Results from the 2025 Nationals – Icewine & Late Harvest

Announcing the Results from the 2025 National Wine Awards of Canada

The 2025 Nationals took place in Penticton from June 21st to 25th. Today, we are pleased to announce the winners in the Cider, Mead & Non-fruit, Fortified, Fruit Wine, Icewine & Late Harvest. Category results will be rolling out throughout the rest of July, concluding with the Winery of the Year announcement on August 1st. We hope that you will stay tuned to follow the results!

Icewine & Late Harvest

Category Overview by Judge HJ Cha

Go straight to the winners.

Once modeled after Germany’s Eiswein, Canadian Icewine has evolved into a distinct and world-renowned category. Today, Canada is the largest producer of Icewine globally, with winemakers continuously redefining the category through a remarkable transformation spanning five decades. Innovations such as sparkling versions, the use of red grapes, and oak-aged expressions – many of them uniquely Canadian – are breathing new life into the scene and expanding its appeal.

Still, it’s not an easy path. Yields are tiny, sometimes just 10% of what’s typical in still wine production. Vintners gamble each season, leaving fruit hanging well into winter, vulnerable to rot, bad weather, and hungry birds and other wildlife, all in the hope that temperatures will drop to –8°C or below. At the same time, consumer tastes continue shifting away from sweet wines, adding commercial pressure to an already high-stakes process. It’s no surprise the category has seen a gradual decline in production volume, but the quality of Icewines on display each year tells a different story.

This year’s awards, despite just 25 entries, saw 20 wines take home medals – an impressive 80% medal rate. Ontario continues to dominate Canada’s Icewine scene, producing over 90% of the country’s output, and the medal count backs this up: a notable 89% of the Icewines awarded this year came from Ontario producers.

Inniskillin, the winery synonymous with Canadian Icewine itself, once again stood at the top collecting 1 Platinum, 3 Silvers, and 1 Bronze. Their 2023 Riesling Icewine, a textbook example of precision and balance, scored the highest overall and was crowned Best Icewine of the Year. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary as the first winery licensed in Canada since Prohibition, Inniskillin continues to drive innovation in the category. The range of styles they were awarded for – from classic Vidal to Sparkling Cabernet Franc Icewine – speaks to their versatility and leadership in the field.

Byland Estate Winery is another platinum winner. Based in Niagara-on-the-Lake, this newer winery sits on a 13-acre vineyard owned by Jackson Bai since 2015. While the brand is relatively young, the land has deep roots, having supplied fruit to Magnotta Winery for over 25 years.

The sole B.C. Icewine to medal this year, the 2022 Whistler Gewürztraminer Icewine, took home a Gold. Bench 1775, one of the few Icewine producers in the province, crafts Icewine annually under its Whistler label – dedicated exclusively to the category – rotating grape varieties from year to year. Also awarded Gold were Magnotta 2023 Vidal Icewine Limited Edition, Jackson-Triggs Niagara 2023 Reserve Vidal Icewine, and Magnotta’s Kittling Ridge 2023 Vidal Icewine – each from well-established Ontario producers known for their consistency and quality in the category.

In the Late Harvest category, both Golds went to rieslings – one from Volcanic Hills in the Okanagan Valley and the other from Hidden Bench on the Beamsville Bench. Despite sharing the same grape, the two wines showed distinct styles: Volcanic Hills offered a richly sweet and generous profile, while Hidden Bench was more linear and focused. Yet both achieved an excellent balance between vibrant acidity and sweetness – a hallmark of great sweet wine.

And the winners are…