Results of the 2023 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (The Nationals)

Syrah

Category Overview by Judge Geoffrey Moss, MW

(Jump straight to the medal winners.)

Announcing the syrah winners is usually one of the highlights of my year. This year, it feels bittersweet.

Syrah is responsible for many of the top wines produced across Canada, and there is always a sense of excitement among the judges when a flight of syrah hits the table. This year, syrah is tied alongside Chardonnay with three platinum medal winners (or 16 percent of the platinum medals awarded). There’s not a lot of it — syrah accounted for four percent of entries this year, less than half the entries of chardonnay — but what’s made is very good, with 78 percent of entries earning a medal. That is an exceptionally high hit rate.

But after last winter in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys, it is reasonable to worry about syrah’s long-term viability and sustainability. The damage was severe and widespread after a week-long cold snap in late December. At best, producers will see their production significantly decrease this vintage — assuming they can produce anything at all. Others were not so lucky. Vine death is not uncommon, and many will be looking to replant this year. The question is whether the new plantings will be syrah. 

The grape is inherently cold-sensitive. Niagara has been through this before, and there is a reason plantings are sparse. Syrah accounted for only one percent of the region’s production in 2022. The wines can be frustratingly good, though. Look no further than the gold-medal wines from Kacaba, Redstone Winery and 13th Street. They leave you wanting more Niagara syrah — if only it could reliably survive the winter.

In the Okanagan and Simikameen, there is no question syrah is one of the top-performing red varieties. The medal winners take you from West Kelowna (Quails’ Gate, gold) to the Naramata Bench (Lake Breeze, platinum) to Skaha Bluff (Painted Rock, gold) to the Golden Mile Bench (Rust Wine Co., gold) to the Black Sage Bench (Nostalgia Wines, platinum) to the Similkameen (Corcelettes, platinum medal). North to south, east to west, syrah produces world-class wines here that are distinctly their own.

My advice: stock up while these syrahs are available. And let’s cross our fingers that growers continue the difficult, costly path forward with syrah. It is not easy, but the results are worth it.

Corcelettes 2020 Syrah Corcelettes Estate Vineyard, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Lake Breeze 2020 Syrah, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nostalgia Wines 2020 Syrah Family Collection Home Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

13th Street Winery 2021 Syrah, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Backyard Vineyards 2020 Reserve Syrah, British Columbia
Burrowing Owl 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Deep Roots 2020 Syrah, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Kacaba Signature Series 2020 Reserve Syrah, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Maverick 2021 Bush Vine Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mt. Boucherie Estate Winery 2020 Reserve Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nk’Mip Cellars 2019 Qwam Qwmt Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Orofino 2020 Syrah, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Painted Rock 2019 Syrah, Skaha Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Pentâge 2018 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Poplar Grove 2019 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Quails’ Gate 2020 The Boswell Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Redstone Winery 2019 Syrah Redstone Vineyard, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Rust Wine Co. 2020 Syrah | Okanagan Valley | Ferreira Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rust Wine Co. 2020 Syrah South Rock Vineyard, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Summerhill Pyramid Winery 2017 Spadefoot Toad Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tinhorn Creek 2020 Reserve Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Township 7 Benchmark Series 2019 Syrah Fool’s Gold Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Vanessa Vineyard 2019 Syrah , Similkameen Valley, British Columbia

Backyard Vineyards 2020 Syrah, British Columbia
Bench 1775 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Black Hills 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2019 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Blasted Church 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Bordertown 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
CedarCreek 2021 Estate Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Clos du Soleil 2021 Winemaker’s Series Syrah, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Jackson-Triggs Niagara 2020 Grand Reserve Shiraz, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Kacaba Premium Series 2020 Proprietor’s Block Syrah, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Kismet 2020 Family Select Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Marynissen Estates 2020 Platinum Syrah, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Mission Hill 2021 Reserve Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Mission Hill 2021 Terroir Collection Jagged Rock Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Moraine 2020 Syrah Anastasia Vineyard, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Nk’Mip Cellars 2020 Qwam Qwmt Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Orofino  2020 Syrah Reserve, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Road 13 2020 John Oliver Syrah , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Road 13 2020 Select Harvest Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Rust Wine Co. 2020 Syrah | Similkameen Valley | Lazy River Vineyard, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
See Ya Later Ranch 2019 Legacy Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
See Ya Later Ranch 2020 Rover , Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Terravista Vineyards 2021 Syrah, British Columbia
Trius 2021 Reserve Syrah, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

13th Street Winery 2021 Reserve Syrah, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
CedarCreek 2020 Platinum Haynes Creek Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Chronos 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Covert Farms 2020 Grand Reserve Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Creekside 2020 Iconoclast Syrah, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Fielding 2020 Syrah Lowrey Vineyard, St. David’s Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Frind 2021 Premier Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hainle 2021 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hello Someday Wine 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Hillside 2020 Heritage Syrah, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Kacaba Premium Series 2020 Silver Bridge Syrah, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Kacaba Premium Series 2020 Terraced Vineyard Syrah, Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Laughing Stock 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Seaside Pearl 2020 The Connaught Syrah, Similkameen Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2020 Renaissance Syrah Amalia Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Stag’s Hollow 2020 Syrah, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Tawse 2020 Estate Syrah , Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Tightrope 2020 Syrah, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Co

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