WineAlign - Awards - 2017 NWAC Rosé

Results of the 2017 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Rosé

Intro by Sara d’Amato

Rosé is another burgeoning category in Canada and we were delighted to taste such an influx of more complex styles, both fleshy and balanced as well as the dry & pale which are so à la mode. Given the distinct uptake in this category, we hope we will see a direct correlation in consumer uptake as well, not just throughout the summer but in the cooler months as well. It may come as a surprise to learn that one in every three bottles sold in France is of the pink persuasion. Given this statistic, we have a great deal of work to do in terms of consumer awareness for this versatile category of wine throughout the nation.

We recognized a great deal of rosé this year, from platinum to bronze, the vast majority from Niagara and the Okanagan but with a few medaled surprises from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, the Similkameen and Vancouver Island. Pink comes in all forms from still to sparkling, and fortified to fruit. But pink is not just a trend, it signals a wine region coming into its own and realizing an untapped potential that the great wine nations of the world have come to favour. In Ontario, the LCBO reports an 11% increase in rosé sales this year as compared to last and a 24% increase in VQA rosés. Rosés are hot, and not just for hot weather, the SAQ reports the largest off-season rosé purchase ever in 2017, according the Vins de Provence.

In times past, nation-wide, rosé was a kitchen sink blend of whatever remained, bled-off, and added to a cuvée. Invariably, this makes the worst rosé. What enhances the quality of a rosé, firstly, is when it is made intentionally. No longer an afterthought, our top scoring finds in this year’s National Wine Awards, show intent, foresight and an appreciation of the art of assemblage. #rararosé

Bench 1775 2016 White Merlot, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2016 Platinum Block 1 Pinot Noir Rosé, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Enrico 2016 Fair Maiden Blanc De Noir, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Fielding 2016 Rosé, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Honsberger 2016 Rosé, Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Indigenous World 2016 Red Fox Rosé, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Le Vieux Pin 2016 Vaila, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Peller Estates Niagara 2016 Private Reserve Rosé, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Quails’ Gate 2016 Rosé, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Arrowleaf 2016 Rosé, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bench 1775 2016 Glow, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Black Hills 2016 Rosé, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Château des Charmes 2016 Cuvée d’Andrée Rosé, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Hidden Bench 2016 Locust Lane Rosé, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Rosehall Run 2016 Just One Rosé, Ontario
St. Hubertus 2016 Frizzante Rosé, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Two Sisters 2016 Rosé , Niagara River, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario