Stag's Hollow Winery News

Global Fine Wine Challenge Results

🥇Just in! Our Renaissance Pinot Noir has been awarded Gold at the Global Fine Wine Challenge. The following three wines were included in the Top 120 list from Canada, compiled by Christopher Waters, to be invited for submission to the competition.

Renaissance Pinot Noir 2020
Score 95 ~ Gold
"Gorgeous blackcurrant and black cherry aromas. Soft juicy fruit on the mid-palate. Friendly and easy to love."

Renaissance Meritage 2018
Score 96 ~ Judges Selection
"Fragrant bouquet of red current, red and black plum with gentle leafy overtones. Medium bodied and well-structured with plentiful fine-grained tannins and a long persistent finish."

Dolcetto 2019
Score 92 ~ Judges Selection
"Cranberry and red cherry aromas. The palate has lovely tautness and energy."
 

Full results are available for viewing and download from www.globalfine.wine. 🍷🍾

Results from the 2022 National Wine Awards of Canada

The 'Nationals' are Canada's largest wine awards and are held each year in a different Canadian wine region. Judging for the 2022 awards was held in Niagara Falls, Ontario from June 19th to the 23rd. A big congrats to our team for bringing home the following medals:

It's Double Gold for the 2021 Tragically Vidal

We are thrilled to announce our 2021 Tragically Vidal won Double Gold at the Great Northwest Wine Cascadia International Wine Competition! Once thought a "tragic" grape many years ago when most of it was pulled from the valley, quickly became our founder's most popular white wine. Quite opposite to its moniker, this playful wine is elegant, fruity, aromatic, and an absolute stunner. Click here for more information on this special wine.

 

 

Decanter World Wine Awards 2021

7 JULY, LONDON: Full results from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 have been released today (7 July), revealing big wins for established wine regions but also many hidden gems from producers making exciting wines across the globe. This year marks the biggest ever Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), which is already the world’s largest and most influential wine competition thanks to a rigorous judging process overseen by international experts.

More than 160 expert judges, including 44 Masters of Wine and 11 Master Sommeliers, tasted 18,094 wines from 56 countries at DWWA 2021, making it a record year for wines tasted. Judging took place over two weeks in Canary Wharf, London, with strict Covid-19 safety protocols in place. Only 50 wines, or 0.28% of those tasted, were awarded a prestigious Best in Show medal. There were also 179 Platinum and 635 Gold medals awarded, making up 0.99% and 3.51% respectively of the total wines tasted.

We're excited that, in our first year of entering wines to the Decanter Wine Awards, we received medals on the following wines:

Silver Medals

2017 Renaissance Merlot, 93 points: “Elegant, cool, and understated, this Merlot charms with red cherry, dried herbs, and lively acidity. Structured and stately.”

2018 Syrah, 90 points: “Crisp, classy, and a cooler-climate Syrah. Suggestive of confit blackcurrant, black pepper spice, and a touch of meat.”

Bronze Medals

2018 Renaissance Syrah, 89 points: “Meaty, bold and meticulous, with notes of bright blackcurrant, granite, charming clove, and confident oak.”

2018 Renaissance Pinot Noir, 88 points: “Bursting with dense red fruit, lick-me-up liquorice and crisp currant fruit, she's hedonistic, pleasurable and proud.”

2019 Albariño, 88 points: “Super tropical on the palate, erupting with lime, pineapple, juicy peach, and a hint of minerality.”

July Restaurant Partnerships

We're continuing to partner with several restaurants this year to provide some prize-winning opportunities for you, who have helped us get through the past year, and to help support the restaurants that carry our wines. For the month of July, we are featuring 10 Acres Farm & Restaurants, with locations in Victoria and Sidney, and the Hooded Merganser at the Penticton Lakeside Resort.

If you'd like to check out their websites, Instagram (@eat10acres & @thehoodedmerganser) or Facebook (@Eat10Acres & @HoodedMerganser, please do so and give them a follow or a like.  Thank you!

Contest is running from July 1st - 3st, 2021, with the two draws taking place on Tuesday August 3rd. Prizewinners will be notified by Stag's Hollow Winery. All orders of 6 bottles or more placed through stagshollowwinery.com or in our wine shop during that time will be eligible to win - one contest entry for every 6 bottles purchased.

Prize #1 includes $100 gift card for 10 Acres, valid at any of their 3 locations in Victoria or Sidney, along with a bottle of Stag's Hollow wine to pair with the meal. Prize #2 includes $100 gift card for The Hooded Merganser, 21 Lakeshore Dr. W, Penticton, BC, along with a bottle of Stag's Hollow wine to pair with the meal. Gift cards valid for take-out or eat-in dining. Bottle of Stag's Hollow wine to be the prizewinner's choice, based on selection available at the restaurants at the time of prize redemption. No substitutions or cash prize equivalent.

