More entrants, medals mark bigger better wine industry

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This article was published 27/11/2021 (1804 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Over the course of the last month, WineAlign has been rolling out the results of the 2021 National Wine Awards of Canada, culminating with the Nov. 12 announcement of the country’s 25 best wineries and the award for winery of the year, which went to Malivoire Wine Company from Beamsville, Ont. (The complete list of winners in all categories can be found at winealign.com/awards.)

This year’s awards marked the 20th year the competition has taken place, and is a far cry from the modest competition co-head judge David Lawrason helped start in 2001. “There were a total 260 wineries and 2,075 wines entered this year, which was a record,” Lawrason explains. “We had 45 new or first-time entrants — wineries or cideries — this year for the first time.” (The first year, by comparison, saw 528 wineries from 71 wineries entered.)

The record number of entries meant more judges than ever were needed, including the next generation of sommeliers and industry types from across the country. “We had 26 judges in all this year, 14 men and 12 women… we had seven or eight people who hadn’t judged with us before. We thought they were all pretty excellent; I’m really keen on regenerating, on keeping that going.”

A record number of entries produced a record number of medals awarded as well. “There were 1,409 medal winners — 68 per cent of wines won either a bronze, silver, gold or platinum medal,” Lawrason notes. “Some are going to say that’s too high, but my counterargument would be that most wine should be at least bronze-level quality.”

Lawrason recalls less consistency in quality in earlier competitions. “In the first half a dozen years, there were a few wines that would make the judges squirm,” he recalls. “But we’re not getting very many of those wines anymore. The wines are balanced for the most part. They’re cleaner. They’ve ripened better, the viticulture’s better — you can really see the quality improving right across the country.”

Of the 2,000-plus entries, only 30 wines won platinum medals, around 1.4 per cent of wines. Of those 30 platinums, six were sparkling wines, a category clearly done well by Canadian producers. Bubbly accounted for 150 entries — fourth after red blends (222 entries), Chardonnay (185) and Pinot Noir (184). In addition to platinum winners from B.C.’s Okanagan Valley and Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula, top honours also went to wines from Quebec, B.C.’s Vancouver Island and Thompson Valley. “Vancouver Island wines are really starting to show well — some vast improvements,” Lawrason notes.

Quebec wines seeemed to punch above their weight at the 2021 competition. “Quebec is really onto something — I don’t know that the rest of Canada knows about it yet,” says Lawrason. The competition also saw products being entered from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, Alberta and, yes, Manitoba — local producers Shrugging Doctor Beverage Company nabbed a bronze for their apple cinnamon mead.

As for winery of the year, Ontario’s Malivoire earned three platinums, one gold, eight silvers and five bronzes. (Some Malivoire wines are available at Winnipeg private wine stores.) The top 10 wineries of the year were split 60-40 between B.C. and Ontario, which roughly mirrors the number of entries from each region (1,212 from B.C. and 739 from Ontario). Among the other top performers available in Manitoba were Trius, Peller Estates Niagara, Quails’ Gate, Mission Hill Family Estate, 13th Street Winery and Painted Rock Estate Winery, all of which have products in Manitoba at Liquor Marts, private wine stores or both.

Lawrason is optimistic about the direction in which Canadian wine is headed. “It’s getting better and better — I’d just like to see more wineries entered. There were 260 wineries entered, but there are over 700 in Canada… what’s important is that for consumers, almost all the important wineries in terms of their commercial reach are there. Most of the wines that you could see on the shelves of Canadian wine stores are represented.”

Numbers aside, Lawrason sees the competition as being beneficial for the state of Canadian wine in general. “We’re here to measure every single wine, and not just name winners,” he says. “That underlying purpose is what gives us our strength. It is a competition, sure, but it’s at a very individual level for each wine.”

uncorked@mts.net

Twitter: @bensigurdson

 

Wines of the week

13th Street Winery 2014 Premier Cuvée (Niagara Peninsula, Ont. — around $40, private wine stores)

The 2015 vintage of traditional method sparkling Ontario wine took a platinum at the competition, and the 2014 (currently available in our market) is nearly as good. A 60-40 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, there’s a lovely bread dough and toasted nut note on the nose, plus lovely spiced apple and lemon zest aromas. On the dry, light-plus bodied palate there’s a lovely creamy texture, which counters the racy bubbles and acidity, while the green apple and lemon notes are zippy, contrasted by that underlying doughy note. On par with entry-level French Champagne, but better priced; picked up at Kenaston Wine Market. ★★★★1/2 out of five stars 

Wayne Gretzky Okanagan 2020 Pinot Grigio (Okanagan Valley, B.C. — $17.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Pale gold in colour, this Okanagan Valley Pinot Grigio (also known as Pinot Gris) brings delicate pear, melon and floral notes, with a hint of red apple in there as well. On the medium-bodied, slightly viscous palate there are pear and peach flavours, hints of red apple skin and melon, and a clean, refreshing finish. A bronze medal winner. ★★★

Mission Hill Family Estate Reserve 2019 Chardonnay (Okanagan Valley, B.C. — $23.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

Fresh red apple, lemon rind, pear and hints of tropical fruit all come through on the nose of this gold medal-winning wine from Kelowna’s Mission Hill Estate Winery. It’s a rich, medium-bodied Chardonnay, with loads of ripe red apple and peach notes, secondary tropical fruit flavours (think papaya and mango), a dash of lemon zest that comes with modest acidity and light spice and vanilla notes thanks to time in oak barrels. An elegant, stylish Chardonnay that’s not overripe or overoaked, and a great wine for the price. ★★★★

Moraine 2019 Pinot Noir (Naramata Bench, B.C. — $34.99, Liquor Marts and beyond)

From the Naramata Bench — just northeast of Penticton in the Okanagan Valley, comes this platinum medal-winning Pinot Noir. Black cherry, earth, mushroom, plum and light savoury notes are complex aromatically. On the light-plus bodied palate it’s all there in spades, with fresh cherry flavours working brilliantly with raspberry and earthy notes, vibrant acidity, very light tannins and a long, vibrant finish. Delicious on its own but would absolutely sing with pork tenderloin, duck, medium cheeses or baked mushroom dishes. ★★★★1/2