Welcome to the new BCGWJ web site and Blog page. Check back here often for the latest updates and other items of interest.
The 2017-2018 season is the first for our new Guild Master, Mary Homer. I know she is passionate about our group and has many ideas to make our organization even better. I hope you will give her lots of support. Here is her first message to the three chapters.
MONTHLY TASTINGS:
As your newly-elected Guild Master I have collaborated with Bill Wyngaards, our Statistician, to put together this year’s tasting schedule. We have taken into consideration several classes / varietals that have not been the subject of a monthly tasting for some time. Re-introducing them to our roster should be of assistance to a number of our trainees / judges in becoming certified in additional classes. Thank you, Bill, for your assistance.
I have also collaborated with Rick Homer, the Guild’s appointed Educator, to assemble a schedule of “mini education sessions” to take place at each monthly tasting. This resulted from trainees indicating their desire for more education at the monthly sessions. These mini education sessions were specifically selected to support the monthly tasting. Thank you, Rick, for your suggestions.
I have also been in touch with the 3 Chapter Stewards and as a result of their efforts we now have a full roster of presenters for the monthly tastings throughout the year. The process of preparing monthly tasting notes and making the wine selections for our monthly wine tastings is an important component to the continuing education of our trainees and newly-certified judges. This year’s schedule of monthly wine tastings and mini education sessions is attached for your information.
My thanks to the 3 Chapter Stewards: James Waring in Nanaimo, Sam Hauck on the Mainland, and Colin Nicholson in Victoria. As well, my thanks to those members that volunteered to prepare presentations and/or mentor those preparing presentations (see attached schedule for details of participants).
WEBSITE:
Sam Hauck has been working on developing our new Guild website. He assures me that it will be ready for launching in the very near future. This website is important for both Guild members and members of the general public who may wish to learn more about us. We are all in agreement on the importance of making a good impression the first time! A professional looking website will help us to achieve this.
Thank you, Sam, for your efforts.
WINE JUDGE CERTIFICATION COURSE:
Although we have offered wine judging courses in the past, it has become clear to us that we need to accelerate the process even further. With this goal in mind, Rick Homer has spent hundreds of hours in developing a new Wine Judge Certification course. This course consists of 8 sessions consisting of 4 Saturdays and 4 Sundays [one Saturday and one Sunday back to back per month]. At the end of the 4 weekends, providing the participants have passed their exams, they will become certified as wine judges (with no particular wine classifications attached to their certification). They would then be required to attend monthly tastings with a view to assembling a portfolio of wine classes in which they would be qualified.
Rick Homer will offer the course on Vancouver Island to accommodate trainees from Victoria and Nanaimo (hopefully securing a venue halfway between these two cities). Axel Kroitzsch will offer the course on the Lower Mainland (hopefully securing a venue convenient to all participants from the Mainland).
The tentative dates for the Wine Judge Certification course are: January 6 and 7 (Saturday and Sunday), January 27 and 28 (Saturday and Sunday), February 17 and 18 (Saturday and Sunday) and March 10 and 11 (Saturday and Sunday).
A good deal of consideration has gone into selecting these tentative dates, intentionally keeping certain weekends free so that judges/trainees can participate in scheduled BCAWA Club Competitions during this time period (Saanich Sommeliers, Chilliwack Zymurgy, and Nanaimo Winemakers).
The cost of this course will be $300 per person (which covers the cost of course materials and all wines to be tasted during the 8 sessions, for a total of 16 tastings). Rick Homer will be sending out more information shortly, which will include a course outline.
Thank you, Rick, for donating hundreds of hours in creating this new course. Also, thank you to Rick Homer and Axel Kroitzsch, both of whom are Master Wine Judges, for agreeing to donate their time to teach this new course.
GROWTH IN THE BC GUILD OF WINE JUDGES:
At the BCAWA AGM in May 2017, members from the Chilliwack Wine Club were in attendance to express their frustration in securing wine judges at their annual competition in February 2017. This unfortunate situation arose as a result of “double booking” competition dates. BCAWA is collaborating with its member wine clubs to avoid this from happening in the future.
Since becoming your new Guild Master I have been in touch with several members of the Chilliwack Zymurgy wine club: Sergio Civitrese, Kevin Bramhoff, and Rino Genzale. Working in tandem with these individuals, I (as Guild Master) and Rick Homer (as Guild Educator) were able to travel to Chilliwack to meet with members of their wine club. During this visit we discussed the possibility of their wine club members becoming trainees with the BC Guild of Wine Judges in the hopes of becoming certified as wine judges.
Following an information session on the workings of the BC Guild of Wine Judges, the level of commitment required to become a judge, and the level of support they would need from the Guild, we participated in an actual tasting with the group. By the end of the evening we believe they had a good understanding of how the Guild works and what is required in a monthly tasting session. It is hopeful that they will join the BC Guild of Wine Judges, participate in the new course offered, and become certified as wine judges. This has the potential of resulting in a fourth Chapter being comprised in Chilliwack, providing they have a sufficient number of participants to support a Chapter. Of course, they will continue to need our support at the time of their annual competitions . . . and we expect to continue to provide them with support as has been tradition in the past.
My thanks to the members of the Chilliwack Zymurgy wine club for their keen interest and to Sergio, Kevin, and Rino for being such great hosts during our visit.
COMMERCIAL WINE COMPETITION:
Our Past Guild Master, Dave Ewen, has been working on a project for some time now regarding our participation in a commercial wine competition; in particular, for those commercial producers of fruit wines (other than grape). Dave pointed out that this would be a good entry point for the BC Guild of Wine Judges, as the fruit wine industry is not able to fully compete in most commercial wine competitions, given that most commercial competitions are driven towards grape wines.
Dave has been working with commercial fruit wine producers for some time, on this project, but specific details have not yet been established. It is Dave’s plan to meet in November with a group of fruit wine producers. Following this meeting, Dave expects to be in a better position to provide the Guild Executive members with more detailed information (i.e. the number of wineries involved, the number of wine classes involved, the maximum number of entries by each producer, the anticipated number of wine entries). Once we have more information available, the Guild Executive members will be able to look at the logistics involved in hosting such a commercial wine competition. We will keep you updated.
Thank you, Dave, for all your efforts on this special project.
FUTURE COMMUNICATIONS:
As you can see, we have been busy! It is my intention to keep you apprised, from time to time, of what is happening at the Executive level. It is important to remember that your local Chapter is a branch of the BC Guild of Wine Judges and that you are also a member of the BC Guild of Wine Judges. As such, from time to time, you will be called upon to donate your time and energy (in some way) for the benefit of the Guild and its members. You may be asked to judge at competitions or prepare a presentation or mentor a trainee or help to support a program. Working together, we can achieve success!
In the meantime, your Executive members will . . .
Keep ‘pressing’ on,
Mary Homer
Guild Master – BC Guild of Wine Judges
Tel: 250 384 7898
E-mail: MaryinVictoria@nullshaw.ca