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World’s finest wine tasters coming to Whistler

Chardonnay of the Century to be worth its weight in gold

The golden liquid swirls around the edges of the crystal glass, releasing a myriad of odours. The first sip produces hints of apple, lime and other fruit such as peaches, perhaps raspberry or vanilla, tea or rose petals, with touches of oak. It might be an exuberant taste, or subdued. It can jump with acid, or be comparatively sweet.

As many as 50 of the top international noses and palates will be hosted by Tourism Whistler in the Whistler Conference Centre from Sept. 7 to 12 to rate all the entries in the Chardonnay of the Century — Million Dollar Challenge.

The winner will walk off with the top prize of $500,000, and runners-up will share another half-million dollars in prizes when they are announced at a gala in January 2003.

"One of the appeals for Tourism Whistler to host this event was the opportunity to cross-promote Cornucopia, our annual food and wine event held in November," said Jill Greenwood, director of brand marketing for Tourism Whistler. "There are really good synergies with the Chardonnay of the Century bringing in such a high calibre of wine judges and high-profile wine media from around the world. It gives us an opportunity to reach out to them, and perhaps get them involved in our food and wine event as judges or speakers, either this year or in the future.

"We are trying to establish Whistler as a premier food and wine destination, and with Cornucopia going into its sixth year we want to incorporate greater trade and consumer programs," Greenwood continued. "It has primarily been a regional draw and we want to keep that, but we hope to get awareness levels up around the world, and would like to rival the Aspen Food and Wine Classic, which is probably the top food and wine event in North America. We’d like to draw an international audience, and by hosting the Chardonnay of the Century competition, that helps us raise the profile of Whistler."

The Chardonnay of the Century contest is a creation of Hennie J.J. van Vuuren, director of the University of British Columbia’s Wine Research Centre (WRC), created in 1999. The rules are quite simple: Send a case of 12 bottles of your best Chardonnay to UBC, and the judges will take it from there. A crafty rule has ensured the best winemakers from around the world are participating. If they didn’t take up their first opportunity to enter, a collector anywhere in the world could enter on their behalf – and stand to walk away with the $500.000 prize that could have gone to the winemaker or owner. The entry fee is $750 per case, with only two or three of the bottles from each case used for judging. The wine must be at least 85 per cent in total Chardonnay content, be a still table wine, and manufactured by a registered commercial winery.

In the process, the WRC will become the home of 10,000 to 20,000 bottles of the world’s best Chardonnay, which WRC scientists will have available to test for how cloning, yeast, soil types and the whole winemaking process, as well as barrels and ageing, affect the quality of the project. This, in turn, will add tremendous value to the research industry for B.C. winemakers.

To pull off his audacious challenge, Van Vuuren has enlisted the help of some of the most highly respected B.C. wine industry experts in the International Wine Trust, which will oversee the competition. The list includes Sid Cross, Kathy Swangard, Ian Tostenson, Susanne MacKillop and Christine Coletta.

Cross, a retired Vancouver lawyer, is the wine committee chair of the International Wine and Food Society based in London, England and is the only Canadian inducted as a Membre d’Honneur of the prestigious L’Academie du Vin du Bordeaux. Swangard has been chair of the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival for the past 11 years. Tostenson spent 11 years as president and CEO of Cascadia Brands (Calona Vineyards, Granville Island Brewing) and five years as chair of the B.C. Wine Institute. He is working with former Orca Bay marketing executive MacKillop to raise more than $750,000 in sponsorship both locally and around the world.

Coletta is the founding director of VQA Canada, was the executive director of the B.C. Wine Institute for nine years, and now owns Coletta Consultants of North Vancouver, which has established a stellar reputation for highly successful wine industry projects and campaigns. She is communications and competition manager, along with her team of competition co-ordinators, Leeann Clemens and Julian Scholefield.

In quite a coup, the trust has landed Dr. Anton Rupert and Michel Laroche as honorary patrons, and chief judge John Avery. Dr. Rupert owns major shares in Stellenbosch Farmers Winery and other highly respected estate wineries in South Africa, along with a joint venture with the internationally renowned de Rothschild family. Laroche’s family has been making wine in Chablis, France, since 1850. He is a fifth-generation winemaker and a renowned Chardonnay specialist, with interests in France, Chile and the Napa Valley in California.

Avery is a Master of Wine and is now chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine. He is also a member of the Wine Selection Committee of Government Hospitality, which selects wines for the British Government when hosting overseas guests, as well as a frequent lecturer and wine judge. His appointment has attracted other highly acclaimed judges including: Steven Spurrier, an international wine judge, author and consulting editor for Decanter magazine; Australian James Halliday, founder of Brokenwood and Coldstream Hills wineries and the author of more than 50 books on wine including the award-winning Wine Atlas of California; American Tim Hanni, who has been intimately involved with food and wine for more than 30 years and is president and founder of Winequest LLC, whose mission is to promote the unconditional enjoyment of wine; and John Umberto Salvi of France, a Master of Wine, international consultant, lecturer, author and journalist.

They will be joined on the judging panel by wine experts from around the world hosted by Tourism Whistler, including Mark Davidson of North Vancouver who is well known in the wine education business in Whistler, and David Scholefield, of the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch.

"Whistler is a stunning location," said Coletta. "We wanted to get the judges out of the city and into a beautiful place so they can concentrate on the task at hand."

The Chardonnay of the Century — Million Dollar Challenge will not only draw international wine experts to the resort community, but the top wine media from around the world as well. Rather than focussing on Rob Boyd’s breathtaking plunges down a snow-lined chute or the perfect putt on the 18th green at Nicklaus North, they will be concentrating on the noses and taste buds of the judges, as well as the agriculture of the regions and winemaking techniques of the winners.

Competitors in the challenge will enjoy international recognition and exposure provided by London-based Decanter magazine, recently named a media partner for this unique international wine competition. The magazine is distributed in 81 countries.

In advance of the announcement of the partnership, Decanter has been extremely supportive of the competition, in both the magazine and on the publication’s Web site, decanter.com, assisting to spread the word of the event.

The International Wine Trust, organizers of the Chardonnay of the Century, says the endorsement of the competition by Decanter lends considerable clout to this exceptional competition.

"We are extremely pleased that a sponsor of this calibre is supporting UBC in this ambitious endeavour and are equally committed to its concept of enhancing international wine knowledge and expertise," says Stephan Buys, executive director of the Chardonnay of the Century.

"Decanter is delighted to be a media partner with the Chardonnay of the Century competition. This is a very exciting new venture, and I am sure that there will be enormous world-wide interest in the results," said Sarah Kemp, publishing director at Decanter magazine.

In addition to Decanter, winners on the top 100 list selected by judges will be exposed in the U.S. to the 3.9 million readers of the New York Times , and an additional 1.2 million people in Canada through The Globe and Mail . And the competition team is negotiating with major American and Canadian wholesalers to publish the list in-store to help guide wine buyers in their purchasing decisions.

One of the appeals of a Chardonnay competition, for the judges as well as consumers, is the grape variety’s high ripeness levels and malleability. It responds to a far greater variety of winemaking techniques than other whites, allowing the winemakers’ talents to shine through. The grape can produce an astounding range of odours and tastes, making it a true vehicle for the character of the vineyard in which it is grown, and the capabilities of the winemaker.

In this competition, the winning entry will be worth its weight in gold – literally.