2008 Canadian Wines of the Year

White Wine of the Year

Flat Rock Cellars 2007 Riesling

Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario

Sometimes it's the simplest wines that deliver the most pleasure, and that's the case with the Flat Rock Cellars 2007 Riesling from Twenty Mile Bench. At Flat Rock, the game plan for the estate bottling is to keep the fruit front and centre and then balance that with just enough acidity to keep it fresh and bright. With this wine, Flat Rock has hit the nail on the head, and then some, with a mouthwatering pure fruit version of the noble variety. Best of all, this champion wine is a poster child for food-friendly wines. Fish, veal, chicken, pulled pork, Thai, Indian, Chinese... take your pick. (AG)

Red Wine of the Year

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan 2006 SunRock Shiraz

Oliver, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

It's no surprise that syrah would be a contender for Red Wine of the Year, given the strength of the syrah/shiraz category each year. The grapes for this single-vineyard wine are plucked from a warm, southwest facing slope litterally nestled under a rock face that, most days, sits in the warm Okanagan sun some 200 feet above Lake Osoyoos. The judges simply loved this wine. "White pepper" dominated both their notes and the wine's palate. The fruit is fresh, with just a hint of meatiness; the palate is vibrant and the textures are glossy. Bravo! Certainly it is an important measuring stick for all to use. (AG)

Dessert Wine of the Year

Soaring Eagle 2007 Gewürztraminer Icewine

Naramata Bench, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia

Soaring Eagle Estate is part of the Holman-Lang group of wineries, and the business home of Keith and Lynn Holman. The '07 Gewürztraminer Icewine beguiled most judges with its open nose of roses and spice, its smooth, sweet texture and its appealing seemingly lower level of acidity. Words like "litchi," "crème brûlée" and "baked apple" appeared in many of the judges' notes. (AG)