Thompson Okanagan Trends Magazine presents these wines of distinction from the annual Top BC Wine Awards. The panel of wine judges conducted a blind tasting to award bronze, silver and gold medals to the top wines, each judged on its own merit of excellence for its class.
At the 2025 competition, Michal Mosny of Winemaker’s Cut captured attention with his BC VQA 2022 Syrah, earning gold and being named Best of Show as Top Red Wine.
“My journey in Canada started in 2012 when I arrived here and saw this as an area where you can produce and can plant pretty much anything,” says Mosny. “You just have to find the right spot.”
Over time, he discovered the unique terroir of Deadman Lake Vineyard, next to Spotted Lake located northeast of Osoyoos, B.C.
“I fell in love with these vineyards,” he says. “Our soil on that lake vineyard is a dark brown, translucent type of soil which is very unique to the Okanagan. And tons and tons of shale. This combination retains the humidity of the soil very well.”
The 2022 Syrah comes from two vineyard blocks planted in 2005, which Mosny has co-farmed since 2015.
2022 brought a bumper crop, but the quality was absolutely exceptional, says Mosny. “We did a whole berry ferment, not to be confused with whole cluster,” he explains, to preserve the integrity of the skins and build the wine’s structure and tannins.
“We have to find the right balance as to how long to keep it in barrel [aged 14 months in Slovakian, American and French oak] so the oak is not overpowering this beautiful spiciness and peppers.”
“I never focused on styles,” says Mosny. “The only style that I like to highlight is coming from each individual vineyard. That’s why we have so many wines in our portfolio; I don’t want to combine different vineyards, different soils, different microclimates.”
Mosny’s whites also earned golden accolades. The Winemaker’s Cut 2022 Riesling reveals crisp citrus and green apple flavours, shaped by time fermenting on the skins. To craft the 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, he sourced fruit from Elephant Mountain, high in the Rattlesnake Hills region of the Yakima Valley. The cooler site helps preserve bright acidity and lower alcohol levels—a hallmark of his Okanagan winemaking style. “It was a longer drive, but it was worth it,” he says.
Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were also imported for the 2024 Winemaker’s Cut Rosé, earning a bronze.
For Mosny, the success of his standout Syrah comes with mixed emotions. “It’s a bittersweet moment,” he admits, reflecting on the severe 2024 winter that devastated Syrah vines across the south Okanagan.
“Now the question is, are we going to risk it and replant Syrah and possibly face another cold frost in the next couple of years and lose everything? Or do we choose to plant something else?”
Still, there’s good news for Syrah lovers. Alongside the upcoming release of the 2022 Syrah, Mosny has a limited supply of the 2021 Winemaker’s Cut Syrah available for visitors at his tasting room in the District Wine Village.
