coordinators, Christina Ferreira. “People were more focused; more particular about what they wanted. Many now have more appreciative palates and they realize that wines are winning for a reason. They may be curious about why a wine won an award, so they’ll buy it to try it,” she says.


The Wine Festival Society also changed the style of the award this year, from a wall plaque to a medal on a ribbon that can be draped over a bottle, because it’s a better visual, and wall space is often limited in tasting rooms.


“Awards definitely help sell wines,” Ferreira believes.


On the other hand, entering competitions can also tell a winery why consumers will not buy their wines—if they’re consistently not palatable enough for judges to give them the seal of approval. Perhaps the winemaker is doing something wrong; something that doesn’t resonate with either consumers or judges. Best to know this than to continue to make unpalatable or unpopular wines. That said, the quality of judging in a competition also can affect the list of award-winners, since there is inevitably a certain amount of subjectivity in judging wines. So, in entering competitions, it is important to first consider the calibre of judges who will be on deck, advises perennial award-winning winemaker Howard Soon of Sandhill and its parent company, Peller Estates. Sandhill, along with the much larger Jackson-Triggs, have been garnering the largest number of awards at local competitions in recent years, in part because J-T makes such a large selection of wines, but also because there are some very good ones among them.


Sandhill is a premium winery started by Soon before it was bought by Peller as part of Cascadia Brands, owner of Calona Vineyards. The first local competitions were held a couple of decades ago, in the early days of the VQA designation and today’s premium wine industry in B.C., but both local and international awards are good for ‘shelf-talkers’ at the retail level, notes Lindsay Kelm, communications manager for the B.C. Wine Institute.


Shelf-talkers are postcard-sized


tasting notes or notifications of awards which draw attention to a particular wine in a larger display of wines.


Kelm points out that not only can awards gain credibility for a winery; they can also affect the prices of future vintages and gain recognition for a winery for certain varietals. “Awards help consumers narrow down the choices when they’re facing shelves upon shelves of hundreds of wines. It can be daunting,” she notes. And, in each of the past three years, B.C. wineries have received more awards each year, with 1,400 last year, and 1,800 in the first three-quarters of this year.


Even B.C. wine drinkers pay attention and give local wines credibility once they win recognition internationally, notes Kelm. “On a global scale international awards make a name,” she says. “Getting better known around the world validates the industry. Consumers feel they can trust the wine if it has received attention on the world stage. And, it keeps giving the local industry legs in Canada.


“It also gives tourists and trade, like restaurants, encouragement to offer and to try B.C. wines.


“Restaurants are a key player in the industry,” she notes.


In fact, 20 per cent of B.C. VQA wine sales are through restaurants, while 25 per cent are through the Liquor Distribution Branch and 24 per cent are through wineries. The province’s 600 private beer and wine stores account for 17 per cent of sales, while the 21 B.C. VQA stores account for nine per cent.


As far as judging is concerned, Kelm says many wineries pick and choose which competitions to enter. However, she advises that wineries not neglect the local competitions because it’s the local market that supports the B.C. industry. She notes that 85 per cent of B.C. wines are consumed in B.C. Now that there are around 300 wineries in B.C., anything that helps consumers differentiate between the thousands of labels available, is bound to help a winery to sell more of its wine, as long as it’s good wine that wins awards.


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