WineAlign - Awards - 2019 NWAC Riesling

Results of the 2019 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Riesling

Category Overview by Judge Janet Dorozynski

After having tasted many of the rieslings at this year’s NWAC along with the record number of category medals and number of golds and platinum, it’s pretty obvious that there’s a lot to like about Canadian riesling from many different parts of the country.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

While Niagara’s Benches – Beamsville and Twenty Mile, and the north eastern reaches of the Okanagan have long shown themselves as prime locations for growing and making riesling in Canada, we’re seeing more spectacular examples coming from British Columbia’s newly minted northern DVAs in addition to emerging regions in Ontario and pockets in both Quebec and Nova Scotia.

Canada has been growing riesling in earnest since the late 1970s with some of the oldest blocks planted with Clone 21B from St. Urbanshof in Germany’s Mosel region at Cave Spring and Vineland Estates in Niagara and Sperling Vineyards, Tantalus and St. Hubertus in East Kelowna in the Okanagan. We’ve gone from the early days of mostly off-dry styles to every style imaginable: dry, off dry, medium, sparkling, late harvest and Icewine, fermented in stainless steel, concrete and wood, filtered and unfiltered, skin contact, wild fermented and on and on…. As someone who’s been tasting riesling from coast to coast for more than two decades, I can happily say that the state of this grape and how we are making it in Canada has never been better. It is clearly one of our flagship white varieties, if not THE flagship, that shines the brightest and expresses itself loudly (or subtly) and clearly regardless of where it is grown.

The quality and breadth of this year’s riesling medalists has never been better or more diverse so make sure to get your hands on the winners.

And the winners are…

Harper’s Trail 2018 Silver Mane Block Riesling Thadd Springs Vineyard, British Columbia

50th Parallel 2018 Riesling, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Adamo 2018 Riesling, Ontario
CedarCreek 2018 Platinum Riesling Block 3, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fielding 2017 Riesling Estate Bottled, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fort Berens 2018 Riesling Reserve, Lillooet, British Columbia
Four Shadows 2018 Riesling, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hidden Bench 2016 Riesling Felseck Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Lang Vineyard 2018 Farm Reserve Riesling, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Monte Creek Ranch 2018 Riesling Reserve, British Columbia
Peller Estates 2017 Andrew Peller Signature Series Riesling, Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tawse 2016 Riesling Sketches of Niagara, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thirty Bench 2017 Small Lot Riesling Steel Post Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thirty Bench 2017 Small Lot Riesling Triangle Vineyard, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario