Okanagan Wine Festivals Awards

Judges for the
Fall Competition

Fall Competition Judges

Barbara Philip MW was the first Western Canadian to achieve the Master of Wine designation and is the only female MW in the country. She is currently a Portfolio Manager for the British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch (BCLDB), where she is responsible for the European wine selections in BC Liquor Stores.
With her husband Iain, Barb runs Barbariain Wine Consulting and works as a presenter, journalist and judge. Barbariain has lectured and judged around the world, including Dallas, Mendoza, London and Vienna and has contributed to various publications including Decanter, Time Out Vancouver and Taste Magazine.
Barb is the wine columnist on CBC Radio’s On the Coast with Stephen Quinn.

Barbara Ritchie is a internationally accredited wine judge wine, wine, food & travel journalist (member of the Wine Writers’ Circle of Canada) and lecturer.

Barbara has judged at the California State Wine Fair, Cellars of the World, George Brown Culinary College, Ontario Fruit Wines, Ontario Wine Awards, Toronto Wine & Cheese Show and Santa Cruz Mountain Wines. She has also been on the judging panel at Italy's prestigious Banco d'Assaggio.
Barbara's wine columns currently appear in Elite Wine, Food & Travel Magazine, Del Condominium Lifestyle Magazine,Homefront Magazine and Modesty Magazine. Her articles have appeared in the Globe and Mail, Bloor Yorkville Bulletin, Comunita Viva, Financial Post, Financial Times, French Chamber of Commerce, German Wine Review, Goodlife, LCBO Today, Partners Italy-Canada Trade, Portugese Post, Table d'Hote, Travel a la Carte, Rotunda (ROM), Vines Magazine, Wine Canada and Wine Tidings. Barbara’s working knowledge of French, Italian, Spanish and German facilitates her in-depth winery profiles. A distinctive aspect of her writing is her suggestions for food and wine pairings. Barbara conducts wine seminars for major corporations, restaurants and private functions. She is consulted by restaurants on their wine lists and by private individuals for wine cellar creation and evaluation.

Bill Zacharkiw began his wine journey at the age of 23, when he opened his own restaurant in Montreal. He began his writing career with the The Caveman’s Wine Blog, which was chosen by the Wall Street Journal as one of the five most interesting wine blogs online. He is presently the weekly wine writer for the Montreal Gazette, a member of the Wine Access National Tasting Panel, and a regular contributor to the SAQ magazine, Cellier. He prefers to taste barefoot.

Twitter: @billzacharkiw
website

DC FLYNT, MW is a frequent International Wine Judge at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in London, San Diego Wine Competition, New Orleans Wine and Food Competition, and many others. He was Knighted, for his work in Burgundy, in Beaune France during November of 1995 as a "Chevalier at "Conferie des Chevaliers de Tastevin, Clos de Vougeot" .From 1991-1998 he was the Chef/ Host and Writer for the National PBS Cooking Series " Savor the Regions".

For 24 years he was the Owner and executive chef of Café Margaux, Lake Charles, Louisiana which was devastated by Hurricane Rita in 2005. Cafe Margaux received numerous awards including Louisiana Life Magazine's 'Best French Restaurant in Louisiana', Wine Spectators "Award of Excellence, DiRoNA Award, and awards from Fodor’s, Gourmet, Southern Living, and Mobil Guide.

DJ Kearney is a Vancouver-based wine educator, wine writer, judge, presenter and chef. She has trained hundreds of sommelier candidates from across North America in Vancouver, Victoria, Portland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, to name a few of her regular lecture destinations.

A diverse background in wine, food and geology makes her uniquely qualified to guide the discovery of the world’s wine regions, the sharpening of palates, the understanding of terroir and the chemistry of food and wine harmony.

DJ is an enthusiastic and seasoned judge and annually evaluates wine at the Canadian Wine Awards, Magazine International Wine Competition. She speaks annually at wine events including the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, Whistler’s Cornucopia, and Taste Washington.

DJ writes regularly for Canada’s premier wine magazine, Wine Access, and is the only female member of the National Tasting Panel for the publication. She appears on radio and television frequently and is an accomplished moderator and speaker for wine festivals throughout North America. Especially passionate about the wines in her own back yard, DJ regularly assists the BCWI in education events.

