Results of the 2024 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)
Other White Single Varieties
Category Overview by Jacky Blisson, MW
(Jump straight to the medal winners.)
Chardonnay and Riesling are often singled out as our signature grapes when it comes to top quality Canadian white wine. And while they are deserving of high praise, there are many other white varieties producing spectacular results in different pockets of vineyard across the country.
Notable standouts this year include a pair of precise, nervy Grüner Veltliner wines from British Columbia’s Lillooet and Lake Country terroirs, and an equally vibrant Naramata Bench Albariño. The strong performance of Roussanne this year underscores the huge potential for rich, textural, ageworthy wines from across the Okanagan.
Chenin Blanc is another consistent performer in BC and Ontario, making vibrant, fruit- forward wines with crystalline acidity. Sleek, elegant Sémillon wines are also cropping up with increased frequency from coast to coast, as single variety wines and in classic Sauvignon blends. And, lest we forget, Pinot Blanc, which has once again proved its merit for good value, easy drinking white wine.
And the winners are…
Black Hills 2022 Roussanne, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fort Berens 2023 Small Lot Grüner Veltliner Red Rock Vineyard, British Columbia
Peak Cellars 2022 Gruner Veltliner, Lake Country, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2022 Clone 220 Chenin Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Terravista Vineyards 2023 Albariño, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
13th Street Winery 2023 Gamay Vin Gris, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Covert Farms 2022 Roussanne Grand Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Enrico Winery 2021 Coronet Reserve Petite Milo, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Gehringer Brothers 2023 Optimum Dry Ehrenfelser, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hillside Winery 2022 Heritage Series Muscat Ottonel, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Inniskillin Okanagan 2022 Discovery Series Chenin Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2020 Cellar Series Alizé Roussanne, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2023 Ehrenfelser, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
MW Cellars 2023 Semillon, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Nk’Mip Cellars 2022 Winemakers Pinot Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2022 Chenin Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Roche Wines 2022 Amulet Rousanne, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2022 Albariño Shuttleworth Creek Vineyard, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stratus 2021 Semillon, Niagara Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Big Head Wines 2022 RAW Chenin Blanc Smith Vineyard, Niagara Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Covert Farms 2023 Pinot Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Four Shadows Winery 2023 Pinot Blanc, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2023 Pinot Blanc, British Columbia
Konzelmann 2022 Pinot Blanc, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Mt. Boucherie 2022 Original Vines Sémillon, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
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