iN WINE: Oliver’s Covert Farms Family Estate scoops up medals in international organic wine award

OLIVER – Oliver’s Covert Farms Family Estate took it to the competition at the recently held International Organic Wine Awards based in Germany.

A press release issued by the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association says the family-owned winery took seven medals, including four gold and three silver in the global competition that saw nearly 300 wineries from 28 countries competing.

Covert Farms earned three gold medals for its red wines, including the 2015 Amicitia, the 2016 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2015 Grand Reserve Zinfandel.

In the rosé category, the 2018 sparkling pinot noir earned gold and the 2018 Rosé won silver.

Covert’s 2018 pinot blanc and grand reserve pinot noir took silver.

The International Organic Wine Awards are in their 10th year and have evolved into one of the most prestigious tasting competitions in the industry.

This year, the panel judged more than 1,000 organically certified white, rosé and red wines, as well as dessert, sweet, sparkling, pearl and other specialty varietals.

The Coverts are advocates of regenerative agriculture and have spent years feeding nutrients back to the land in order to maintain strong soil health. Their vineyard contains 100 per cent estate-grown grapes.

Global competitions like the Organic Wine Awards provide the ideal opportunity to measure their product against fellow organic wineries as the international community increases awareness and production of organic wines.

"I am so proud of our entire team for the dedication they have shown throughout the years to the process of organic, sustainable winemaking and maintaining a healthy vineyard – all of their hard work has truly paid off,” Gene Covert said.

“I hope our success at the International Organic Wine Award will help to spread awareness not only of regenerative winemaking but also sustainable farming. Caring for the land is crucial to building healthy communities and yielding strong crops well into the future, and we are thrilled to be part of a community that is spreading that message,” he said.

Covert Farms Family Estate is a 650-acre organic farm, vineyard and winery located just north of Oliver. They produce more than 40 organically grown fruits and vegetables, and 100 per cent organically grown grapes.

For more about Covert Farms winemaking process, see this Covert Farms website.

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