Top 10 Small Wineries
(Annual production of 10,000 cases or fewer)
2019 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada
(The Nationals)
1. Moon Curser Vineyards
Best Performing Small Winery of the Year
British Columbia
1 Platinum, 6 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
Moon Curser 2017 Touriga Nacional
Moon Curser 2015 Tannat
Moon Curser 2018 Dolcetto
Moon Curser 2017 Malbec
Moon Curser 2017 Dead of Night
Read more: Announcing the Best Performing Small Winery of the Year
2. Hidden Bench Estate Winery
Ontario
5 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze
Hidden Bench 2017 Pinot Noir Unfiltered
Hidden Bench 2016 Chardonnay Felseck Vineyard
Hidden Bench 2017 Estate Chardonnay
Hidden Bench 2016 Chardonnay Tete de Cuvee
Hidden Bench 2016 Riesling Felseck Vineyard
3. Desert Hills Estate Winery
British Columbia
1 Platinum, 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
Ursa Major 2016 Syrah Eagle’s Nest Vineyard
Desert Hills 2018 Gamay Noir
Desert Hills 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon
Ursa Major 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Eagle’s Nest Vineyard
Ursa Major 2016 Borealis
4. The Organized Crime Winery
Ontario
1 Platinum, 2 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze
Organized Crime 2017 Cuvée Krystyna Chardonnay
Organized Crime 2016 Cabernet Franc
Organized Crime 2017 Limestone Block Chardonnay
Organized Crime 2016 Break-in Pinot Noir
Organized Crime 2017 Wild Ferment Riesling
5. Corcelettes Estate Winery
British Columbia
4 Gold, 4 Bronze
Corcelettes 2016 Meritage Estate Vineyard
Corcelettes 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Menhir Estate Vineyard
Corcelettes 2016 Petit Verdot Micro Lot Series
Corcelettes 2016 Syrah Micro Lot Series
Corcelettes 2016 Cabernet Merlot Micro Lot Series
6. Painted Rock Estate Winery
British Columbia
3 Gold, 4 Silver, 4 Bronze
Painted Rock 2015 Merlot
Painted Rock 2015 Malbec
Painted Rock 2016 Syrah
Painted Rock 2016 Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon
Painted Rock 2016 Red Icon
7. SpearHead Winery
British Columbia
3 Gold, 3 Silver, 4 Bronze
SpearHead 2017 Pinot Noir GFV Saddle Block
SpearHead 2017 Chardonnay Clone 95
SpearHead 2017 Pinot Noir Coyote Vineyard
SpearHead 2017 Pinot Noir Club Consensus
SpearHead 2018 Pinot Noir Rosé
8. Howling Bluff Estate Wines
British Columbia
1 Platinum, 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
Howling Bluff 2016 Pinot Noir Century Block
Howling Bluff 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Three Mile Creek
Howling Bluff 2016 Pinot Noir Three Mile Creek
Howling Bluff 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Howling Bluff 2016 Pinot Noir Acta Vineyard
9. Noble Ridge
British Columbia
1 Platinum, 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Noble Ridge 2016 Meritage Reserve
Noble Ridge 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon King’s Ransom
Noble Ridge 2015 The One Sparkling
Noble Ridge 2015 Meritage King’s Ransom
10. Meyer Family Vineyards
British Columbia
1 Platinum, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze
Meyer 2017 Tribute Series Joannie Rochette Chardonnay Old Main Road Vineyard
Meyer 2017 Micro Cuvee Pinot Noir McLean Creek Vineyard
Meyer 2017 Micro Cuvee Chardonnay Old Main Road Vineyard
Meyer 2018 Gewurztraminer McLean Creek Vineyard
Meyer 2017 Chardonnay McLean Creek Vineyard
10. Tightrope Winery
British Columbia
2 Gold, 2 Silver, 8 Bronze
Tightrope 2017 Chardonnay
Tightrope 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Semillon
Tightrope 2018 Pinot Gris
Tightrope 2016 Vertigo
Tightrope 2016 Pinot Noir
A minimum of five wines must be entered in order to be eligible for the Top Small Wineries list. The five top-scoring entries (not including Icewine) were used to determine the Best Performing Small Winery and the Top 10 Small Wineries list.
A note from the National Wine Awards of Canada organizers: We continue to wrestle with the name of this singular award: Best Performing Small Winery. The word ‘small’ makes it sound diminutive and somehow lacklustre but that is not our intention. It would be tidy if the concept was to award Estate wineries, but that implies 100% ownership of the process which is far too difficult for us to enforce and ‘boutique’ seems so last century. The goal is to honour smaller wineries, those producing 10,000 cases or fewer, and within Canada there are hundreds. If you have a better descriptor please send it along and we will consider a change next year.
