Results of the 2021 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Sparkling

Category Overview by Judge Janet Dorozynski, DipWSET

Tasting and judging the sparkling wine flights is always one of the highlights of the National Wine Awards of Canada because the quality of Canadian fizz is so high and keeps getting better.

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

While Canadian wineries have been making sparkling wine in earnest since the late 1980s, we have really come into our own over the past two decades. Many areas of Canada’s wine growing regions have the ideal climate and growing conditions to produce sparkling wines with that perfect combination of acidity and richness. As a result, we make excellent sparkling wine from coast to coast, from the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, to the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, as well as ever-increasing amounts in Quebec and Ontario. We make sparkling from many different grape varieties: from the traditional Champagne grape varieties of chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, as well as riesling, pinot blanc, chenin blanc, gamay and even cabernet franc, along with hybrids like L’Acadie Blanc and Frontenac in the cooler regions of Nova Scotia and Quebec. Canadian winemakers excel at making all styles of bubbly, from traditional method and charmat with increasing amounts of pétillant naturel or methode ancestral and frizzante. The future of Canadian wine is definitely fizzy so raise a glass with any of these winners.

And the winners are…

13th Street 2015 Premier Cuvee, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Harper’s Trail 2018 Chardonnay Sparkling Thadd Springs Vineyard, Thompson, British Columbia
Henry of Pelham 2016 Cuvée Catharine Carte Blanche Estate Blanc de Blanc, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Malivoire N/V Bisous Rose, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Queenston Mile 2017 Blanc de Noirs, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Trius N/V Brut Rose, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Cave Spring N/V Blanc de Blancs, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fielding N/V Sparkling Brut, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Huff Estates 2018 Cuvée Janine, Prince Edward County, Ontario
L’Acadie 2018 Vintage Cuvee Traditional Method Organic, Nova Scotia
Noble Ridge 2017 The Pink One, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rockway Vineyards N/V Brut Cuvée, Ontario
Silhouette 2018 Boyd Blanc de Blanc, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Two Sisters 2018 Blanc de Franc, Niagara River, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

13th Street 2013 Grande Cuvée Blanc de Noir, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
13th Street 2019 Blanc de Blanc, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
50th Parallel 2018 Blanc de Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Arrowleaf 2020 Summerstorm, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bench 1775 2020 Blanc de Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2016 OMG, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blomidon 2014 Brut Réserve, Nova Scotia
Blomidon N/V Crémant Extra Dry, Nova Scotia
Blomidon N/V Cuvée L’Acadie Brut, Nova Scotia
Evolve N/V Pink Effervescence, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Frind N/V Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2018 Odyssey Rosé Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2018 Odyssey Traditional Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2018 Odyssey White Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hester Creek 2018 Old Vine Brut, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hidden Bench 2016 Natur Zero Dosage, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Huff Estates 2017 Cuvée Peter F. Huff, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Inniskillin Okanagan 2017 Discovery Series Sparkling Tempranillo Rosé, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Jackson-Triggs Estate Winery 2016 Grand Reserve Entourage Sparkling Brut, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Kew 2016 Barrel Aged Blanc de Blancs Estate, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Lightfoot & Wolfville 2019 Brut Rosé , Nova Scotia
Lily N/V Sparkling, Ontario
Liquidity N/V Reserve Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Malivoire N/V Bisous Brut, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Noble Ridge 2016 The One, Okanagan Falls, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Red Rooster N/V Brut, British Columbia
Road 13 2012 Jackpot Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Road 13 2017 Sparkling Chenin Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rosehall Run 2013 Stardust Brut Zero, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Silhouette N/V Boyd Classic Cuvée, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Summerhill Cipes 2012 Blanc de Blanc, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Summerhill NV Cipes Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tantalus 2018 Blanc de Blancs Traditional Method, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2014 Spark Chardonnay David’s Block, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tawse 2019 Spark Limestone Ridge Riesling, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tawse 2019 Spark Rosé Quarry Road Vineyard, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
TIME 2018 Brut, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Trius N/V Brut, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Trius N/V Showcase Brut Nature, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

13th Street 2019 Gamay Blanc de Noir, Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
13th Street N/V Cuvee Rose, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Adamo 2017 Blanc de Blanc Traditional Method, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Arrowleaf 2019 Wildblume, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Backyard N/V Sparkling Blanc de Noir , British Columbia
Byland Chardonnay Sparkling, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Chain Reaction 2019 Midnight Sparkling Wine, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Corcelettes 2019 Santé!, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Crescent Hill I Am Diva, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Del-Gatto N/V Bella Luna  , Ontario
Domaine Acer N/V Mousse des Bois , Quebec
Domaine de Grand Pré N/V Extra Dry Sparkling Riesling, Nova Scotia
Evolve N/V Effervescence, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Fielding N/V Sparkling Rosé Traditional Method, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fitzpatrick 2017 Fitz Brut , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Flat Rock Cellars 2020 Sparkling Twisted, Ontario
Free Form 2017 Blanc de Noir, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Gaspereau N/V Cuvee Brut Traditional Method Sparkling, Nova Scotia
Hainle 2020 Happiness Frizzante Gewürztraminer, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Haywire 2014 Vintage Bub, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Haywire 2018 The Bub, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Intrigue Wines N/V I Do, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Jackson-Triggs Estate Winery 2017 Grand Reserve Entourage Sparkling Merlot, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Karlo Estates 2020 Bubble, Ontario
Kitsch 2018 Blanc de Blancs, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lightfoot & Wolfville 2015 Brut, Nova Scotia
Lily N/V Rosé Sparkling, Ontario
Locust Lane 2019 Sparkling Riesling, Ontario
Locust Lane 2020 Sparkling Rose, Ontario
Magnotta N/V 1925 Series Sparkling Chardonnay, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Magnotta N/V 1925 Series Sparkling Rosé Extra Dry, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Malivoire N/V Che Bello, Ontario
Maverick N/V Ella Brut Rose, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Monte Creek 2020 Living Land Sparkling, Thompson, British Columbia
Monte Creek 2020 Living Land Sparkling Rose, Thompson, British Columbia
Pelee Island 2020 Lola Rosé Sparkling, Lake Erie North Shore, Ontario
Peller Estates Niagara N/V Ice Cuvee Rose Signature Series, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Queenston Mile 2017 Grand Mile, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Redstone 2017 Sparkling Limestone Vineyard, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Redstone 2019 Sparkling Rose Limestone Vineyard, Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thirty Bench 2018 Effervescent Riesling, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Thornhaven 2019 Infusion White Frizzante, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Vignoble Rivière du Chêne N/V La Cantina Blanc de Blanc, Vallée d’Oka ,Quebec
Vignoble Ste Petronille VSP 2018 Brut, Île d’Orléans, Quebec
Wesbert Winery 2020 Sparkling Rosé, British Columbia
Westcott 2017 Brilliant Traditional Method Sparkling, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario