Chacun Son Vin - Awards - 2022 NWAC Merlot

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

Merlot

Category Overview by judge Sara d’Amato

For those of you who love to hate merlot (and there are many) you might be surprised to hear about its unwavering popularity in Canada. There was no shortage of merlot entries in this year’s competition giving us an accurate representation of the state of the popular grown grape variety in Canada. Let’s start with some positives. Of the red Bordeaux varieties, merlot is one of the earliest ripening which means it can grow reasonably well in a versatile array of climates, even if their temperatures are moderate. Even though it is not very cold tolerant on the vine, its wine is not very difficult to sell, hence the substantial level of production. If you are going to make a lot of it, you should be able to make reasonably well and with consistency. In my opinion, Canada has demonstrated notable consistency in the quality of merlot produced over the past half decade.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

Conversely, merlot is expensive, at least the highly decorated ones are as you’ll find below. The average price of those merlots that achieved a platinum or gold status was $31.95 in their respective provinces with 6 out of 12 priced $40 and up. There seems to be a considerable effort made with this variety in the high-end spectrum. This begs the question, should Canada be putting such a great effort into a variety that is grown so profusely in so many countries around the world? Do we aspire to be a benchmark region for merlot? Or are there other varieties that are more distinctively produced in Canada such as gamay and cabernet franc? I tend to think so but that does not overshadow my appreciation for the quality of the top wines in this category. As demonstrated by the 2022 results, Canada’s merlots showed well.

The approachable and undeniably affable grape is considered a signature variety in BC and as of 2020, merlot was the most widely planted grape variety overall in the province. This is not to say that it isn’t widely grown in Ontario. According to the Grape Growers of Ontario in 2020, merlot is the province’s second most productive red vinifera grape variety after cabernet franc. Yet, shining most brightly among the top medalists in this competition were the merlots of B.C. The wines medaled as platinum and gold were overwhelmingly from the Okanagan save for a representative from the adjacent Similkameen Valley and another from the slightly cooler Lillooet region near Vancouver. Merlot, love it or leave it, is firmly planted in the Canadian cannon of grape varieties.

And the winners are…

Hainle 2020 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Burrowing Owl 2019 Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Calamus 2020 Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Colio 2020 Reserve Merlot, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fort Berens 2019 Merlot Reserve, Lillooet, British Columbia
Fort Berens 2019 Merlot, British Columbia
Four Shadows 2019 Merlot Reserve, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Liquidity 2020 Alto Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2020 Reserve Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Painted Rock 2019 Merlot, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Seven Stones 2017 Speaking Rock Row 128 Merlot, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Van Westen 2019 Vivre La Vie Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia