FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBERTA WINERY WINS GOLDS and BEST IN CLASS AT RECENT COMPETITIONS.
Three gold medals have been awarded to Field Stone Fruit Wines of Strathmore, Alberta, and Alberta Beverage Awards chooses Field Stone for Best In Class.
STRATHMORE, ALBERTA (August 2017)
Alberta-based fruit winery Field Stone Fruit Wines is celebrating several new medals and distinctions that were awarded at three prestigious competitions recently: The National Wine Awards of Canada based out of Ontario, The Northwest Wine Summit, held in Hood River, Oregon and Calgary’s own The Alberta Beverage Awards.
Boasting the largest competition its 17-year history, this year the National Wine Awards of Canada awarded a Gold Medal for Field Stone’s Black Currant Fruit Wine. The competition saw 1700 wines from 242 wineries across Canada.
And at The North West Wine Summit in Port Hood, Oregon, where 1279 entries were judged from 340 producers – Field Stone received its best showing ever. The awards included:
Bronze Medal: Strawberry Dessert Wine
Silver Medals: Bumbleberry Fruit Wine, Raspberry Fruit Wine and Raspberry Dessert Wine.
Gold Medals: Black Currant Fruit Wine and Saskatoon Berry Dessert Wine.
Field Stone also received three additional recognitions from the Summit:
– “The Superlative Award” for best of region for its Black Currant Fruit Wine;
– a coveted “Best Value Award” for its Black Currant Fruit Wine; and
_“Best of Category” awards for both the Black Currant Fruit Wine and Saskatoon Berry Dessert Wine.
And finally, right here in Alberta, the Alberta Beverage Awards competition has awarded Field Stone the “Best In Class” distinction (Best Fruit Wine in the competition), for its Raspberry Fruit Wine. In addition, their Black Currant Fruit Wine, Wild Black Cherry Dessert Wine and Strawberry Dessert Wine were awarded the Judge’s Selection as a top performer in the Fruit Wine and Fortified/Dessert Wine categories.
“It’s always very rewarding to win awards from the competitions we enter,” says Field Stone co-founder Elaine Gill. “But this year the competitions were larger than ever, and so it’s extra-special to be among the winners.”
Although Elaine and Marvin Gill’s Bumbleberry Orchards outside Strathmore has seen some battles with Mother Nature over the years, they are still growing 75% of all the fruit that goes into the wines themselves.
“Fruit growing in Alberta is always a challenge, but this past year we felt that our quality fruit made for some very high quality wines,” says Marvin.
In 2005 Field Stone Fruit Wines was the first business to be granted a license under the Government of Alberta’s new estate winery regulations, allowing fruit growers to manufacture and sell fruit wines. Since then, they have gone on to win more than eighty awards across all 10 of its fruit and dessert wines and have grown from farm-gate sales, to farmers markets, to now being available in over 100 retail stores across Alberta.
“More and more Albertans are trying non-grape wines for the first time,” explains Elaine. They are often surprised at how much they enjoy them.”
“People are interested in how to use our wines,” adds Marvin. “Our off-dry and medium-dry wines are easy to pair with everyday meals, but our dessert wines can be used in so many great ways – cocktails, lemonades, martinis. You just have to use your imagination.”
This season Field Stone has taken to social media and farmers markets to talk to customers about fruit wine, how to drink them, and how to mix them up into some great recipes.
“Our customers are always so encouraging,” says Elaine. “Especially at the winery and farmers markets, people love to support local, 100% Alberta, agribusiness. They enjoy hearing our story and the support really is amazing.”
For more information about Field Stone’s wines and where to buy them, including direct from its website, visit: www.fieldstonefruitwines.com/find-us.
ABOUT FIELD STONE FRUIT WINES
In 2005 Field Stone Fruit Wines was the first business to be granted a license under the Government of Alberta’s new estate winery regulations, allowing fruit growers to manufacture and sell fruit wines. Since July 1st, 2005, Field Stone has been a popular destination drawing visitors and customers from around Alberta, Canada, and beyond.
All Field Stone wines are vinified from 100-percent Alberta-grown fruit, 75-percent of which is grown on the Gill family’s Bumbleberry Orchards. Field Stone’s original winemaker is Dominic Rivard, a noted world expert in fruit wines. Since 2006, the winery has been distinguished with more than eighty awards and medals across its 10 varieties of fruit and dessert wines. Field Stone wines are available at Seasonal Farmers Markets, direct from the winery in the summer, year round at Calgary Farmers Market and on the website, and at many retailers across Alberta.
For more information visit www.fieldstonefruitwines.com.
ABOUT NATIONAL WINE AWARDS OF CANADA
Established in 2000, this year the National Wine Awards of Canada (NWAC) were the largest in history with over 1,700 wines entered from 242 wineries from across Canada, possibly the largest ever collection of different Canadian wines in one room.
The wines were judged over five full days in Wolfville, Nova Scotia by 22 judges from seven provinces. The judges were all well-established wine writers and educators with broad international wine experience The wines were all served blind (producer, origin, and price were not revealed) but identified and organized into flights by variety or style. The top medalists were tasted in multiple rounds by several different judges. “The goal of ‘The Nationals’ has always been to bring together the best of Canadian wines and wine critics under one roof,” says Co-head judge Anthony Gismondi. “We have seen some amazing growth in the entire Canadian wine industry since we first met in 2000 and each year we can’t wait to get together to grab a snapshot in time of the state of Canadian wine. The results are an invaluable guide for consumers and producers when it comes to finding out who is making the best wine in the country.” The over 1,700 entries from 242 wineries came from eight provinces.
For more information, visit www.winealign.com.
ABOUT NORTH WEST WINE SUMMIT
The North West Wine Summit held in Oregon, USA, is one of the region’s oldest and most popular contests. Six panels, including 20 judges from all over North America, gathered this year in Mt. Hood, Oregon, to judge 1279 wines from 340 producers in the Northwest, including Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Montana.
The twenty judges included winery owners, wholesale buyers and sellers, restaurant and wine shop owners, wine writers and others connected to wine drinking, serving, making and selling. Judged on a 13-point scale, the only requirement of each entry is that it be made from grapes or fruit grown in the Pacific Northwest and commercially available for purchase. The purpose of the festival is to raise awareness nationally and internationally of the quality of the wine from this region of the world.
For more information visit www.northwestwinesummit.com
ABOUT ALBERTA BEVERAGE AWARDS
The “Alberta Beverage Awards” competition was launched in 2013 to help identify the very best wines, beers and spirits available in the dynamic Alberta beverage marketplace.
Beverages are judged in Calgary by some of Alberta’s finest palates including buyers, sommeliers, retailers and educators. The competition takes place in July each year.
Prior to the judging, every product is placed into a category and assigned to a flight with like products. The entries are evaluated blind by dedicated wine, beer, or spirits panels moderated by an experienced panel captain. Beverages deemed superior in the preliminary rounds proceed to the final rounds where the very best are awarded a “Best in Class”. The top performing products in a category may earn a “Judges Selection.” Overall, only about 1/3 of total entries will earn an award at the Alberta Beverage Awards ensuring that results are meaningful and that only the best will be listed in the featured in the results.
For more information visit www.culinairemagazine.ca/aba.
FIELD STONE FRUIT WINES
Box 19 Site 6 RR 1
Strathmore, AB
T1P 1J6
403 934-2749
Marvin Gill
(403) 901-8241 Cell
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