Results of the 2023 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)
Pinot Gris/Grigio
A Gris is a Grigio, but just another name
Category Overview by Judge Michael Godel
(Jump straight to the medal winners.)
Not all judges relish in tasting and scoring the National Wine Awards of Canada pinot gris/grigio flights but this year the mood felt different. At the 2023 NWACs nearly all of the entries were pleasing, many more than that and the top end delivered some of the competition’s most surprising results.
“Gris” is to the French as “Grigio” is to the Italian, but the grape is the same and it is only the matters of origin or style that separate the two. Italian pinot grigio comes mainly from that country’s northeast regions while pinot gris is primarily a concern of Alsace. Meanwhile the variety has proliferated world wide and Canadian producers continue to plant more and more. Some examples pay ode to Italy but for the most part it is pinot gris and therefore a nod to France that occupies this country’s varietal vernacular.
There were 84 entries and 48 medals awarded in the gris/grigio category – that’s 56 percent receiving medals, which was just seven percent below the competition’s average. With 15 percent top (Gold or higher) honours that number was right on par which is frankly a win-win for consumers from a set of producers’ wines that generally impressed the judges. Most surprising was the Platinum winner, not because of the producer but because the wine at $14.95 was the least expensive of the entries. Kudos to EastDell Estates in Niagara, Ontario for their 94-point scoring, Platinum winning 2021. Labeled pinot grigio by the way.
Meanwhile the 12 Golds were weighted heavily to the British Columbia with just one winner from Ontario. All 12 Golds were labeled pinot gris. Of the remaining 34 medals only two were grigio and nine from Ontario. British Columbia pinot gris outshines Ontario by a wide margin and yet in 2023 the top of the podium is occupied by an Ontario pinot grigio. An anomaly perhaps but the results do not lie.
There are now so many well made gris and grigio, nearly all of which fall into the $15–30 price range and two-thirds of the medallists are under $25. This will surely translate to consumer confidence in knowing that quality and value go hand in hand.
EastDell 2021 Pinot Grigio, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Arrowleaf 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Garry Oaks 2021 Garry Oaks Pinot Gris, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Gehringer Brothers 2022 Optimum Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hillside 2022 Un-oaked Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2022 Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Malivoire 2022 Pinot Gris, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Mission Hill 2022 Reserve Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2021 Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Roche Wines 2020 Pinot Gris Kozier Organic Vineyard, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
SpearHead 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tightrope 2022 Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Van Westen 2022 Vino Grigio, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
13th Street Winery 2021 Reserve Pinot Gris, Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Bench 1775 2021 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2022 Pinot Gris, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Clos du Soleil Winemaker’s Series 2022 Pinot Gris Whispered Secret, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Fort Berens 2022 Pinot Gris, British Columbia
Gray Monk 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hainle 2021 Reserve Pinot Gris Ghostpine Vineyards, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hillside 2022 Heritage Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Huff Estates 2022 Buried Vine Pinot Gris, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Inniskillin Niagara Estate 2021 Reserve Pinot Gris, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Laughing Stock 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Maverick 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nostalgia Wines 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Organized Crime 2022 Pinot Gris, Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Pentâge 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Priest Creek Family Estate Winery 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Red Bird 2022 Pinot Gris, British Columbia
Sandhill 2022 Pinot Gris Terroir Driven Wine, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Vieni Estates 2022 Pinot Grigio, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Wayne Gretzky 2021 Signature Series Pinot Grigio, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Wild Goose Winery 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Howling Bluff 2022 Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Lighthall 2022 Pinot Gris, Prince Edward County, Ontario
Mayhem 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
MW Cellars 2022 Pinot Gris, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Poplar Grove 2022 Pinot Gris , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2022 Three Wolves Vineyard Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
See Ya Later Ranch 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stoneboat Vineyards 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Three Sisters Winery 2022 Pinot Gris, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Township 7 Provenance Series 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Wending Home 2021 Pinot Gris, Creek Shores, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Wesbert Winery 2022 Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
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