The organizers of the Cellar-Tek Winemakers Cup announced today additional details for the sixth annual festival. The Cellar-Tek Winemakers Cup Ski Race is the World’s only annual ski challenge weekend for the wine industry and it takes place for the benefit of industry networking, peer camaraderie and palate appreciation. The fifth annual weekend of festivities takes place on Saturday March 9, 2013 at the resort of Watermark Beach in Osoyoos and up on the ski hill of Mt. Baldy in B.C.
Close to one hundred wine lovers, including winemakers, cellar hands and vineyard managers, tasting room staff, restaurateurs, sommeliers, hoteliers and many other industry people will race head-to-head on the ski slopes and then drink wine, après-ski style while reliving the hilarious antics of the day. They will be participating in several events as part of the weekend in the heart of the Okanagan, one of the world’s most scenic and beautiful wine regions.
Today it was announced that the following organizations have confirmed their participation in the event, and their sponsorship of this important wine industry gathering:
- Cellar Tek, Title Sponsor of the Winemakers Cup
- BDO, Sponsor of Saturday Evening Dinner and Awards Banquet
- South Valley Sales, Sponsor on the Winemakers Forum on Leaf Roll Virus
- 3M, Sponsor of the hilarious “Agony of Defeat” video
- Scott Labs, Trophy Sponsor for the Winemakers Cup
- Westland Insurance, Sponsor of the Lunch at Mount Baldy
“We are looking forward to another great event this year” said Randy Jones, Proprietor of Title Sponsor Cellar Tek. “We appreciate everyone’s efforts in putting on such a fantastic gathering of the industry. With the great snow conditions that are at Mt. Baldy this year, this is going to be an exceptional year”
Further, it was announced that Saturday night is Industry Night at Watermark Beach Resort. This social night is open to any and all people involved in the wine industry or the food service/hospitality industry, regardless of whether they participated in the ski race or not. “Come on out and rub shoulders with new and familiar acquaintances. It does not matter whether you ski or snowboard or not. Just come on out and have some fun” said Peter Glockner of Cellar Tek. The night will feature the great dance music of Double Magnum.
Previous winners of the Winemakers Cup include:
- 2008 Bill Eggert, Winemaker, Fairview Cellars
- 2009 Stephen Wyse, Winemaker, Burrowing Owl
- 2010 Herb Alex, Cellarhand, Jackson-Triggs
- 2011 Bill Eggert, Winemaker, Fairview Cellars
- 2012 Stephen Wyse, Winemaker, Young & Wyse
Who will win the trophy in 2013?
Full video from the hilarious race and the festivities from previous years are available at: http://www.paulcottonfilms.com/WinemakersCup.php.
The events for the 2013 Winemakers’ Cup include:
Saturday March 9, 2013 Daytime: Mt. Baldy Ski Resort.
- Join us for a fun day on the slopes or on the deck enjoying the sun. There will be a fun dual-slalom ski race with prizes being given out to Top Skier (Male & Female), Top Snowboarder (Male & Female), Top Telemarker, Best wipe-out and Worst times (Male & Female) as well as prizes for any kids that enter.
- Registration starts at 9 am. Race Starts at 11 am. BBQ & Hanging in the Sun at 1 pm. Free skiing or Après skiing all afternoon long.
- Snow bunnies/Lodge Skiers- BBQ Lunch and commemorative T-shirt: only $35.00
- Race participants: Lift ticket, Race participation, BBQ lunch and T-shirt: only $65.00
- Race without Lift tickets (season pass holders): $45.00
Night time: Watermark Beach Resort
- 4:30pm-6:00pm Winemakers Forum on Leaf Roll Virus. We will have some special guests and experts from the Wine Industry join us for a panel discussion on Leaf Roll Virus in the Okanagan. We will also have a wine tasting, so the event will be delicious and informative!
- 6:00pm-7:00pm Happy Hour! Come and rub shoulders with your favourite Winemaker or wine personality.
- 7:00pm-9:00pm Winemakers Cup Dinner & Awards Presentation. Includes a gourmet buffet dinner, wine pairings, awards presentation and the screening of the hilarious “Agony of Defeat” video.
- Cost for dinner is ONLY $44.00 per person (includes tax, gratuities and wine)
- 9:00pm-11:00pm, The After-Party featuring the live Music of “Double Magnum”. Enjoy great tunes and great dancing with the accomplished musical skills of Dan Zepponi and Peter Glockner. Free to all dinner participants, $20.00 per person for everyone else. Cash Bar. •
- 11:00pm-12:00am The After,-After Party Wine Industry Hospitality Suite sponsored by Cellar-Tek at Watermark Resort. Come and rub shoulders and socialize with Winemakers, Cellarhands, and other Industry folk. No cost to enter.
To register & for more information please contact Pauline at (250) 498-0666, or by e-mail to: pauline@blackhillswinery.com
Sunday March 10
- Free to check out and do whatever you want.
Great news!
- Watermark Beach is offering a special reduced price for Hotel rooms on the night of the event for only $99.00 per room, with a maximum of 4 people per room. www.watermarkbeachresort.com
“We’re lucky in the Okanagan. We’re not only blessed with unique winemaking terroir, but we are the only region to have a ski area such as Mount Baldy in very close proximity to the vineyards,” says organizer Glenn Fawcett, president of Black Hills Estate Winery. “Making wine is hard work, and it’s good for all of us to get away from the grind and get together for some friendly ski competition, marked mostly by laughs.
Fawcett says it’s also a chance to for the industry to connect and share ideas. “Some of the most interesting conversations happen on a chairlift, up there in the fresh mountain air. The Winemakers Cup is a great catalyst for these conversations. It enables an exchange of ideas and information that outside of the day-to-day work environment in the wineries and vineyards,” he says. It’s just a lot of fun to get the industry together for some laughs. And of course, you don’t have to be in the wine industry to come out for these events. Everyone is welcome.”
The Winemakers Cup was created and organized as a partnership between Cellar-Tek, Black Hills Estate Winery, Mt. Baldy, and Watermark Beach Resort.
For tickets and information, call Pauline at (250) 498-0666. If you’re interested in the race, spots are available right up to race day. For further information on the Winemakers Cup, go to http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/107638049304712/
For information on Mount Baldy Ski Area, go to skibaldy.com.
