Press Room
If no news is good news then why do we feel so excited to be making these headlines?
TAKE A BIG SWIG OF WINE COUNTRY IN OSOYOOS
There is more than just wine by the lake. Full story here.
BRITISH COLUMBIA – BC TOP 50
The 45th Annual Okanagan Spring Wine Festival kicked off last week with the British Columbia Wine Awards – BC TOP 50. The results are in and we are beyond happy to share Vanessa Vineyards’ double recognition at the BC Wine Awards- BC TOP 50. Our 2019 Syrah received an average score from our judges of 93 Points and the 2019 Goltz Legacy received 91 points. View the other wines and vineyards here.
ALL CANADIAN WINE CHAMPIONSHIPS
A time-honoured competition for the last 42 years, 173 wineries and over 900 wines were submitted for the 20 judges across Canada. We are thrilled to be awarded the following medals:
Right Bank 2019, Gold and Syrah 2019, Silver. View all of the results here.
SPRING WINE PICKS FROM DAILY HIVE – FEATURING VANESSA VINEYARD
Spring is upon us! We feel grateful to be among these top picks – Vancouver’s Daily Hive features 6 local wines from BC Liquor to try this spring. Read the entire article here.
VANESSA VINEYARD SPEAKS ON THE IMPACTS OF WINTER COLD SNAP – FEATURED ON GLOBAL NEWS – March 15, 2024
Our vineyard along with others this week, discussing the significant impact of two winter cold snaps on many vineyards in the Okanagan region. As a result of the extensive vine losses, our vineyard team and many other vineyards will need to embark on a replanting initiative in the upcoming years. Responding to the plea for assistance, the BC Government has introduced a new $70 million replanting program designed to aid the wine industry in replanting efforts throughout the province. Read the full news article and watch the video here.
2023 WINE ALIGN NATIONAL WINE AWARDS OF CANADA
This year, there was 1,930 entries from over 255 different wineries across the country. We are thrilled to share that Vanessa Vineyard won awards for six of our wines. Read the results here.
THE BC LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S WINE AWARDS
Presented by Okanagan Wine Festivals, these awards recognize excellence in winemaking. We are so proud to share that Vanessa Vineyard has been awarded Silver medals for both the 2017 Meritage and the 2022 V Series. View the results here.
DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS
Celebrating its 20th year, the Decanter Wine Awards are recognized as the world’s largest and most influential wine competition. Over 18,250 wines evaluated from 57 countries and Vanessa Vineyards’ 2019 Right Bank was the recipient of a Silver medal! View the results here.
SILVER & GOLD STANDARD APPROVED – ALL CANADIAN WINE CHAMPIONSHIPS, 2022
The results are in and we are so happy to have been recognized in the 2022 All Canadian Wine Championships once again! We won not one but TWO awards – Gold for our 2021 Rosé and Silver for our newly created 2021 V-Series.
APRIL IS BC WINE MONTH – CELEBRATE WITH BC SALMON AND VANESSA VINEYARD ROSÉ
In partnership with Wines of British Columbia, Cook Book Author Jennifer Schell reached out to our very own Master Winemaker Howard Soon to pair some of the best Wild BC Salmon recipes with BC Wines – perfect for spring. View the recipe here.
VANESSA’S 2018 MERITAGE FEATURED ON @MYVANCITY
Thanks to Valerie van der Gracht to featuring our Meritage on her new series #ThisWineThatDish. “Nothing steps up to the challenge like a rich, smoothly deep red wine from the Similkameen. The juicy balance of ripe fruit just cries out…” The article along with Valerie’s Chicken Adobo recipe can be found in the article, it makes the perfect dish to try with your Valentine next month. Read more here.
CTV’s “THE SOCIAL” CELEBRATES DIVERSE WINEMAKERS ACROSS CANADA INCLUDING VANESSA VINEYARD’S HOWARD SOON
On Monday, October 18, 2021, Vanessa Vineyard was featured on CTV’s ’The Social’ – the feature was ’The incredible diverse winemakers across Canada you need to know” Watch the clip in its entirety here.
MUST-VISIT WINE REGIONS TO DISCOVER IN 2022
Talk about wines from British Columbia will always center on the Okanagan Valley, which is home to the largest number of vineyards and wineries, but the exciting evolution of the Similkameen Valley is attracting attention. Read more.
