(Go to the National Wine Awards of Canada.)

Guide to Canada’s Best Wines

Each summer since 2001, The WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada had been taking the pulse of Canada’s wine quality by assembling over 20 judges from several provinces to taste almost 2000 wines over five days. In 2020 we couldn’t safely do that. Instead, we asked Canada’s wineries to pre-select what they deemed to be their best wines, and send them to our Toronto office for tasting by five Ontario WineAlign judges and critics. We received 860 wines in 15 categories, and tasted them – physically distanced – over a five-week period in October and November. The result is a comprehensive guide to Canada’s best wines.

Canada’s Best Wines:

Cabernet Franc
Chardonnay
Riesling
Sparkling
Gamay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon
Pinot Gris/Grigio
Rosé
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Single White Varieties (All Others)
White Blends
Single Red Varieties (All Others)
Red Blends
Syrah
Icewine, Ciders & Other Sweet and Fortified

From left: Janet Dorozynski, John Szabo, Michael Godel, Sara d’Amato, David Lawrason

National Wine Awards of Canada

The WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (NWAC), the country’s largest competition of Canadian wines, is held annually in mid to late June. Each year, somewhere in Canadian wine country, co-founders Anthony Gismondi and David Lawrason assemble Canada’s leading wine writers, trade buyers and sommeliers to evaluate the current crop of 100 percent Canadian grown and made wines and ciders. 2020 would have marked the 20th Anniversary of these wine awards, but due to the pandemic and to keep our judges, staff and volunteers safe, the 2020 awards were cancelled. The 2021 awards will come back strong at the beginning of October.