Results of the 2021 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)
Merlot
Category Overview by Judge Sara d’Amato
Be it a response to consumer demand or a desire for growers to make merlot, there is a lot made in Canada. In BC it is the most widely grown red grape and in Ontario, it ties for first place with cabernet franc as the red grape highest % of total production by volume. Yet, a question that comes up again and again among wine writers, critics and sommeliers is – should we be growing so much merlot in Canada?
(Jump straight to the medal winners.)
Like most consumers, I take no offense at merlot. In fact, its affable and accessible nature makes it a safe and widely appealing purchasing choice. At its pinnacle of greatness, merlot is the base for many of the world’s most expensive and coveted reds. It has the potential to reach such great heights, yet how often does it do this in Canada? In the vineyard, merlot is notably cold sensitive and requires careful canopy management to achieve a high degree of quality. Favorably, it is relatively early ripener among Bordeaux reds. Still, it cannot be grown everywhere in Canada, and if our results this year are any indication, it is most consistently successful when grown in southern B.C. Furthermore, compared to the number of high scoring wines in categories such as pinot noir, or syrah, grapes that produces significantly less wine overall, merlot has achieved fewer medals. Is enthusiasm waning for this variety? Is it a variety that will help define us a wine producing nation? Is Canada’s merlot sufficiently noteworthy to distinguish it from other wine growing regions who readily grow the variety with ease and consistency? Perhaps not but this awareness should not diminish the quality or achievements of the category winners below. If anything, this should serve to elevate their success in this ambivalent category.
Lake Breeze 2019 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Alvento 2019 Austero Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Crowsnest 2015 Merlot Family Reserve, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Four Shadows 2019 Merlot, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Giant Head 2017 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Konzelmann 2020 Merlot Reserve, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Painted Rock 2018 Merlot, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tinhorn Creek 2018 Oldfield Reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Upper Bench 2017 Upper Bench Estate Grown Merlot, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2018 Platinum Desert Ridge Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2019 Estate Merlot, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Da Silva 2013 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2018 Odyssey Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hillside 2016 Dickinson Vineyard Merlot, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Inniskillin Niagara 2018 Merlot Montague Vineyard, Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2018 Grand Reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Konzelmann 2019 Merlot Lakefront Series, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Mayhem 2019 Anarchy Reserve Merlot Anarchist Mountain Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2019 Terroir Collection Reed Creek Organic Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nighthawk 2019 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nk’Mip Cellars 2019 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nk’Mip Cellars 2019 Qwam Qwmt Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Noble Ridge 2019 MacIntosh Vintage Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Painted Rock 2019 Merlot, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Phantom Creek 2018 Becker Vineyard Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Seaside Pearl 2019 Lover Lane Merlot, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Second Chapter 2017 Merlot Rattlesnake Vineyard, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2016 Merlot Laundry Vineyard, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tightrope 2018 Merlot, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Wesbert Winery 2019 Merlot, British Columbia
Arterra 2018 Epoca, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Bartier Bros. 2019 Merlot Cerqueira Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Black Sage 2018 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2017 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2018 Merlot, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Church & State 2018 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2018 Estate Merlot, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Country Vines 2017 Reserve Merlot,
Culmina 2017 Merlot, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Deep Roots 2019 Merlot, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hester Creek 2019 Joe’s Block, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Huff Estates 2019 South Bay Vineyard Four Acre Merlot, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Icellars 2017 Merlot Icel Vineyard, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Indigenous World 2017 Single Vineyard Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Marynissen 2019 Platinum Series Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Muscedere 2017 Merlot, Lake Erie North Shore, Ontario
Play 2019 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Ravine Vineyard 2018 Reserve Merlot, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Redstone 2018 Merlot Redstone Vineyard, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Stag’s Hollow 2017 Renaissance Merlot Stag’s Hollow Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Synchromesh 2017 Merlot Turtle Rock Farms, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tinhorn Creek 2019 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
