About the Awards

Despite what some of my friends or family might hear (perhaps when I’m in the weeds), The Alberta Beverage Awards are a lot of fun. Seriously. The quote, “Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way…” came to mind this year as we were working intently on the competition.  

 

It’s incredibly rewarding to see firsthand what the beverage industry is doing year after year – in real time. We “know” when producers and importers are taking the no and low alcohol category seriously; we see right away if a country is passé or if consumers are moving away from a certain region or something becomes “old news”; and conversely, if a place, grape, or drink style is looking like the “next big thing”; and this is all pretty damn cool. All in all, we were just under 700 entries across a broad variety of countries, styles, and a great range of products, new and old.  

 

When compiling the results in their entirety year after year, it’s always interesting to reflect on what makes the cut again and again, the products that stand out. Though I am asked occasionally why a score might change over the years or a product go from a Best in Class to a Judges Selection and vice versa. Simply put, tastes change and evolve and that includes the tastes of our judges. During blind tastings like this, every product is assessed on its own, but also compared to other, similar products. Super sweet white zinfandels (still awesome in their own way!) give way to crisper, more balanced rosés in time, but the field of roses is less full of sugary examples as tastes evolve.  

 

Talking about changes, we see some changes year over year with our judges. Sometimes people just aren’t available, and some years we ask them to skip a year or two to change things up (we did that for lucky 13 last year). This year, we had a few changes in the back room. Some of our regular stewards weren’t available, and – I will die on this hill – our stewards really make this all possible – but we always welcome people who bring the fun, the fastidiousness, and the focus, to an operation like ours. We also welcomed Jenny Book, a longtime beverage educator, sommelier, and judge, and her assistance with the administrative process and number crunching was a big boon for all of us.  

 

Thanks to our diligent and hardworking stewards and the rest of the team - Len Steinberg, Mairi, Paul, Grant, Alita, Colleen, Taylor, Kerry, Sierra, and Dana. Our Stewards truly make this possible. We want to thank our sponsors: Medium Rare Chef Apparel, The Import Vintners & Spirits Association, The Alberta Liquor Store Association, North Water, and Spirit Wares as well as our venue, Calgary’s Carriage House Hotel & Conference Centre. Their excellent facilities and wonderful staff make our jobs easier. Special thanks to our photographer Jason Dziver, and to our valued judges who are featured later in these pages.  

 

We laugh, stress, and smile most days during this undertaking, and it’s a pleasure to chat with so many importers and producers bringing their samples by in the weeks leading up to the judging. It’s the connections we’ve made during this competition that makes it worthwhile. A treasure - really.