Anthony von Mandl - Mission Hill Family Estate Winery, Canada
2006 President, International Wine and Spirit Competition
Born in Canada to European parents, von Mandl was raised on both sides of the Atlantic, with his early years being spent in Vancouver. He was schooled in Switzerland, Austria and Germany - immersed in a world of culture, art and music. Returning to Canada he studied and gained a degree in Economics at the University of British Columbia.
After University von Mandl apprenticed in the European wine trade, and at the age of 22 started Mark Anthony Wine Merchants. He assembled a portfolio of European and Californian wineries that had never before exported to the Canadian market. The first 6 years were challenging as liquor boards at the time did not encourage dealings with new importers. Almost out of business before he could get started, von Mandl found a way around the state monopolies; airlines could purchase wine directly. He initially focused on that sector and his business started to grow.
By 1981 von Mandl had become a resounding success as Canada's first acknowledged wine merchant, however he still had a dream to produce his own wines. He could have chosen Napa or Washington State, but instead put down roots in his native British Columbia, in the unknown Okanagan Valley region.
Unable to afford to build a winery from the ground up, von Mandl risked everything to purchase a near bankrupt winery, one of only four wineries in the valley at the time. Unable to find backers to finance his dream, von Mandl determined to go it alone set about building other businesses in the drinks trade to self-finance his vision. In addition to the company's own wines and premium speciality beverages the Mark Anthony Group became a leading importer and distributor of fine wine and beer in Canada.
In the early 1990's von Mandl undertook a two year international search for a winemaker who could take Mission Hill and the region to the next level. In 1992 he persuaded John Simes, the then chief winemaker of New Zealand's Montana Winery to relocate to the Okanagan, where he arrived just as the vintage was underway.
Both von Mandl and Simes were stunned when they learnt that one of those first wines, the 1992 Mission Hill Grand Reserve Chardonnay, had been awarded the Avery Trophy for the Best Chardonnay at the International Wine & Spirit Competition.
The success of von Mandl's other business enterprises has enabled him to make unparalleled investments in the Okanagan, including the purchase of 22 prime vineyard estates, and culminating in the design and realisation of a new winery, which has been extensively published internationally.
In addition to his business successes, von Mandl continues to play a considerable role as a philanthropist. He is widely recognised for his support of wine research and the Okanagan region. He is also a trustee of Copia, the American Centre for Wine, Food and the Arts in Napa; on the advisory boards of the Richard Ivey School of Business and the Sauder School of Business; and a past International Board Member and the former Canadian Chairman of the Young President's Organisation. This year, von Mandl was also awarded the highest Provincial distinction, the Order of British Columbia.