Cloverdale’s Dante Qualizza recently won big with one of Black Press Media’s online contests.
Qualizza said he’s very thankful and he feel’s very fortunate to have had his name drawn as the winner for the Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country Contest.
Qualizza entered the contest online. He said when he first saw it pop up, he thought, “Hey, I’ll put my name in there. You never know.”
That “never know” turned into a big surprise and a gaping smile once Qualizza opened his inbox this week.
“When I got the email that I won, I thought, ‘Oh! This is great.’ And my wife and I love going up to the Interior,” he said. “It’s been 10 years since we’ve been to Osoyoos, but we go up to the Interior every couple of years, Kelowna, Penticton. So we’re really looking forward to it.”
He said he loves the area, having visited several wineries before.
“It’s always a great experience,” he said. “The views are incredible. It’s a very beautiful place.”
Qualizza has lived in Cloverdale for nearly a decade and a half, moving south of the Fraser from Burnaby in 2010.
He said he loves Cloverdale and its small-town charm.
“The community is very welcoming and great for young families,” he noted.
Qualizza plans to travel to the Okanagan this summer to enjoy the contest with his wife. The couple plan to bring their son and their son’s fiance along too.
The prize list for the Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country Contest is long, including: a three-night stay for 4 people in a two-bedroom suite at Watermark Beach Resort; John Oliver Tasting Experience for four guests at Road 13 Vineyards, including a tour of the vineyards and backstage of the winery, and the opportunity to taste six of our best wines with a charcuterie board; a tasting experience for four guests at Nk’Mip Cellars, Canada’s first Indigenous-owned and operated winery, and a curated six bottle wine cellar from the winery; a VIP library tasting experience of their Cabernet Franc and Syrah for four guests at Gold Hill Winery; a two-course lunch for four people at The Restaurant at Phantom Creek Estates plus a seated tasting; a delicious wine-paired two-course lunch for four guests at The Sonora Room at Burrowing Owl Estate Winery; private tasting for four guests with winemaker Arnaud Thierry and a bottle of library wine per guest from Church and State Wines; a gift package from Oliver Osoyoos Wine Country; and a $250 prepaid Visa.
Qualizza added he’s very grateful for his good fortune.
“I just want to thank all the sponsors and the people who put it together,” he said. “From our family, we’d just like to say thank you and we’re looking forward to getting up there this summer and having a good time.”