The GOODS from Mission Hill Family Estate

Vancouver, BC | Mission Hill Family Estate is the 2011 recipient of the coveted IWSC Trophy as the ‘Canadian Wine Producer of the Year’ at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London, United Kingdom. The award came as a complete surprise to Mission Hill Proprietor Anthony von Mandl who was presented the award in front of 600 international wine luminaries at the historic Guild Hall in London by this year’s IWSC President, Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Proprietor of Château Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, France. Learn more after the jump…

The award was particularly gratifying to von Mandl who in 2006 was the first Canadian appointed as President of the IWSC. Past Presidents include: Wolf Blass, Robert Mondavi, Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, Marchese Piero Antinori, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing and Sir Anthony Greener.

“Having started back in 1981 with a vision of producing wine that could stand alongside the best in the world, it is almost overwhelming to see this dream has become reality. This award represents a profound achievement for everything our winemaking and vineyard team has accomplished at Mission Hill Family Estate,” said Anthony von Mandl.

The IWSC was founded in 1969 and is the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs and it is the only international competition to use a rigorous two stage judging process of professional blind tasting followed by an extensive chemical and microbiological analysis.

In addition to the 2011 IWSC Trophy for ‘Canadian Wine Producer of the Year’, Mission Hill Family Estate won 19 individual medals at the IWSC competition, including: Gold Medals for the 2009 Reserve Riesling Icewine, 2005 Select Lot Collection Riesling Icewine and 2009 Reserve Vidal Icewine. A complete listing of awards is available at www.iwsc.net.

The IWSC award comes on top of Mission Hill’s recent ‘Winery of the Year’ award at the 2011 InterVin International Wine Awards Competition. Mission Hill was also featured in Wine Spectator magazine with three of the winery’s red wines – 2007 Compendium, 2007 Quatrain and 2007 SLC Syrah – earning scores of 90 points; while its signature Bordeaux-inspired wine, 2007 Oculus, scored 91 points. This is the first time a Canadian winery has ever received 90+ scores for its red wines from this publication.

In 1994, Mission Hill Family Estate won the IWSC Avery Trophy for ‘Best Chardonnay in the World’ for its Grand Reserve Barrel Select Chardonnay. At the time this was the first major international award for Mission Hill and the accolade helped place British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley on the international wine producing map.

About Mission Hill Family Estate

“The centerpiece of the Canadian wine tourism industry…understated wines which rank among the country’s best and the Terrace Restaurant on the estate’s front lawn is one of the most glorious dining experiences around.” Travel & Leisure Magazine, February 2008

Located in the heart of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Mission Hill Family Estate is a family-owned winery that crafts boutique wines. Majestic mountains, scenic lakes, and lush orchards encase the winery’s dramatic architecture and culminate in a setting that celebrates wine, food and the arts. Our Chief Winemaker John Simes, uses a ‘pruning to bottle’ program for the viticulture to winemaking process that ensures all our wines reflect the origin and unique character of the Valley. Visit us at the winery’s Education Centre for workshops and seminars on tastings, viticulture, wine and food pairings and more or enjoy our elegant tasting salons which provide a luxurious setting for an exclusive sampling of Mission Hill Family Estate wines.

We invite you to join us for patio dining at The Terrace and enjoy lunch or tapas overlooking our lush vineyards. Our Winery Chef’s innovative culinary style of Cuisine de Terroir, a seasonal and regional approach to gastronomy, is globally influenced, but locally crafted. Our Chef selects only the freshest local ingredients and seasonal fare is handcrafted to compliment our wines. Year round private dining is also available with the pinnacle Chef’s Table dining experience, an intimate evening with our renowned Winery Chef.