Occasionally I’m asked to spread the word about something related to the Canadian wine industry. Along that line, I got an email the other day from Wine Growers Canada (WGC) about the nomination process for their 2021 Canadian Wine Industry Awards. (If you’re like me, you may not have realized that the Canadian Vintners Association was re-branded as Wine Growers Canada in January 2020.)
Due to the pandemic, Wine Growers Canada, which is a trade association whose aim is to advocate on public policy initiatives of interest to its stakeholders, did not issue awards in 2020. So, they are keen to publicize the 2021 Canadian Wine Industry Awards.
At this time, they are seeking nominations for three awards:
The Award of Distinction – this award honours an individual who owns, managers, or is directly employed by a Canadian winery. The award is for demonstrating outstanding leadership, commitment, and passion for the advancement of the Canadian wine industry.
The Wine Industry Champion Award – this award honours an individual who has provided exemplary support for the Canadian wine industry thought media, research, policy and regulation, education, or advocacy that significantly contributes to the overall strength and long-term viability of the industry.
The Karl Kaiser Canadian Winemaker Award – this award honours an individual who works for a Canadian grape winery (as opposed to, say, a winery that specializes in fruit wines, I imagine). The winner is someone who has exemplified leadership in winemaking and has exhibited mentorship with fellow winemakers and others in the industry, and who has invested time and energy toward winemaking excellence.
Though it’s not 100% clear from the nomination form, I confirmed with someone from WGC that anyone can submit nominations for these awards. In other words, you need not be in the wine industry or in WGC to nominate someone. Furthermore, I confirmed that the awards are not limited to people working for, or affiliated with, WGC members. (So, for example, you can nominate your favourite winemaker even if he or she works at a winery not on the WGC member list.) And remember – the nominations are open to folks who work in any Canadian winery – not just Ontario wineries.
The deadline for nominations is February 26, 2021 and the awards will be announced at a ceremony in July.
I think it’s nice that Wine Growers Canada is providing this opportunity for regular folks like you and me – who appreciate and support the Canadian wine industry – to participate in a process aimed at recognizing the talents and hard work of the folks involved in the Canadian wine industry.