VANESSA SUPPORTS THE QUEST TO CONQUER CHILDHOOD CANCER
“More than 350 philanthropic and community leaders came together at the 35th Annual Crystal Ball and raised over $6.76 million to help conquer childhood cancer. This generous support will help advance life-saving oncology research that will give new hope to children across British Columbia battling hard-to-cure cancers. Vanessa Vineyard supported as a Wine Sponsor again this year and also donated to the cause. We feel so grateful to support this amazing event! Read more about this exceptional event here.
LONG DAYS AT WINERIES DURING GRAPE HARVEST
“As the weather cools and nights darken earlier, many of us reach for a glass of red in a quest to warm up and feel cosy.” Read more.
CANADIAN WINEMAKING VETRAN HOWARD SOON RECEIVES AWARD – WINE BUSINESS.COM
“…Canada’s wine industry has recognized its longest-serving winemaker with a prestigious award for his commitment to life-long-learning and mentorship.” Read more.
SIP, SIP, HOORAY! HOWARD SOON WINS WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR
On July 21, 2021, Howard Soon, Master Winemaker at Vanessa Vineyard was the recipient of The Karl Kaiser Canadian Winemaker Award, presented by the Wine Growers British Columbia and Wine Growers Canada at the Wine Growers British Columbia Industry Recognition Awards’ virtual ceremony. Read more about the award here.
WE CRUSHED IT – ALL CANADIAN WINE CHAMPIONSHIP
The results are in and we are so happy to have been recognized in the 2021 All Canadian Wine Championship! We won not one but TWO awards – Double Gold for the 2018 Syrah (Syrah over $30 category) and Bronze for our 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon (Cabernet Sauvignon over $30 category)
ASIAN HERITAGE MONTH 2021
Debbie Shing founder of Quvé shines the light of Asian influence in the wine industry and featured Vanessa Vineyard on Your Morning, CTV. Debbie highlighted our Master Winemaker Howard Soon and his contribution to the wine industry and featured our award-winning Meritage. You can watch the clip here (go to the 1:34 mark)
YOU’RE THE WINE THAT I WANT
We are excited to share that our 2016 Syrah received the BC Lieutenant Governor Silver Medal. It is a true honour to be recognized by the best in the industry and we are so proud of our entire team led by Master Winemaker Howard Soon. Read more.
NO WINING: BC WINERIES GET CREATIVE WITH GRAPES TAINTED BY SMOKE
“When life gives you bad grapes, what do you make? After British Columbia’s disastrous 2018 wildfires left vineyards tainted with smoke, some wineries managed to get creative so they didn’t waste the fruits of their labour. Robin Gill explains how.” Watch here.
GENEROSITY FROM THE SIMILKAMEEN VALLEY
“Vanessa Vineyards aims to donate a total of 200 meals over the next 90 days to the Meals on Wheels Program at the Lower Similkameen Community Services Society, which delivers food to seniors every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.” Read more.
HOWARD SOON HONOURED WITH THE ORDER OF CANADA
On June 27, 2019 Howard Soon, our Master Winemaker was honoured with The Order of Canada for his leading role in shaping, expanding and elevating British Columbia’s wine industry. Read more.
MASTER WINEMAKER HOWARD SOON JOINS VANESSA VINEYARD
Vanessa Vineyard is proud to announce Howard Soon as our Master Winemaker. A pioneer in the BC wine industry, he has been awarded with innumerable accolades and established many firsts in the province, including the first to release a series of single vineyard designated wines. Read more.
CLASS OF 2015: VANESSA VINEYARD
“Two premium 2012 red wines, a Syrah and a Meritage, to be released this spring constitute a very strong start for Vanessa Vineyard, the newest winery in the Similkameen Valley.” Read more.
VANESSA VINEYARD: SIMILKAMEEN’S RISING STAR
Unquestionably, one of the most anticipated new arrivals of the year, Similkameen’s Vanessa Vineyard’s inaugural release lives up to expectations. It’s good to see yet one more example of the quality (and complexity) that’s driving the true potential of the Similkameen Valley, in its own right. Read more.
NEW ARRIVAL FROM SIMILKAMEEN’S VANESSA VINEYARD LIVES UP TO EXPECTATION
“There were signs early on that Vanessa might be something special.” Read more.