B.C.’s SpearHead Winery wins Canada’s Winery of the Year

A small boutique winery won big this week at the 2024 National Wine Awards of Canada.

SpearHead Winery, a boutique winery located in Kelowna, was named both Winery of the Year and Best Performing Small Winery of the Year at the annual event.

Founded in 2008 by Bill and Marina Knutson, the winery found early successes with its winery operations. Building on that early buzz, general manager and winemaker Grant Stanley joined the operation in 2017, building on the winery’s emphasis on Pinot Noir. SpearHead was also named Best Performing Small Winery of the Year in 2022.

“Being named Winery of the Year at the 2024 National Wine Awards of Canada is an achievement that is a great honour and one that allows us to feel we have had some success in the pursuit of our goal,” Bill Knutson said in a post announcing the annual awards on the WineAlign website. “We have watched the successes of wineries who have been recognized in the past by the National Wine Awards of Canada and we are very proud to be associated with that group. This achievement has made SpearHead Winery more determined than ever to play a role in securing for our industry a place on the world’s stage for Canadian premium wines.”

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Winners of the National Wine Awards category are chosen by ranking of their top five wines, not including icewine. Eligible wineries must have a minimum of five wines entered in the awards, according to the association website.

The judging, which took place this year in Niagara Falls from June 21-25, is made up of a panel of “Canadian wine writers, educators, sommeliers, and two international judges who spend a week assessing some 2,000 wines and ciders,” according to WineAlign.

While SpearHead Winery took the top spot on the 2024 Winery of the Year list, the boutique operation was also joined by 13 other B.C. wineries on the top-25 list including:

Meyer Family Vineyards of Okanagan Falls (2nd place)
Black Hills Estate Winery of Oliver (4th place)
Quails’ Gate Estate Winery in Kelowna (6th place)
Nostalgia Winery in Oliver (7th place)
Lake Breeze Vineyards of Naramata (9th place)
Corcelettes Estate Winery (12th place)
Nk’Mip Cellars of Osoyoos (13th place)
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery of Oliver (15th place)
Kismet Estate Winery of Oliver (16th place)
CedarCreek Estate Winery of Kelowna (17th place)
Fort Berens Estate Winery of Lillooet (19th place)
Road 13 Vineyards of Oliver (20th place)
Terravista Vineyards of Penticton (24th place)

See the full list of winners online at Winealign.com.

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Source: vancouversun.com