Results of the 2018 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)
Pinot Gris/Grigio
Category Overview by Judge and Panel Leader John Szabo, MS
As in past years, pinot gris/grigio remains a bit of an enigma in Canada, with no definitive, universal style. It spans the spectrum from lean and light to rich and full, making it a challenge for consumers to know what to expect from an unfamiliar bottling. One simple strategy is to go by the name used: wines labeled “pinot grigio”, the Italian name for the grape, tend towards the northern Italian paradigm of light, lean, crisp and fruity. Those labeled “pinot gris” in the French fashion, on the other hand, often take their stylistic cues from the Alsatian model, which is to say a little rounder and fleshier in an almost late-harvest style, occasionally with a pinch of residual sugar to fatten it up further.
While the grigio model can be perfectly serviceable as a crisp white wine (and commercially successful), NWAC judges show a preference for the generally more complex gris style, reflected in the medals awarded. Continuing past trends, BC is unsurprisingly the clear leader in the category, where pinot gris is the most planted white variety with 22% of total white variety acreage, ahead of chardonnay at 20%. BC earned 23 out of the 26 medals awarded, with Ontario earning the other three, interestingly enough, all labeled pinot grigio.
The Okanagan’s warm, dry, sun-drenched growing conditions are closer to Alsace’s than northern Italy’s, making the gris style a more natural fit. And indeed, the two gold medals in the category, from Tinhorn Creek and See Ya Later Ranch, are both in the richer gris style (and labeled pinot gris). It is also fantastic to see four wines from Vancouver Island crack the medals this year, further expanding and deepening the category. There is much to discover.
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See Ya Later Ranch 2017 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tinhorn Creek 2017 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Alderlea 2017 Pinot Gris, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2016 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Inniskillin Okanagan 2016 Reserve Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2017 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Poplar Grove 2017 Munson Mountain Vineyard Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2016 The Bench Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rathjen Cellars 2016 Pinot Gris, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
River Stone 2017 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2017 Pinot Gris Golden Retreat Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stoneboat 2017 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
The Good Earth 2017 Pinot Grigio, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Unsworth 2017 Pinot Gris, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Van Westen 2017 Vino Grigio, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Wayne Gretzky Okanagan 2017 Pinot Grigio, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bartier Bros. 2017 Pinot Gris, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2017 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fielding 2017 Pinot Grigio, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
G. Marquis 2017 Pinot Grigio The Red Line, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Haywire 2017 Pinot Gris , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Kismet 2017 Pinot Grigio, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Maverick 2017 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mt. Boucherie 2017 Pinot Gris, British Columbia
Sea Star Vineyards 2017 Pinot Gris , Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Therapy 2017 Therapy Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
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