Results from the 2026 Nationals – Pinot Gris/Grigio

Announcing the Results from the 2026 National Wine Awards of Canada

The 2026 Nationals took place in Niagara, Ontario from June 12th to 18th. Today, we are pleased to announce the winners in the Rosé, Orange Wines and Pinot Grigio, and categories. Category results will be rolling out throughout the rest of July, concluding with the Winery of the Year announcement on July 31st. We hope that you will stay tuned to follow the results!

Pinot Gris/Grigio

Category Overview by John Szabo MS

Go straight to the winners.

Pinot gris/grigio staged one of the more dramatic recoveries of this year’s National Wine Awards of Canada, and the story is impossible to tell without revisiting the disaster that preceded it. The devastating January 2024 cold snap all but wiped out Okanagan Valley fruit that vintage, gutting a category in which BC’s pinot gris—the province’s third most-planted grape at some 528 hectares, or just over 10% of total vineyard area according to the BC Wine Grape Council—normally shines. Last year’s competition limped through with only 52 entries and a modest 54% medal rate. This year the category roared back: 80 entries, more than 50% growth, and a medal rate climbing to 67.5% (54 of 80 wines), with 3 golds, 17 silvers and 34 bronzes at an average price of $26.36. Pinot gris/grigio’s share of the entire competition’s medal haul, at 4.34%, and its 4.73% share of all entries, both point to a category firmly back on its feet.

More tellingly, all three gold medals this year went to Okanagan Valley bottlings averaging just under $28 and scoring above 91 points—a clean sweep compared to last year, when BC could only match Ontario one gold apiece. British Columbia still dominates by sheer volume too, claiming 35 of 54 medal-winning wines (65%) versus Ontario’s 19, with the Okanagan Valley alone accounting for the bulk of BC’s tally and Prince Edward County anchoring Ontario’s showing with six medals, ahead of the Niagara Peninsula’s four.

Pinot gris/grigio’s importance to Canadian wine goes well beyond medal counts: it remains Ontario’s best-selling VQA wine by both volume and dollar value at the LCBO, a commercial workhorse that pairs unpretentious drinkability with, in its better expressions, genuine textural interest. This year’s results confirm that when the vines are healthy, particularly in the Okanagan, Canadian pinot gris/grigio delivers real quality alongside its commercial appeal.

Three cheers for the recovery.

And the winners are…

NWAC 2026 Partners: