Chacun Son Vin - Awards - 2019 NWAC Other Single Red Varieties

Results of the 2019 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Other Single Red Varieties including Malbec

Category Overview by Judge Sara d’Amato

Like many winegrowing nations coming into their own, Canada is experiencing a culling of grape varieties grown. Yet in the category of other single red varieties we see a wealth of seemingly experimental one offs that have more than just curio value. Running the gamut from pinotage to barbera, the wines certainly kept the judges on their toes.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

Both in the Okanagan and Niagara, we seem to have a strength in the category of petit verdot which may come as a surprise to many. Out of the top wines awarded gold medals, three of them are petit verdot. Notably in the Okanagan Valley, the quality of malbec seems to have impressed us as four out of the top scoring gold medal wines are the result of this plump but plucky French variety that has a stronghold in Argentina. The remaining gold medals are all the result of unique grape varieties. Some, such as zweigelt and marquette are unsurprising strengths from our nation. Whereas other varieties like blaufränkisch and tannat are curious but not unimaginable. Conversely, grapes whose benchmark regions are so disparate from our own, such as touriga nacional, dolcetto and tempranillo, are sure to raise some eyebrows as top scoring Canadian wines. These wins should remind us that we are an extremely diverse winegrowing country with exciting and multifaceted potential for excellence. Such a range of high quality, idiosyncratic red single varieties highlights the strong winegrowing and winemaking talent growing and from coast to coast.

And the winners are…

Moon Curser 2017 Touriga Nacional, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Alderlea 2016 Clarinet , Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Bench 1775 2016 Malbec , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blind Creek Collective 2016 Petit Verdot, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Blomidon 2016 Baco Noir Reserve, Nova Scotia
Celista 2016 Foch Reserve, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2016 Malbec Micro Lot Series Estate Vineyard, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Culmina 2016 N° 006 Unfiltered ‘Jeunes Vignes’ Malbec, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Kismet 2016 Malbec Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rosehall Run 2017 Tempranillo Estate Grown & Bottled, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Sandhill 2016 Single Vineyard Barbera Small Lots Program Sandhill Estate Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Seaside Pearl Farmgate Winery 2016 Royal Engineers Petit Verdot, Fraser Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2017 Dolcetto Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stoneboat Pinot House 2015 Rock Opera, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Three Sisters 2017 Tempranillo, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia