Winning at the Wine Access 2010 Canadian Wine Awards

When you hear the expression that something “is worth its weight in gold,” think about the 38 wines that took home gold medals from the Wine Access 2010 Canadian Wine Awards.

From the beginning, 10 years ago, founding editor David Lawrason and I decided we would run the competition similar to the Buyer’s Guide. We built a team of the country’s best, most consistent judges; during tasting, each wine must compete to be scored out of 100 points. It may then be awarded a medal according to a predetermined scale that fixes the number of points required for medals. In other words, we can award more than one gold and silver in each category. Or, in some cases, we may not award a gold at all.

The system takes the business of awarding medals away from our judges, and leaves them to concentrate on evaluating the quality of the wine in each glass.

The system is not perfect, but we believe the best wines in the country are getting their due. The CWA is designed to award excellence in winemaking, not just hand out medals.

Medal Results at the Wine Access 2010 Canadian Wine Awards

This year, we gave out the most golds ever: 38. But that is still a miserly 4.2 percent of all entries.

The silvers tell more of the story. Last year, we awarded 124 silver medals, more than one for every 10 entries. In 2010, that number jumped to 189, or two out of 10.

Such a sudden rise in quality isn’t easy to explain, given the mix of vintages and wineries. Or is it? Are technology, viticulture, winemaking and experience finally settling into a rhythm conducive to making fine wine?

The Advancement of Canadian Wine

Clearly, Canadian wine has advanced in 2010. After assessing nearly 1,000 wines at the CWA, we believe the country’s best wine is estate-made. Vineyards are tended with respect to the land; many wineries show a sense of environmental responsibility. The winemaker and viticulturalist have extensive international experience.

The performance report on page 43 should convince you of the above. Moray Tawse is a Burgundy freak; Inniskillin winemaker Bruce Nicholson is picking up in Ontario where he left off in British Columbia. When he started his winery, Mission Hill owner Anthony von Mandl was convinced Napa Valley had nothing (but a head start) on the Okanagan. Nk’Mip Cellars winemaker Randy Picton has access to some of B.C.’s oldest vineyards, while CedarCreek is the quintessential estate winery, growing more than 80 percent of its own grapes.

Believing in their country. Growing their own grapes. Showing a deep respect to the land. The Canadian wine industry, as you can see, is clearly worth its weight in gold.