Not having been to the Niagara wine region since May of 2019, my wife and I decided that this spring was time for a return trip. Given that there are now around 100 wineries operating in the region, the all-important question was, which wineries should we visit? To help narrow the field I used several techniques: personal recommendations, previous award results, some of my own curiosity and follow ups from previous adventures. The result was that we ventured to 7 wineries: Domaine Le Clos Jordanne, Megalomaniac, Two Sisters Vineyards, Stone Eagle Winery, Fielding Estate Winery, Chateau des Charmes and Ravine Vineyard Estate Winery.
Domaine Le Clos Jordanne
Over the next few weeks I will share some of my winery experiences; some good, some not so good, but all were enlightening.
I will begin with Domaine Le Clos Jordanne, which now occupies the site of the former Angels Gate Winery. In May of 2023, Angels Gate was purchased by Arterra Wines Canada Inc. However, Arterra was not interested in continuing the production of Angels Gate wines. Instead, they were looking for a physical home for their Le Clos Jordanne French inspired wines, under the direction of their winemaker Thomas Bachelder. Bachelder is internationally recognized and is Le Clos Jordanne’s original founding winemaker who is specialized in the production of cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. His terroir-revealing wines showcase how Old World, French Burgundy style winemaking techniques can apply to New World terroir with minimal intervention to produce great wines.
Following the French philosophy, Domaine Le Clos Jordanne only produces wines supported by the local terroir. Thus, the selection at the winery is limited to a variety of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. So if you are looking to purchase a wide range of varietals, or looking for something other than Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, this winery is not for you. However, if you are a fan of true Burgundy style wines, Domaine Le Clos Jordanne is worth a look.
My wife and I couldn’t resist getting some of their neutral oaked Chardonnay and a couple of different Pinot Noirs to try.
The WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (NWAC) is the country’s largest competition, involving only 100 percent Canadian-grown and produced wines. The judging involves a select group of Canadian wine writers, educators, sommeliers and two international judges who spend a week assessing some 2000 wines and ciders. This year’s competition took place near Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Double Honour
The Winery of the Year and Small Winery of the Year is Kelowna British Columbia’s SpearHead Winery. In addition to the twin honours this year, they also had unprecedented success in an individual category (Pinot Noir), winning a total of seven medals for their Pinots, including three platinum, one gold, three silvers and a bronze. In total they earned a total of twelve medals.
Top 10 Wineries
Six of the top ten wineries this year are from British Columbia, with the remaining four from Ontario. The top ten are:
SpearHead Winery, British Columbia
Meyer Family Vineyards, British Columbia
Henry of Pelham, Ontario
Black Hills Estate Winery, British Columbia
Thirty Bench Wine Makers, Ontario
Quails’ Gate Estate Winery, British Columbia
Nostalgia Wines, British Columbia
Peller Estates Niagara-on-the Lake, Ontario
Lake Breeze Vineyards, British Columbia
Vieni Estates, Ontario
The Top 10 Small Wineries
Seven of the top ten small wineries are from British Columbia, with the remainder from Ontario. The top ten are:
SpearHead Winery, British Columbia
Meyer Family Vineyards, British Columbia
Nostalgia Wines, British Columbia
Lake Breeze Vineyards, British Columbia
The Organized Crime Winery, Ontario
Corcelettes Estate Winery, British Columbia
Black Bank Hill, Ontario
Kismet Estate Winery, British Columbia
Fort Berens Estate Winery, British Columbia
Lailey Winery, Ontario
Regional Top 10 Winners
British Columbia
SpearHead Winery
Meyer Family Vineyards
Black Hills Estate Winery
Quails’ Gate Estate Winery
Nostalgia Wines
Lake Breeze Vineyards
Corcelettes Estate Winery
Nk’Mip Cellars
Burrowing Owl Estate Winery
Kismet Estate Winery
Ontario
Henry of Pelham
Thirty Bench Wine Makers
Peller Estates Niagara-on-the-Lake
Vieni Estates
The Organized Crime Winery
Black Bank Hill
Two Sisters Vineyards
Lailey Winery
Hidden Bench Estate Winery
Marynissen Estates
Platinum and Gold Medal Winners
Only 1% of the wines entered earn a Platinum Medal. This year, 18 out of 1,800 wines received this recognition. Every Platinum winner has passed through a minimum of two tastings and a review by a minimum of five judges. These wines must be put forward by at least three judges in the first round and re-considered by at least five judges in the second round.
Earning a Platinum Medal greatly increases a winery’s performance score based on the mathematical degree of difficulty in reaching Platinum. This helps to decide the Winery of the Year and the Top 25 list.
Platinum and Gold medals were awarded in the following categories, presented alphabetically below:
Cabernet Franc
Platinum Medal
Black Bank Hill 2020 Cabernet Franc, Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Vieni Estates 2022 Cabernet Franc, Vinemount Ridge, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
Gold Medal
Bordertown 2020 Cabernet Franc Reserve, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Domaine Queylus 2022 Cabernet Franc Réserve du Domaine, Niagara Peninsula, Ontario
A Layman's Wine Musings 