A West Kelowna winery has earned one more world-class medal to add to an already impressive record of excellence.
At the 2018 Chardonnay du Monde® competition, held in France March 7 to 9, Kalala Organic Estate Winery’s 2016 Chardonnay Icewine won second place among 679 competitors from 39 wine-producing countries.
This year’s Chardonnay top gold medal was awarded to Liquidity Estate Winery in neighboring Okanagan Falls.
Kalala’s Chardonnay Icewine was judged number one in 2016 and placed in the top 10 worldwide in 2010 and 2014. Chardonnay du Monde® has progressively distinguished itself from other international competitions by stricter-than-normal quality standards and faithful adherence to founding principles of diversity and quality.
“This competition is our Olympics,” said Kalala founder and owner Karnail Singh Sidhu. “We feel proud to be up in second place, and we feel proud of Liquidity for top place. To be judged the world’s two top Chardonnays is good, even great, not just for the Okanagan and BC wine producers, but for the entire wine industry in Canada.”
Sidhu admitted, “To be honest, we weren’t surprised to be recognized again among some of the best winemakers in the world. We have learned from each other the secrets to making good wine. Number one is to grow good grapes. Then we’re not in a hurry. We extend the aging and fermentation process a bit to make the wine more flavorful and raise the alcohol level a little higher.”
Sidhu credits Okanagan wine industry consultant, Alan Marks, with encouraging Kalala’s ongoing pursuit of excellence. Marks, in turn, says he has not been surprised to watch Kalala’s medal count rise in a highly competitive field.
“A lot of wineries make Icewine,” Marks comments. “Some think, as long as they have frozen grapes, they’re good to go. Growing excellent grapes can be a bit overlooked. Karnail knows the relationship between exceptional grapes and exceptional wine.”
Explains Sidhu, “Some grape varieties come and go but Chardonnay grapes never grow out of fashion. Here in West Kelowna we have nice growing conditions – good soil with good exposure to the sun.”
Among its distinctive qualities, Kalala’s Chardonnay Icewine is renowned for ‘cool climate’ flavours and aromas that have been described as “like honeysuckle, lemon and apricot.”
Kalala’s tasteful Chardonnay Icewines add depth and breadth to the Okanagan Valley’s growing reputation as a “New World” producer of incredible wines of the world.
Kalala Organic Estate Winery is located on the Upper Bench West Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley. Started by Karnail Singh Sidhu and family, Kalala has been making award winning, reasonably priced wines since July 2006. The vineyards were deemed certified organic in September 2010. Their philosophy is to allow the varietal characteristics and terroir to be truly expressed and only enhanced by minimal handling during winemaking.
The Chardonnay du Monde® international competition recognises the world’s best Chardonnay wines by awarding them with reliable and representative medals. This competition is based on a single conviction: distinctive marks of quality are the key to real differentiation and therefore enhancing the value of the awarded wines in this highly competitive market where the array of products becomes more vast each day.
Top 10 Best Chardonnay du Monde 2018
2018 Chardonnay du Monde Press Release Eng
Karnail Singh Sidhu: 1-250-212-3452 | karnail@kalala.ca
Narinder Sidhu: 1-250-801-7344 | narinder@kalala.ca
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