Restaurant Partnership Contest

We want to give a big shout-out to the restaurant industry that has been hit so hard over the past year and a half. We're partnering with several restaurants this year to provide some prize-winning opportunities for our wonderful customers, who have helped us get through the past year. For the month of June, we are featuring Fiore Famiglia restaurant in Vancouver. Fiore Restaurants focus on simple Italian done right - bringing delicious food to you in a fun atmosphere. If you'd like to check out their website, Instagram or Facebook, please do so and give them a follow or a like.  Thank you!

Contest is running from June 1st through 30th, 2021, with the draw taking place on Friday July 2nd. Prizewinner will be notified by Stag's Hollow Winery. All orders of 6 bottles or more placed through stagshollowwinery.com or in our wine shop during that time will be eligible to win - one contest entry for every 6 bottles purchased.

Prize includes $100 gift card for Fiore Famiglia, 2603 W 16th Ave, Vancouver, BC, along with a bottle of Stag's Hollow wine to pair with the meal. Gift card valid for take-out or eat-in dining. Bottle of Stag's Hollow wine to be the prizewinner's choice, based on selection available at Fiore Famiglia at the time of prize redemption. No substitutions or cash prize equivalent.

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92 points for the Tempranillo Joven

Our 2019 Tempranillo Joven has received some high praise from Robert K Stephen of Set The Bar, with a score of 92 points. 

"The aroma is basically screaming “Black Cherry” at your nose, raspberries, dark chocolate and some pomegranate add to the mix. I think the nose is hinting at a serious wine? On the palate warm and inviting with a certain lightness to it. The technical sheet describes this wine as “zippy and fresh”. “Zippy” makes me nervous as noticeable acids in red wine can be volatile and destructive. No I would call this light and seductive. I am picking up some sour cherry, blueberry pie and loganberry jam. The tannins are light. And at 12.3% alcohol surprisingly robust."

For the full article, please click here.

94 Points from John Schreiner

Thank you to John Schreiner for his recent reviews on our 2018 Syrahs! For his complete post, please click here.

94 points from John Schreiner

"The winery also bottled 24 1.5-litre magnums of this excellent, age-worthy wine. This wine, made from fruit grown in the Amalia Vineyard on the Osoyoos West Bench, is a fist in a velvet glove. Deep in colour, the wine begins with aromas of black cherry, plum, leather and black pepper, all of which is echoed on the full-bodied, even fleshy, palate. It is immensely satisfying to drink now and will age gracefully for 10 years – longer for the magnum."

 

 

 

92 points from John Schreiner

This wine has 9.2% Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah (the Renaissance had just 1.2% Viognier). The fruit is also from the Amalia Vineyard. The Viognier in the blend gives an appealing floral lift to the cherry and blackberry aromas. On the palate, there are flavours of plums, cherries, pepper and spice with complexing notes of licorice and earth on the finish.

Syrah Reviews from Set The Bar

Cheers to Robert K Stephen for his recent reviews on our 2018 Syrah and 2018 Renaissance Syrah, scoring them each 92 points.

"All said and done a great Okanagan take on a Northern Rhône Syrah wine. Restrained and elegant, Nothing is out of whack here."

To read Robert's complete reviews on both wines, please click here.

 

 

 

Save $2 on Pinot Gris

Through the month of August we are offering our 2019 Pinot Gris on sale, at $2 off per bottle. This wine is new for us this year and our winemaker, Keira, is quite proud of it:

Winemaker Notes
"Having never worked with Pinot Gris before, the stylistic possibilities were almost overwhelming. We decided that a rich and textural, off-dry Alsatian style would suit our portfolio well, and would allow us to show off the more premium side of Okanagan Pinot Gris. To afford us as much variety and flexibility as possible when it came time to blend, we decided to divide this block into several picks, and then divide those lots even further into different vessels. While all this may have added extra work, the result has been tremendously exciting."

Wine writer John Schreiner is also a fan, having awarded it 92 points:

"To distinguish it from the ocean of Pinot Gris in the market, winemaker Keira LeFranc decided to make it in what the winery calls “a rich and textural, off-dry Alsatian style.” She succeeded brilliantly. The wine begins with appealing aromas of pear, white peach and citrus. The palate is indeed rich, with flavours of pear, apple and honeydew melon. The wine has a lingering finish with a hint of spice."