is from Austria, and whilst it is certainly grown in Austria, it is not one of the main varietals for the country. Pinot Blanc is actually a mutation (in the best possibly way) of Pinot Noir (a varietal I adore), although it can easily be confused for Chardonnay, and until recently (1980′s) was actually mistaken for Muscadet in California. Pinot Blanc is often vinified the same way as Chardonnay going into oak barrels and undergoing malo-lactic fermentation.

So here is an anomaly for me: not only a varietal that doesn’t normally age well (most are consumed 5 years or under), but also an older vintage than one normally sees for anything other then icewine from BC. What to do with a 9-year old Pinot Blanc from BC? The answer is pure enjoyment.

To read more …Click Here

Bill and Donna Jack, of Club Wine Tours are thrilled with the response to this tour. The adventure begins mid-afternoon as you are driven to Kalala Organic Estate Winery in West Kelowna.

A little education is mixed with the wine tasting as you learn about the winery and organic viticulture. You can taste four of their many award winning wines, as well as the best Chardonnay Icewine in the world, as awarded in France at the renowned Chardonnay du Monde competition. There is also the very rare red, Zweigelt icewine. Icewine tastings are by donation which goes to build a school in the village of Kalala and to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. Kalala’s biggest claim to fame is they won more medals last year than the Canadian Olympic team. More info at www.kalalawines.ca.

Before you know it you are being whisked off to Peachland to Hainle Vineyards Estate Winery where you meet with owner and winemaker Walter Huber. Walter takes guests through a tasting of two white and two red wines, one vintage red and one vintage white. Then it’s off to the cellar where Huber treats you to tank and barrel tasting of new wines reserved for wine club members only. Once the tasting is complete you emerge from the cellars and are given six bottles of wine – handpicked and signed by the winemaker (two red, two white, one red vintage, one white vintage). Visit www.hainle.com for more information.

You have approximately 30 minutes to relax on your way back to Kelowna before you excite your taste buds with delicious creations at the Cabana Grill. Executive Chef James DeLong will personally cook each of your five courses, then come out with each course and explain where the ingredients and inspiration came from and why it is paired with … yes, more Hainle wine!

A sample menu includes BC spring salmon, BC Sezmu red wine fed beef, grilled tenderloin, morel mushroom and short rib croquette, sweet curry, pork and pickled carrot rillette, sorbet, local citrus and fruits, and of course a delicious something made with chocolate. Each dish is paired with a wine chosen specifically for the season and the flavours of the dish. Find out more about Cabana at www.cabanagrille.com

After your feast you are driven to Delta Grand Okanagan Hotel where you can retire in luxury at the Royal Private Residence Club. Tastefully designed, fully furnished villas in a Tuscan-style all offer gourmet kitchens, living and dining area, leather couches, and gas fireplaces. The Clubs top floor offers indoor/outdoor hot tubs, an exclusive fitness centre, and a breathtaking infinity pool overlooking Lake Okanagan. Awake in the morning refreshed and bathe in the sun on a rooftop chaise lounge or take advantage of the extended amenities offered at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort right next door. For more information go to deltahotels.com and choose Royal Private Residence Club from the drop down menu.

Jack explains why he created this tour. “While we do have tours for every budget, we created the Exclusive Wine Tour to create a personalized experience like no other. We want to make sure guests get to meet the people behind the scenes; to have one-on-one time with the wine makers, owners and chefs that make the Okanagan so great.”

For more information on Club Wine Tours call 250-762-9951 or visit the website at www.clubwinetours.com .

“To welcome the world to this amazing first-class Okanagan Valley wine industry”

Club Wine Tours originated in May 2002. This dynamic team led by Donna and Bill Jack have a strong background in business, tourism, travel, marketing & special events.

In the beginning of our business we met strong influential people in the industry such as Steve Cypes, owner of Summerhill Pyramid Winery, Walter Huber, owner & wine maker of Hainle Estate Organic Winery and Howard Soon, winemaker of Calona Estate Vineyards. They all had a great love and Passion for wine.

Our discussions and their support have helped Club Wine Tours appreciate the strong commitment these pioneers made to the Okanagan Valley and they continue to express it with their devotion to the wine industry.

Club Wine Tours continues to grow in the Okanagan Valley and we are dedicated to our client’s experience. To this end Club Wine Tours has developed day and evening tours to match our guest’s needs and whims. Club Wine Tours is pleased to say that “our passion is wine and people”.

Club Wine Tours has developed strong partnerships with the tourism wine family. We enjoy meeting, sharing knowledge and showcasing this incredible wine country throughout the Okanagan to destinations such as Kelowna, Osoyoos, Oliver, Naramata, Summerland, Peachland, West Kelowna, Winfield and so much more.

Our Mission:

Club Wine Tours – We always put a smile on your face!!!