Results from the 2026 Nationals – Skin Contact Whites/Orange Wines

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 Gris/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!

Skin Contact Whites/Orange Wines

Category Overview by Sara d’Amato

Go straight to the winners.

Wines in the skin-contact white, often called “orange wine”, category tend to spark strong, polarized reactions. Much of the current interest is driven by Millennials and Gen Z drinkers (21-48 years old), according to IWSR’s Opportunities in Sustainable, Organic and Alternative Wine 2025 report (via The Drinks Business). In Canada, that enthusiasm is concentrated in urban markets like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, and it’s fueled by curious consumers rather than collectors; it’s about the journey, not the return.

For those unfamiliar, orange wine is not a blend or a flavoured style, but a method. These are white wines made with extended skin contact, made more like reds. Instead of immediately pressing the grapes, the juice ferments with the skins, extracting colour, tannins, texture and additional flavour. The result can range from lightly copper-hued to amber, with a structure uncommon to white wines.

In Canada, orange wines are often linked to the “natural or low-intervention movement, another point of division. Early examples could be rustic or flawed, but as winemakers have gained experience, quality has improved. Today the category remains experimental by nature, with diverse grape varieties, maceration times, and techniques contributing to a wide stylistic range.

At WineAlign’s National Wine Awards of Canada, orange wine has been a standalone category since 2018, following VQA Ontario’s decision to formally define and regulate skin-fermented whites, one of the first regions in the world to do so. Despite the style’s popularity, entries in the Awards remain limited. Only six wines were submitted this year, suggesting the category is either plateauing or still niche. Of those, three received medals (two silver, one bronze), with no golds or platinums awarded. Overall, orange wines accounted for just 0.4% of entries and 0.2% of medals.

While the technique dates back thousands of years, most notably in Georgia, where wines are fermented in qvevri, as well as in parts of Slovenia and northeastern Italy, its modern revival is relatively recent. The term “orange wine” itself was coined in 2004 by British importer David A. Harvey – a more widely accessible nomenclature.

In Ontario, regulations require that wines labeled as “skin-fermented white” must be made from 100% skin-macerated grapes for at least 10 days, offering some clarity for consumers navigating the category. Yet many wineries go beyond – Somewhere Wines’ medalled skin-fermented white includes riesling at 48 days on its skins, vidal for 21 days, and pinot gris for 15 days. Styles vary widely, though aromatic and semi-aromatic varieties dominate the category, such as riesling, muscat, gewürztraminer, and pinot gris.

Below are this year’s three medalists, showcasing some of the range and potential of orange wines in Canada today.

And the winners are…