During the 2025 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada, the 24 judges took the time to taste through more than 80 so-called replacement wines made by BC wineries using imported grapes. The wines were considered in isolation – they did not receive
The title of this year’s Best Performing Small Winery went to Laughing Stock Vineyards, with standout results: two Platinum, three Gold, one Silver, and two Bronze medals. Perched on the coveted Naramata Bench, Laughing Stock was founded in 2003
The Okanagan hilltop winery with the stunning vistas has returned to the top of the heap once again at the 2025 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. It first happened when Mission Hill Family Estate took Winery of the Year honours at the
After posting 20 consecutive years of growth, the sparkling wine category took a step back in 2023 and 2024 in the US and Canada. However, at least north of the border, it can hardly be considered bad news, given that sales were up more than 25 per cent
Few categories at the National Wine Awards are as diverse as white blends. We see everything from the proverbial kitchen sink blend, when the list of grape varieties reads like a short novel, to faithful renditions of classic blends that have stood the
Pinot noir is notorious for being a finicky, demanding grape – thin-skinned, sensitive to climate and diseases, and easily thrown off by the slightest misstep in the vineyard or winery. Yet when handled with care, it becomes quietly stunning. Delicate
This year, the National Wine Awards of Canada celebrates a quarter-century of our once-a-year snapshot of Canadian wines. As the co-founder, along with Toronto wine critic David Lawrason, we have been privileged to have shone a light on the developing
I well remember the first time I walked into an underground cellar at Sumac Ridge in the early 1990s to see a small stash of méthode champenoise (re-fermented in the bottle) sparkling wine. It was ageing under the care of B.C. wine pioneer and
Would it surprise you to learn that awarding platinum medals is a delightfully effortless part of wine competition judging? It goes without saying that platinum medals are highly coveted and scarce. They’re only given to truly outstanding wines
How many times can you write about a competition? I ask myself this loaded question as I pore over the results of the 2015 WineAlign National Wine Awards. Now fifteen years after David Lawrason and I began the awards, it would appear the
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