Media Releases
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Cornucopia’s 20th Anniversary Top 20 wines announced
Whistler, B.C. – For a festival celebrating its 20th anniversary, it’s apropos that a record number of wines were submitted for consideration in Cornucopia’s annual top wine awards.
With 167 exceptional wines on the table, determining the Top 20 wines of Cornucopia, presented by BlueShore Financial was not for the faint of heart (or palate). DJ Kearney, international wine educator, wine writer, festival presenter and head judge, led the diverse panel of 14 professionals from Whistler and Vancouver. Each judge is recognized as a leader in their field within the B.C. food and wine industry and includes wine directors, wine instructors, food and wine writers, sommeliers and restaurateurs. The panel gathered for the day in a blind tasting session at Whistler’s Quattro Restaurant on September 19.
“To receive 167 high-caliber entries is an indication of the festival’s stature among B.C.’s wine and food festivals,” says DJ Kearney, Cornucopia Top 20 chief judge. “With the finalists reduced to 20 wines in honour of Cornucopia's 20th anniversary, it was even harder than usual to determine the best of the best. Don’t think I'm complaining, though -- I led a crack team of Whistler and Vancouver experts who fearlessly blind tasted and evaluated the record number of entries on-site in Whistler. I'm looking forward to seeing the crowds arrive for the festival and make their own discoveries among the blockbuster lineup of wines at this year's event.”
With characteristics such as colour, aroma, flavour and finish taken into evaluation; the scores were tallied and the top 20 wines were chosen. As in previous years, the judges awarded three wines as the Top Bubble, Top White and Top Red. So without further ado, Cornucopia’s 20th Anniversary Top 20 for 2016 are:
Top Bubble – Haywire The BUB 2014
Top White – Quails’ Gate Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay 2014
Top Red – Kaiken Reserva Malbec 2013
Best of the Rest, in alphabetical order:
• Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz 2014
• Black Hills Nota Bene 2014
• C.C. Jentsch Cellars Cabernet Merlot 2014
• C.C. Jentsch Cellars Syrah 2014
• Ceretto Barolo DOCG 2011
• Ceretto Langhe DOC Arneis Blangé
• Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Riesling 2014
• Culmina Family Estate Winery Dilemma 2014
• Foxtrot Vineyards Foxtrot Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013
• Hardys William Hardy Shiraz 2014
• Harper’s Trail Pioneer Block Dry Riesling 2014
• Howard Park Miamup Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
• Mascota Vineyards Unanime 2012
• Pegau Plan VSIG
• Tantalus Chardonnay 2014
• Villa Maria Taylors Pass Vineyard Chardonnay 2013
• Villa Maria Taylors Pass Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012
Cornucopia participants can congratulate the winners and sample these wines during the festival at the Top 20 Lounge at Crush Grand Tasting, and Trade Tasting (exclusive to industry professionals).
Ticket holders can catch many of the judges at various seminars or as a host at their respective restaurant’s winery dinner. The festival schedule lists all seminars and presenters so participants can take advantage of learning from this esteemed group. The panel consisted of:
• DJ Kearney, Head Judge
• Eric Blouin, Cornucopia Ambassador
• Samantha Rahn, Cornucopia Ambassador
• Andre St. Jacques
• Daenna Van Mulligen
• David Brownridge
• Eric Griffith
• Geoff Weddell
• Joanne DiGeso
• Kurtis Kolt
• Luc Trottier
• Michael Kompass
• Olivia Halla
• Paul Street
With a robust schedule of local restaurant-run events, seminars, various tasting events including the must-attend flagship tasting event Crush Grand Tasting -- there is a menu for every taste and budget. Don’t miss out – tickets are on sale now. Visit www.whistlercornucopia.com for ticket and event information. Media accreditation is open - forms can be accessed here.
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Cornucopia, presented by BlueShore Financial is Whistler’s Celebration of Food + Drink. The dazzling eleven-day display of gourmet food and drink attracts over 15,000 visitors to the resort and caters to everyone from amateur enthusiasts to aficionados. Respected industry professionals, judges and presenters headline each event, seminar and tasting, offering the best possible opportunity to garner as much information and insight as possible. Held on the cusp of the opening of each ski season in beautiful Whistler, British Columbia, Cornucopia was designed to showcase and support local restaurants, restaurateurs and the food and wine industry. With wide-spread appeal through the immense variety of events available, the festival is truly a food and drink festival with a Whistler attitude.
Whistler is Canada's premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.
Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.944.7853 and whistler.com - Whistler's official source for visitor bookings and information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.
Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.
Media Contacts
Mary Zinck
Media Program - Cornucopia
Manager, Travel Media
T: 604.938.2702
E: mzinck@tourismwhistler.com
W: www.whistlercornucopia.com/media
T: @CornucopiaWine
F: @WhistlerCornucopia
I: @cornucopiawhistler