Wine Cottage wins silver at
international competition

Lyle and Pamela Brodie, owners of The Wine Cottage in Courtenay, have always said they make great wine. Now they have a silver medal from the world's largest consumer-made wine competition to prove it.

The Wine Cottage took home second prize in its category in the 2011 Wine Maker International Amateur Wine Competition, an annual event that attracts entries from around the globe. This year, 4,235 wines were submitted from all 50 American states, six Canadian provinces and as far afield as Spain, Norway and Israel.

"You never really expect to win," said Pamela. "You'd like to hope so, but there are just so many entries."

So when they received a letter from competition organizers along with their silver medal in early June, on the eve of The Wine Cottage's 15th anniversary no less, the Brodies were ecstatic.

"It felt great," said Lyle. "We entered once before and were a bit discouraged to not win a medal. We decided to try again because we know our techniques are really, really good, and the product speaks for itself."

The winning wine, crafted at The Wine Cottage by employee Alison Crawford and former employee Gary Miles, was a 2010 Montepulciano.

"It's a really good full-bodied red, but it's not one that many people know about," said Lyle. "It's really expensive to buy commercially. A good commercial Montepulciano costs about $80 a bottle."

The medal-winning Montepulciano was made from a Winexpert International Selection kit. The kit, available at the Wine Cottage for $119 plus a $55 in-store processing fee, makes approximately 30 bottles of wine.

"Anyone can come in and make this award-winning wine," said Pamela. "It boggles my mind how many people still buy full-priced commercial wine when they can make one that's every bit as good, or even better, for a fraction of the price."

Winexpert wines, of which The Wine Cottage is Courtenay's exclusive supplier, took home a whopping 220 medals at this year's competition, including Best of Show for kits and concentrates.

"Winexpert is simply the best of the best," said Lyle. "We've got the perfect wine for any taste and budget, and we're so confident in their quality that we offer every customer a 100 per cent satisfaction guarantee."

To make your own award-winning wine, visit The Wine Cottage at 312-130 Centennial Drive, near the corner of Back Road and Ryan Road, or call 250-338-2686. The Wine Cottage can be found online at www.thewinecottage.ca.

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