Results of the 2022 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Red Blends

Category Overview by Judge Janet Dorozynski, DipWSET

The red blends category is very broad in terms of what red varieties can be used and we see a variety of different blends and styles among this year’s wines. There are a significant number of medal winning wines, with an impressive three Platinum and many gold medal medals.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

The Road 13 GSM is a classic Rhône blend of grenache, syrah and mourvèdre, while the See Ya Later Ranch Ping is a traditional red Bordeaux assemblage, or Meritage as a number of Canadian and American wineries call the blend, which is also very well priced. The Black Hills Ipso Facto rounds out the trio with a blend often seen in Australian that combines syrah and cabernet sauvignon, often to great effect. The balance of the winning wines fall into any the above blend configurations, which should not be surprising since the most planted red grape varieties within Canada are cabernet franc, merlot and cabernet sauvignon. Many of the medal winners are from British Columbia, though there are a number of impressive Ontario red blends among the winners, as well as some very good wines from Quebec and Nova Scotia, that are largely made from the French and Minnesota hybrid grape varieties that grow well in these provinces.

And the winners are…

Black Hills Estate Winery 2020 Ipso Facto, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Road 13 GSM 2019, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
See Ya Later Ranch 2019 Ping Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Bartier Bros. 2020 Grenache Syrah Mourvèdre, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Black Hills Estate Winery 2020 Addendum, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Black Hills Estate Winery 2020 Per Se, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2019 Nectar of the Gods, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2019 Talus, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2019 Odyssey Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Intrigue Wines 2020 Social Red, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Kismet 2020 Karma, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
La Frenz 2019 Cabernets Rockyfeller Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
La Frenz 2019 Grand Total Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2019 Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Laughing Stock 2019 Portfolio, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mayhem 2020 Cabernet Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Monster Vineyards 2019 Red Eyed, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nk’Mip Cellars 2019 Merriym Red Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rainmaker 2019 Syrah Viognier The Modernist, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Ravine Vineyard 2019 Reserve Red, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
River Stone 2018 Stones Throw, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
River Stone 2019 Corner Stone, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Sandhill 2019 Single Vineyard Three Sandhill Estate Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Van Westen 2019 V, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Wayne Gretzky 2020 Shiraz Cabernet, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

13th Street 2020 Cabernet Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
13th Street 2020 Expression Cabernet Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Bench 1775 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2018 Cabernet Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2019 Nothing Sacred, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2020 Big Bang Theory, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bordertown 2019 Living Desert Red, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Burrowing Owl 2018 Athene, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Burrowing Owl 2018 Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Covert Farms 2019 Amicitia, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CREW 2018 Meritage, Ontario
Da Silva 2018 Vinho Tinto, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fielding 2020 Cabernet Fireside Red, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fielding 2020 Cabernet-Syrah, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fielding 2020 Red Conception, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fielding 2020 Rock Pile Red, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fitzpatrick 2019 Sudden Inversion Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Harwood Estate Vineyards 2016 Meritage, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Hester Creek 2018 Garland, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hidden Bench 2019 Terroir Caché, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Jackson-Triggs Niagara 2019 Grand Reserve Red Meritage, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2019 Red Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2016 Cellar Series Tempest, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Luckett Vineyards 2020 Phone Box Red, Nova Scotia
Lunessence 2019 Cabernet Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Malivoire 2020 Stouck Farmstead Red, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Maverick 2019 Renegade, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2018 Compendium, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2018 Legacy Collection Quatrain, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2020 Terroir Collection Desert Ridge Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia Moraine 2019 Meritage, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Niagara College Teaching Winery 2020 Dean’s List Meritage, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Noble Ridge 2020 Noble Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Organized Crime 2019 Pipe Down, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Painted Rock 2019 Red Icon, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Painted Rock 2019 Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2020 Queue, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rainmaker 2018 Malbec Syrah The Architect, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Redstone 2018 Club Merlot Cabernet, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Rivière du Chêne 2021 La Cantina Vallée d’Oka rouge, Quebec
Road 13 2020 Honest John’s Red, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Sandhill 2020 Cabernet Merlot Terroir Driven Wine, British Columbia
Seven Stones 2021 Fire Stone Red, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
S’Milka Vista 2019 Meritage, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2020 Heritage Block, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stratus 2019 Red, Niagara Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
The Foreign Affair 2018 Conspiracy, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
The Foreign Affair 2019 Whisky Barreled Conspiracy, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thirty Bench 2020 Winemaker’s Blend Red, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Trius 2020 Red The Icon, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Two Sisters 2016 Stone Eagle Special Selection, Niagara River, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Van Westen 2019 Voluptuous, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Vinedressers 2018 Meritage, South Islands, Lake Erie North Shore, Ontario
Wayne Gretzky 2020 Signature Series Cabernet Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Wayne Gretzky Okanagan 2020 Founders Series Cabernet Franc Syrah, British Columbia
Westcott 2020 Temperance Red Blend, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Wild Goose 2020 Red Horizon, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

13th Street 2019 Meritage, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
13th Street N/V Burger Blend Gamay Pinot Noir, Ontario
180 Estate Winery 2018 Cabernet Merlot Mia Cara Vineyard, Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Arrowleaf 2019 Field Collection Red, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bartier Bros. 2020 The Orchard Row, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Black Hills Estate Winery 2020 Bona Fide, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2018 Nothing Sacred, British Columbia
Bonamici Cellars 2020 Belviaggio, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Creekside 2018 Laura’s Red, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Creekside 2019 Cabernet Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Culmina 2017 Hypothesis, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Deep Roots 2020 Parentage Red, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Evolve 2018 Momento, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fort Berens 2019 Meritage Reserve, Lillooet, British Columbia
Fort Berens 2019 Meritage, British Columbia
Indigenous World 2019 Hee-Hee-Tel-Kin Red Blend, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Kismet 2019 Moksha, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Kismet 2020 Mantra, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lakeside Cellars 2018 Provenir Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Laughing Stock 2019 Blind Trust, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Malivoire 2021 Analog Demo Series, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Maverick 2019 Rubeus, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
McWatters Collection 2018 Meritage, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Modest Wines By Jove 2020 Sangiovese, British Columbia
Monte Creek 2019 Living Land Cabernet Merlot, British Columbia
Moon Curser 2020 Dead of Night, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mt. Boucherie 2020 Original Vines PTG, British Columbia
North 42 Degrees 2019 Meritage, Ontario
Nostalgia Wines 2019 Meritage Family Collection, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Pelee Island 2020 LOLA Limited Edition Red, Lake Erie North Shore, Ontario
Peller Estates Niagara 2020 Private Reserve Meritage, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Play 2020 Cabernet Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rainmaker 2019 Meritage The Aristocrat, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Redstone 2019 Bistro Cabernet Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Rivière du Chêne 2021 William Rouge, Quebec
Sandhill 2019 Single Vineyard One Vanessa Vineyard, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Sandhill 2019 Single Vineyard Two Sandhill Estate Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Serendipity 2016 Devils Advocate, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Silhouette 2019 AON, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Strewn 2018 Meritage Canadian Oak, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tawse 2019 Cabernet Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
The Foreign Affair 2019 Malbec Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
The View 2019 Silver Lining Red, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Three Sisters 2020 Bench Red, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Upper Bench 2018 Altitude, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Vanessa 2016 Meritage, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Vieni 2014 Appassimento Private Reserve, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Vieni 2018 Bruce Trail Red, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Vignoble Le Chat Botté 2020 Rouge, Quebec
Vignoble Le Chat Botté 2021 Le Chat Botté Rouge, Quebec
Wesbert 2020 Wise Guy Red Blend, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia