Results from the 2023 Nationals – Chardonnay

Announcing the Results from the 2023 National Wine Awards of Canada

The 22nd running of the National Wine Awards of Canada wrapped up on June 28 in Penticton. Category results will be rolling out throughout the rest of July, with the final Platinum, Best Performing Small Winery, and Winery of the Year announcements coming at the end of this month. We hope you will stay tuned to follow the results and become engaged in anticipating the final results.

We’ve asked a few of our judges to summarize their impressions of each category. Today we are pleased to present the Chardonnay winners.

Chardonnay

Category Overview by Judge Janet Dorozynski, Ph.D., DipWSET

Chardonnay is always one of the largest categories of entries at the National Wine Awards of Canada and this year was no exception. It had the second largest number of entries after red blends and, in terms of vitis vinifera plantings across Canada, it is well represented in the four major growing regions of British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. An adaptable grape that is well suited to the many climatic and growing conditions of Canada, it is able to withstand the summer heat of the south Okanagan, and it copes well during colder winters in Ontario and elsewhere.

Many wineries are starting to lighten up on their use of oak in chardonnay to great effect and have embraced fresher styles with little to no oak altogether. It also continues to be a popular variety among consumers. If you haven’t already had the chance to attend the annual Cool Climate Chardonnay Celebration (i4C) that takes place in Niagara, be sure to do so. It is a must for fans of chardonnay with the chance to taste stand out chardonnays from across Canada and further afield.

Canada produces a number of really great chardonnays and the showings for Platinum, Gold and Silver medals reflect this. There were three Platinums and almost two dozen Gold medal winning wines, largely from the 2020 and 2021 vintages, with Ontario having a slight edge over British Columbia.

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