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This year I spent Father’s Day the way I do most years: I woke up, rolled out of bed, pulled myself together, got on a bus and, at 8:30 a.m., was sitting in front of eight glasses of Canadian wine.
Imagine this, 12 times a day, for five days straight. That’s what judging at WineAlign’s National Wine Awards of Canada is like. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)
Rather than spending quality time with my beautiful kids, I was once again invited to judge at the 2022 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada, which seems to be held every year on Father’s Day (COVID years aside), and this year took place in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
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Over the course of five days, starting on Father’s Day, myself and about two dozen sommeliers, wine writers, Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers from Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. sniffed, swirled, and spat our way through nearly 2,000 wines from across the country to see — and, more importantly, taste — where things are at in this country when it comes to wine. I’m glad to report: the state of Canadian wine continues to improve.
When it comes to wine, outside of this country Canada is most commonly thought of as a premier producer of icewines… and that’s about it. And while we certainly do a great job with those ultra-sweet dessert wines, we’re far more than a one-trick pony, with producers from B.C., Ontario and beyond continuing to nab accolades from international wine publications and competitions.
Cave Spring winemaker Gabriel Demarco speaks to judges at an evening event held at the winery. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)
Ontario does particularly well with cooler-climate grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Cabernet Franc. (As I write this I’m enjoying the Cave Spring 2019 Cabernet Franc, which I recently bought in a four-pack of 200ml glass bottles at The Winehouse. It’s a delicious dry red from Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula with loads of crunchy red fruit that’s well worth your time. The four-pack is $24).
B.C. has had plenty of success with all matter of grape varieties depending on where the wine originates — Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and sparkling in the northern Okanagan Valley, and Syrah, Merlot, big red blends and more unctuous whites from the south. Wineries in the Similkameen Valley and on Vancouver Island continue to make great strides as well. (One concern with some of the B.C. entries was smoke taint from area wildfires in certain vintages, which can range in severity from adding complexity to a wine to making it taste like an ashtray.)
Most evenings, post-judging, we were hosted at area wineries (including Cave Spring), where we were beautifully fed and were able to shoot the breeze with area winemakers and just generally unwind. As always, everything was impressively well-organized.
This brisket — served up at Westcott Vineyards at an evening event with food by Toronto culinary duo Ricky + Olivia — was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)
The results of the 2022 NWACs won’t be released until mid-July, but suffice to say there’s plenty to be excited about whether you like sparkling, white, rosé or red wine, or even cider, mead or fruit wine from B.C., Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec and beyond (including Manitoba).
Flights of fruit wine are always colourful and bring a compelling, wide-ranging array of characteristics. (Ben Sigurdson / Winnipeg Free Press)
So this Canada Day weekend, raise a glass to the producers in this country working hard to change the perception of Canadian wine, both at home and abroad.
As for me? I’ll be languishing in an airport or on a plane en route to a quick four-day wine trip to France, after which I’m not allowed any more trips for the foreseeable future (which, given the state of air travel these days, is just fine).
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