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Rules for Entry
The WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (NWAC) is open to all wines and ciders 100% grown, vinified and bottled in Canada. Wines do not require VQA certification. There is NO limit to the number of wines that any single winery may submit to the competition, but you may only enter the same wine once within the competition. The wine can be re-entered in subsequent competitions if it meets the criteria for that year’s entries.
Judging for the WineAlign 2025 National Wine Awards of Canada will take place June 21 – 25 in Penticton, BC.
Who Can Enter
If your wines meet the “Qualifications for Entry,” Canadian wineries, agents/distributors, or authorized winery representatives are eligible to enter.
Qualifications for Entry
All entries must:
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All entries must be 100% grown, vinified, and bottled in Canada. Wines do not need VQA certification, but if there is any question about their origin, i.e. not being Canadian, the winery must produce evidence of the bottle’s provenance.
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NEW FOR 2025: Due to weather damage in B.C. and NS vineyards in 2023 and 2024, we have reduced the minimum annual production required to enter. This year’s minimum production level is set at 420 bottles (750ml) or equivalent volume for sale commercially, down from the 900 bottles previously required. We hope this change will encourage wineries whose production numbers have been impacted to still enter their wines in 2025. This is not a permanent change; production limits will be reassessed before the 2026 NWACs.
All wines must be available for retail sale online, in stores, through restaurants or wine clubs in Canada during the 2025 calendar year or be scheduled for release by July 1, 2026.
2025 Category Requirements
Sparkling: All vintage-dated and non-vintage sparkling wines are admissible.
White Wine: All entries must bear a vintage date of 2024, 2023, or 2022 and meet the Qualifications for Entry listed above.
Red Wine: Must bear a vintage date of 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and meet the Qualifications for Entry.
Rosé Wine: Must bear a vintage date of 2024 or 2023 and meet the Qualifications for Entry.
Orange Wine: Must bear a vintage date of 2024, 2023 or 2022 and meet the Qualifications for Entry.
Late Harvest/Icewine: Must bear a vintage date of 2024, 2023, or 2022 and meet Qualifications for Entry.
Fruit Wines: Must be grown and bottled in 2024 or 2023 or later, whether or not they bear a vintage date and meet the Qualifications for Entry.
Ciders: must be produced in 2025 or 2024 and meet the Qualifications for Entry.
New This Year – Library Wines: Given the current shortage of wines due to vineyard damage in B.C. and Nova Scotia, we have added a new category that will feature older vintages. As longtime observers of Canadian wine, we know how well our best wines can age and we want to demonstrate that concept to consumers through a new Library Wines category. See entry criteria below.
Library Wines Entry Criteria: Library Wines will be judged within the NWAC parameters for 100% Canadian grown and made wines (see above). A Library Wine will be eligible if it has a vintage date older than the current entry guidelines stated above (whites and roses must be 2021 or older and the reds must be 2020 or older). This category will not be used in the annual calculation for the Winery of the Year Award, but medals will be given and a Library Wine of the Year will be awarded.
Only entries bearing commercial labels will be accepted; unlabelled ‘finished’ tank or barrel samples will be disqualified.
The competition’s co-chairs reserve the right and the final say in tranferring entries from one category to another category.
Cost of Entry
April 1 – 30: $150 per entry + GST
May 1 – 31: $155 per entry + GST
June 1 – 15: $160 per entry + GST
Payment can be made securely online by credit card through Stripe. Payment by cheque is also possible. To make arrangements to pay by cheque and have your registered wines marked paid, contact Sarah@WineAlign.com.
Number of Bottles Required
Registrants are required to ship three 750mL (or equivalent volume to allow for multiple rounds of tasting) i.e. six 375mL, six 330ml – 500ml, or eight 250ml containers. Wineries submitting cork finished bottles should consider submitting four samples to avoid any risk of TCA leaving them with insufficient bottles to compete in the final round. All wines submitted are for the exclusive use of judging at the National Wine Awards of Canada and will not be returned.
VERY IMPORTANT: Clearly write “NWAC25“ and your winery name on two sides of each package being shipped to us. Entries for other award competitions may arrive at the warehouse simultaneously, so identify the competition they are meant for.
Major Awards
Winery of the Year will be awarded to the top scoring winery in the competition. A minimum of five wines must be entered to be eligible for this award. The final ranking is not based on total medals but rather a ‘performance score’ versus all other competitors five top-scoring entries (not including Icewine or Ice Cider).
The Best Performing Small Winery award will go to the top scoring winery producing 10,000 cases of wine a year or less, 2024 production levels notwithstanding. Five wines must be entered to be eligible for this award. The final ranking is not based on total medals but rather a ‘performance score’ versus all other competitors five top-scoring entries (not including Icewine or Ice Cider).
The Best Cider of the Year award will be given out to the top-scoring cider (not including Ice Cider) in the awards.
The Best Icewine of the Year award will be given to the top-scoring Icewine in the competition.
NEW THIS YEAR: Replacement Wines
This category/competition is open to any vintage-dated wines made in 2023 or 2024 containing any percentage of imported grapes, must, or finished wine bottled in Canada under the auspices of local regulations that allowed them to replace winter damage crop losses. Records must be made available if questioned.
TO BE CLEAR, the replacement wine tasting results will NOT figure in any way among the 100 percent Canadian grown and made wines competing at the 2025 National Wine Awards of Canada.
The tasting results of the Replacement Wines will be released separately after the regular NWAC announcements in July. We intend to assess replacement wines as a service to consumers facing them on store shelves. WineAlign and Gismondi on Wine will report on the blind tasting assessment of the wines later this summer.
Questions or comments? Contact us: Awards@WineAlign.com