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What started as a rough week for Penticton's Poplar Grove Winery has ended on a tremendous high note.
Poplar Grove was closed last weekend after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, reopening Monday.
On Friday, a release informing everyone that the winery, located just outside Penticton below Munson Mountain, had been awarded four gold medals at the 4th annual London Wine Competition.
That event took place in London, England, back on March 15.
Poplar Grove submitted four red wines - Cabernet Franc (93 pts), Poplar Grove Syrah (9 2pts), Poplar Grove Legacy (91 pts) and the Poplar Grove Merlot (90 pts) - and all made it to the top of the podium, the ultimate seal of approval in the global wine industry.
“From the beginning we were convinced that the Okanagan Valley would be internationally recognized as a premium wine region. We have focused on sustainable farming, understanding what our vineyards are capable of and practicing winemaking that minimizes intervention to show the true quality of our vineyards,” said Poplar Grove owner and president Tony Holler. “This has allowed us to make beautiful wines, honest to the vintage they were made in. I am so proud of our winemaking team, led by Stefan Arnason, our consultant Alain Sutre, and our farming team led by my sons, Andrew and Matthew.”
The competition judges wines in three key areas: quality, value for money and package and design.
“Consumers want to enjoy an ‘experience’ from a bottle of wine, it is much more than an alcoholic commodity,” according to Sid Patel, CEO of The Beverage Trade Network. “That’s why the Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and experienced traders judging at the 2020 London Wine Competition look at wines the way wine drinkers do. Yes, they analyze quality professionally. They are then asked to judge and award marks based on value for money and appearance.”
All wines that won gold medals are the current release wines that are available for purchase from the winery, at poplargrove.ca and at fine restaurants and retail stores throughout Canada.
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