Results of the 2018 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)
Sparkling
Category overview by judge and panel leader Treve Ring
Rooted in cool, Canada has emerged an indie darling of sparkling wine (we do share the 49th parallel with Champagne, after all).
We’ve come a long way since Baby Duck splashed across the world in 1971, selling more than 60 million bottles in Canada within ten years. Today there are more than 200 wineries from Vancouver Island to Nova Scotia producing fizz, and in forms from ancestrale to frizzante to charmat to traditional method.
During the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, Canadian sparkling wine sales in Canada amounted to approximately 58.2 million Canadian dollars, whilst imported sparkling wine sales amounted to approximately 0.34 billion Canadian dollars. That’s a clear sign (to me at least) that the potential future for sparkling wine is, well, sparkling.
This year we had an outstanding 16 sparkling wines medalled gold, and possibly surprising to some, the top three by the numbers all came from Ontario. BC and Nova Scotia had ample gold coverage, and all three regions splashed through silvers and bronzes. The best wines were those that were purpose built: pure fruited, high acid, structural. And delicious.
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Averill Creek Charme de L’ile, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Fielding Sparkling Rosé Traditional Method, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fitzpatrick 2014 Fitz Blanc de Blancs, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fitzpatrick 2014 Fitz Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fitzpatrick 2014 Fitz Rose, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fitzpatrick 2015 Fitz Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Flat Rock Cellars 2011 Riddled Sparkling, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Henry of Pelham 2013 Cuvée Catharine Estate Blanc de Blanc ‘Carte Blanche’, Short Hills Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Hidden Bench 2013 Natur Zero Dosage, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Kew Vineyards 2013 Blanc de Noirs, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Kew Vineyards 2013 Tradition, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Lightfoot & Wolfville 2013 Blanc de Blanc Extra Brut LD , Nova Scotia
Megalomaniac Winery N/V Bubblehead, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tantalus Vineyards 2015 Blanc de Noir , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Trius Brut Rose, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Trius Brut, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Blue Mountain 2015 Gold Label Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Casa Dea 2016 Dea’s Cuvee, Ontario
Colio Lily Sparkling Rosé, Ontario
Gray Monk 2015 Odyssey White Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Haywire 2016 The Bub , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Jackson-Triggs Niagara 2014 Grand Reserve Entourage Sparkling Brut, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Lake Breeze 2015 Cellar Series Zephyr Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Maverick Ella Brut Rose, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Monte Creek Ranch 2017 Sparkling Reserve, British Columbia
Salt Spring 2014 Karma, Gulf Islands, British Columbia
Tawse 2016 Riesling Spark Limestone Ridge, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tawse 2016 Rose Spark Quarry Road Vineyard, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Backyard Vineyards Blanc de Noir Brut , Fraser Valley, British Columbia
Blomidon 2010 Blanc de Blancs, Nova Scotia
Blomidon 2014 Blanc de Noirs, Nova Scotia
Domaine St-Jacques 2014 Brut, Quebec
Evolve 2017 Frizzante, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
JoieFarm 2017 Quotidien Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Noble Ridge 2014 The One Sparkling, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Summerhill Pyramid Winery Cipes Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2016 Spark, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
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