Results from the 2025 Nationals – Pinot Noir

Announcing the Results from the 2025 National Wine Awards of Canada

The 2025 Nationals took place in Penticton from June 21st to 25th. Today, we are pleased to announce the winners in the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay. Category results will be rolling out throughout the rest of July, concluding with the Winery of the Year announcement on August 1st. We hope that you will stay tuned to follow the results!

Pinot Noir

Category Overview by Judge HJ Cha

Go straight to the winners.

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 and elegant, it glides across the palate gracefully like a swan on a still pond. But like the unseen paddling beneath the surface, that grace is only possible through relentless work in the vineyard and precision in the cellar. Its beauty doesn’t lie in sheer power or volume – it’s in the nuance, the personality, the quiet complexity.

That same complexity was on full display at this year’s competition. Pinot noir sparked some of the most passionate debates – particularly over whether it should present a strictly clean profile, free from volatility, brettanomyces, smoke, or any perceived flaws, or whether small traces of these elements can actually add character and complexity. As one of the newer judges, I found myself challenged and inspired. Jamie Goode, renowned for his work in wine science, reminded me that good wine judging isn’t about dissecting a wine forensically, but about approaching it holistically. That insight resonated deeply, especially when it comes to pinot noir. In a time when so much can be replicated by AI, the ability to create and assess a wine’s complexity, balance, and individuality as a whole remains a distinctly human skill – one that may never be replaced.

At this year’s National Wine Awards, pinot noir stood out with 112 medals from 160 entries – a striking 70% medal rate. Of the total 1,006 medals awarded, 11.13% went to pinot alone. The variety also claimed 5 Platinum medals, representing 16.13% of all Platinums. As was the case last year, every Platinum for pinot went to wines from the Okanagan. The 16 Gold medals showed a BC-led performance, with 9 from British Columbia, 5 from Ontario, and 1 from Quebec. Silver medals totaled 47 (27 BC, 20 ON), while Bronze saw 44 (24 BC, 20 ON). In total, British Columbia earned 65 pinot medals – 58% of the variety’s total – while Ontario collected 45.

BC’s strong performance at the top tiers reflects not just investment and focus, but – more importantly – the potential of pinot noir in the province. In fact, pinot is BC’s second most productive red variety after merlot, accounting for 11.56% of total tonnage, according to the 2023 BC Wine Council Crop Assessment. Despite the common stereotype – BC producing riper, robust, more fruit-driven styles and Ontario leaning toward lighter, delicate, more restrained expressions – blind tasting showed that it’s increasingly difficult to pinpoint a wine’s provincial origin. Instead, stylistic choices by winemakers played a bigger role: clonal selection, tannin management, and maturation vessels all contribute to a wine’s character. In many cases, the stylistic differences within a single valley were greater than those between provinces.

More than regional variation, vintage stood out as the defining factor. A few top-scoring BC wineries submitted both 2022 and 2023 vintages of the same wine, and judges clearly favoured the 2022s. All five Platinum medals were awarded to wines from the 2022 vintage, which also performed well in the Gold category. According to the BC Wine Council, 2022 brought a cooler, later-than-average growing season with an increased crop, while 2023 was far more challenging. An extreme cold snap in December 2022 reduced yields, followed by a hot growing season and moderate smoke risk from wildfires. Tasting notes reflected these conditions: the 2022s showed delicate, red-fruited, ethereal Burgundian qualities, while the 2023s leaned darker, riper, and more tightly structured. At nearly three years old, the 2022s are drinking beautifully now. But with time, who knows how the 2023s will evolve – and that’s the beauty of wine: its ability to surprise and transform.

As noted earlier, all five Platinum medals for pinot noir went to wineries in the Okanagan Valley. The results also highlight a clear trend: wineries that specialize and invest in pinot are consistently rising to the top. The usual standouts – SpearHead and Meyer Family Vineyards – were once again among the top performers. This year, they were joined by Lightning Rock and 1 Mill Road, both steadily building their reputations.

SpearHead, located in the East Kelowna Slopes and last year’s Winery of the Year and Best Performing Small Winery, continues to dominate the pinot category with an impressive haul: 2 Platinums, 1 Gold, 4 Silvers, and 3 Bronzes. This marks the fourth year they’ve secured a Platinum and the third consecutive year they’ve led in the category – an unmatched record.

Meyer Family, in Okanagan Falls, followed closely with 1 Platinum, 1 Gold, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze – marking their second straight year as a close runner-up. Their consistent performance underlines the caliber and reliability of their pinot program, which remains among the best in the country.

Lightning Rock, based in Summerland, earned 1 Platinum and 1 Silver, while 1 Mill Road, on the Natamata Bench, secured 1 Platinum – an impressive showing for relatively new players backed by deep winemaking experience.
Top-scoring Golds went to Ontario’s Black Bank Hill and Henry of Pelham, along with BC’s Moraine Winery. Other notable multi-medal winners include CedarCreek, Quails’ Gate, Malivoire, Tantalus, and Stag’s Hollow – established names continuing to shape the Canadian pinot scene.

Lastly, the average retail price of all medaled pinots sits at $43 (tax included), with Platinum winners averaging $49.44. Gold medalists came in at $46.63, Silver at $44.40, and Bronze at $40.08. While there’s a slight increase in price as you move up the medal tiers – and a few outliers exceed $70 – there’s still strong value to be found. Several Gold-winning wines are priced under $30 and six medal-winning bottles are, surprisingly, under $20. The takeaway: high-quality pinot noir doesn’t have to come with a high price tag.

And the winners are…