B.C. wines sweep top honours at WineAlign National Awards; Naramata Bench takes three platinum medals

British Columbia claimed nine of 22 platinum medals at the 2026 WineAlign National Wine Awards, a remarkable showing in a competition with nearly 1,800 entries where finishing in the top one per cent reflects years of craft refinement.

The top-scoring wine in the entire competition was the Little Engine 2022 Vineyard Select Pinot Noir from the Naramata Bench — a delicious take on Burgundy's famed varietal that judges ranked highest among all entries. The competition's five Chardonnay platinums were split between east and west, but B.C. shone on the list: the Deep Roots 2023 Reserve Chardonnay from Naramata finished fourth among all Chardonnays, while Meyer's 2023 Chardonnay Old Main Rd Vineyard, also from Naramata, ranked as the highest-scoring Chardonnay in the competition.

Among red blends — a large category with 121 entries — Laughing Stock's 2023 Blind Trust Red from the south Okanagan finished second, described by critic Anthony Gismondi as rich and sophisticated. Even more striking: Syrah, the varietal harshly impacted by the deep freezes of 2023 and 2024, emerged as B.C.'s biggest success story. The Laughing Stock 2023 Syrah and Mayhem Gill Estate Vineyard 2025 Syrah both finished ahead of many high-profile Cabernet-based wines.

Nk'Mip Cellars' 2022 Qwam Qwmt Cabernet Sauvignon tied for the top Cabernet in the country. Among white blends, Roche Wines' 2023 Viognier Marsanne — an ode to the famous Rhône blend but definitely Okanagan in style — stood out as B.C.'s platinum winner.

The evening's winery-of-the-year award went to Tawse Winery in Niagara, but La Frenz Estate, based in Naramata, finished first among all B.C. producers and fourth overall in Canada, earning five gold, five silver, and five bronze medals.

For weekend sipping, Gismondi recommended the Blue Mountain Estate Cuvée Pinot Gris 2025 ($24.90, 91 points), made from 30-year-old vines with whole-cluster pressing, old vine fruit, native yeast, and partial neutral oak creating weight and structure. The Fort Berens Riesling 2025 from Lillooet ($23.99, 91 points) continues to showcase the region's strengths with pristine lime and apple, balanced acid, and notes of apricot and peach.

For something fresher, the Liquidity Rosé of Pinot Noir 2025 from Okanagan Falls ($30, 89 points) offers a Provençal-style pink with hand-sorted fruit, whole-cluster pressing, and brief skin contact creating a lively, citrus-edged character suited to summer drinking.