Steven Spurrier is coming for his inaugural visit to the Okanagan just as Wines of British Columbia celebrates 25 years of BC VQA and the BC Pinot Noir Celebration sees a major expansion.
As a champion of French wines, Spurrier is famously recognized for organizing the original Judgement of Paris Wine Tasting in 1976, as portrayed in the Hollywood blockbuster Bottle Shock. This wine expert will be touring wineries in the Okanagan Valley and tasting over 100 of B.C.’s finest wines from all over the province.
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"It's an absolute honour to bring Steven Spurrier to the Okanagan and a dream we've had for years,” says British Columbia Wine Institute Marketing Director Maggie Anderson. “It's an exciting time for the BC Wine Industry, as we celebrate our 25th anniversary of BC VQA and we are thrilled to have Steven here to experience the amazing quality wines we are producing.”
"I have tasted and enjoyed a number of British Columbia wines over the years and am looking forward to visiting this emerging wine region first hand," says Spurrier. "Seeing the vineyards, the cellars and especially the people involved adds another dimension to every wine, great or small, so for me this will be a fascinating voyage of discovery."
Anderson says that Spurrier’s exceptional wine knowledge and accomplishments make him the perfect critic to show how far the B.C. wine industry has come in the last 25 years. Pinot Noir was the third most grown grape by acreage in B.C. in 2014, and these grapes gained recognition around the world.
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The first BC Pinot Noir Celebration was three years ago to showcase the best in the province. This year’s celebration is in Kaleden’s Linden Gardens on August 22nd with Spurrier as the keynote speaker. The number of BC Pinot Noir producers has been increased, with a total of 26 wineries participating. Organizers are hoping that this year will elevate the event to be one of Canada’s top wine events.
The celebration this year will have interactive breakout sessions, salon tastings, a family style dinner by Artisan Culinary Concepts, live music with local band The Young’uns, and a canapé competition with Okanagan Chefs Jason Leizert, Alex Sielmann, Chris Van Hooydonk and Calgary Chef Dilan Draper.
Check out the BC Pinot Noir Celebration’s website for tickets and details.
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