This off-dry and elegant white wine has intense floral, citrus and mineral flavors matched to good acidity for a wonderful finish on the tongue. This vintage also just happens to be the big winner at last night’s Spring Okanagan Wine Festival Best of Varietal Wine Awards in Penticton, taking home the trophy for wine of the year.

It’s Wild Goose Vineyards’ newly released 2016 Mystic River Gewurztraminer, made from grapes from 34-year-old vines that benefit from the early-morning mist that comes off the Okanagan River.

The Best of Varietal Wine Awards kick off the spring wine festival every year, recognizing the best in 25 varietal categories.

And then the best of the best is championed with the wine of the year accolade.

That means the Mystic River Gewurzt also won best Gewurztraminer at the competition.

But the awards didn’t stop there for Wild Goose, as the winery also picked up best Meritage blend priced under $25 for its 2014 Red Horizon and best single other white varietal priced over $19 for its 2016 Mario & Friends Muscat.

“We grow the highest-quality fruit and then transfer this quality into ultra-premium wines,” said Wild Goose’s managing winemaker, Hagen Kruger.

“Year after year, Wild Goose Vineyards is able to exhibit the best Mother Nature has to offer.”

While just bottled March 2, the 2016 Gewurzt has already been on a winning run, picking up a double-gold medal at last month’s Cascadia Wine Competition in Oregon.

With this kind of recognition and exposure, the 200 cases of the award-winning wine are likely to sell out quickly.

The wine retails for $20 and is sold at the winery’s shop and select liquor stores.

Wild Goose is a family affair.

Hagen’s father, the late Adolf, started the business buying barren land in Okanagan Falls and planting grapes in the early 1980s.

Initially, he sold grapes to West Kelowna’s Mission Hill Winery, but he turned to making wines under the Wild Goose label in 1990.

Along the way, Hagen became a self-taught winemaker, his brother Roland handles sales and managing the company, and Hagen’s son, Nicholas, has also taken to winemaking.

Wild Goose is keeping good company when it comes to winning wine of the year.

Last year, Kelowna’s St. Hubertus won top honors with its 2013 Riesling, which co-owner Andy Gebert described as smelling and tasting like green apple meets hockey puck, but in the best way possible.

The only other winery to win four categories at the competition was Lake Country’s Arrowleaf Cellars, which came away with the best rosé priced under $19, best Riesling under $19, best Pinot Noir under $25 and best Pinot Gris under $19.

Here’s the complete list of this year’s Best of Varietal Wine Awards winners:

— Wine of the year: 2016 Wild Goose Mystic River Gewurztraminer

— Best Cabernet Franc: 2013 Bench 1775

— Best Cabernet Sauvignon: Nk’Mip 2014 Qwam Qwmt

— Best Chardonnay priced over $19: 2015 50th Parallel

— Best Chardonnay under $19: Nk’Mip 2015

— Best Viognier: Red Rooster Rare Bird Series 2016

— Best white blend under $19: Thornhaven Brooklyn’s 2016

— Best white blend over $19: Inniskillin Viognier-Gewurztraminer Discovery Series 2016

— Best sparkling: Noble Ridge The One 2012

— Best Syrah: Black Hills 2014

— Best Syrah-based blend: CedarCreek Senator’s Red 2013

— Best Gewurztraminer: 2016 Wild Goose Mystic River

— Best Merlot: Cassini 2013 Nobilus

— Best Pinot Blanc: Kraze Legz Skaha Vineyard 2016

— Best Pinot Gris over $19: Hillside unoaked 2016

— Best Pinot Gris under $19: Arrowleaf 2016

— Best Pinot Noir over $25: Private Grande Reserve 2012

— Best Pinot Noir under $25: Arrowleaf 2015

— Best another red blend over $25: Cassini Quattro Collector’s Series 2012

— Best other red blends under $25: Monte Creek Ranch Hands Up 2015

— Best Meritage blend under $25: Wild Goose Red Horizon 2014

— Best Meritage blend over $25: Sandhill Small Lots Two 2014

— Best Riesling over $19: Kitsch 2015

— Best Riesling under $19: Arrowleaf 2016

— Best rosé over $19: Tinhorn Creek Oldfield Reserve 2016

— Best rosé under $19: Arrowleaf 2016

— Best Sauvignon Blanc: Gehringer Brothers Dry Rock Vineyards 2016

— Best other single varietal red over $25: Blasted Church Holy Moly 2014

— Best other single varietal red under $25: Thornhaven Pinot Meunier 2014

— Best other single varietal white over $19: Wild Goose Mario & Friends Muscat 2016

— Best other single varietal white under $19: Inniskillin Chenin Blanc 2016

— Best icewine: Volcanic Hills 2014 Riesling

— Best dessert wine: Northern Lights 2016 Seduction

The 11-day Spring Okanagan Wine Festival continues through May 14 with scores of events up and down the Valley. 

Read More at source: Kelowna Daily Courier