After University, DJ completed her classical chef training, the WSET Diploma, the International Sommelier Guild’s Diploma and is currently working on her Master of Wine.
Firmly believing in the benefits of wine and health, DJ has a marathon or 12 under her belt, is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do as well as a mother of twin black belts. DJ takes to heart the dictum of the late great Julia Child: moderation, and plenty of it!

Eric Degerman is managing editor, wine judge and restaurant writer for Wine Press Northwest, a quarterly consumer magazine that was founded in 1998 and focuses on Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Idaho.

He is online managing editor at the Tri-City (Wash.) Herald and lives in Richland, Wash., with Traci, his wife of 19 years, and their cat, Ichiro. His judging history includes the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Northwest Wine Summit, Grand Harvest Awards, Long Beach Grand Cru, Washington State Wine Competition, the Okanagan Fall Wine Festival and Oregon’s Greatest of the Grape.

Jim Martin has been involved with the wine and spirits industry for more than three decades. Originally from Vancouver, he started with the provincial BCLDB and discovered a passion for wine in 1977 when he stumbled across a 1975 Bordeaux, which was a revelation to him. This led to delving further into wine appreciation through education, constant tasting and evaluation of the different regions of the world.

In 2004, he left the BCLDB for the private sector becoming involved in the opening of Kelowna's first private specialty wine store, Waterfront Wines. He was instrumental in developing an email newsletter while at the LDB and expanding it at Waterfront Wines to now include over 3000 people, who receive up-to-date wine news every week.
You can reach Jim at 250-979-1222, ext 1, email jim@metroliquor.com or visit www.metroliquor.com.

Jurgen Gothe is best known to millions of listeners across Canada and the U.S.A. as the three-time Gold Medal winning host of CBC Radio 2’s daily afternoon drive-time program DiscDrive, (Best Radio Personality, Best Scheduled English-language Music Program, Best Radio Host) which ran for 23 years before leaving the air in the fall of 2007. He is the only broadcaster in the CBC Networks 70-plus year history to achieve the hat trick. DiscDrive was followed by the Sunday afternoon program of musical eclectica, called Farrago, which had its final airing in June of 2009. He was a prominent part of Canada’s national broadcaster for over 30 years.

He has also been featured frequently on many private radio stations in Vancouver, Winnipeg and Los Angeles and continues with twice-daily food-and-wine features, called Vancouver Flavours on the popular new 100.5 FM “The Peak”

He is also a widely-read wine and food columnist/editor for numerous publications in Vancouver, including the wine and spirits columns for The Georgia Straight and Food & Wine Editor for NUVO Magazine, plus publications elsewhere in Canada and around the world. He is a frequent judge at wine competitions at the local, regional, national and international levels.

Last summer saw him launch a very popular onboard wine tasting program, for The Rocky Mountaineer train, between Vancouver and Banff, which achieved a 97% Excellent rating from train travelers.

He remains actively involved in various corporate endeavors including video productions, corporate identity makeover projects, importing, and marketing.

He has published four books, including two cookbooks, four CDs, and has undertaken various theatrical ventures, including the musical version of War of the Worlds. The most recent—an irreverent look at wine, in a cabaret setting, called Up Your Glass! was part of the 29th annual Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, underwritten by the Australian winery [yellow tail].

A live music concert season is in the planning stages for an Okanagan winery venue, patterned after the Monterey Jazz Festival, with an anticipated launch date in 2011.


	Kurtis Kolt is a Vancouver-based freelance wine consultant, competition judge and writer who received the ‘Sommelier of the Year’ award from both the 2010 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival and Vancouver Magazine. Recently named one of Western Living Magazine’s ‘Top 40 Foodies Under 40’, he is certified by London’s Wine & Spirit Education Trust and has credit in the Winemaking program at UC Davis. A big proponent of a casual and fun approach to wine, Kurtis' enthusiasm and experience has resulted in a high demand for appearances, from writing and judging for both Wine Access and Vancouver Magazine to leading wine festival seminars and beyond.