Twenty-six wines struck gold at the 2009 InterVin International Wine Awards, an intensive three-day blind tasting competition staged in September at White Oaks Resort & Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The gold medallists include a diverse cross-section of wines selected by a panel of distinguished sommeliers, wine writers, educators and winemakers from a pool of more than 750 wines from 16 countries. The top scoring wines of the tasting were Flat Rock Cellars 2008 Riesling (best white), Cattail Creek Estate Winery 2007 Select Late Harvest Riesling (best sweet wine) and Wyndham Estate 2005 George Wyndham Founder’s Reserve Shiraz (best red). Those three celebrated bottles top a list of medal-winning wines, including 26 gold, 131 silver and 277 bronze. Thirty medal winners that retail for less than $15 per bottle also received a Judge’s Choice for Value citation. Complete results are available at intervin.ca.

Beringer Vineyards 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay

Region:Napa Valley, California
Price:$24.95
Product #:084988

his Napa Valley Chardonnay puts the emphasis on fruit flavours and freshness, with oaky notes cast in a supporting role. It’s nicely balanced and brightly focused — a rich wine, but with refreshing character. “Unadorned” wrote Linda Bramble. “Ripe, smooth, long.” Darryl Brooker remarked about the wine’s successful fruit/oak mix as well as its “great weight, length and power.”

Bleasdale Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec/Petit Verdot/Merlot

Region:Langhorne Creek, Australia
Price:$38.95
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“Lovely fruit,” commented Gary Pickering in a note that was endorsed by all. That core of fruit gained complexity from savoury, smoky and spicy elements on the nose and palate. “Lots of fruit and well-integrated tannins,” was James Treadwell’s take on the wine’s appealing flavour profile and texture. “Stylish” and “polished” were two descriptors that Craig McDonald used to justify a gold medal for this well-proportioned blend.

Cattail Creek Estate Winery 2007 Select Late Harvest Riesling Estate Bottled

Region:Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Peninsula
Price:$23/375 mL
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Our top scoring sweet wine was singled out for its unwavering varietal character. It delivers amazing Riesling character on the nose and palate. Impressive balance and purity of fruit (peach and apricot notes to the fore) make it a treat to savour. According to Zoltan Szabo, on the palate this is “Sweet, long, balanced and delicious.” cattailcreek.ca

Domaine de Chaberton Estate Winery 2008 Siegerrebe

Region:Fraser Valley, British Columbia
Price:$16.15
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This charmingly aromatic white wine came close to taking top white honours due to its expressive personality and bright, balanced palate. (Its exotic charm wasn’t lost on the volunteers in the backroom, who were vying for it from the second they assessed the wine prior to pouring the flight.) “A cornucopia of aromas,” wrote Peter Bodnar-Rod, while Christopher Freeland dialled in on the intense, captivating grapefruit aroma. Erin Norton was quick to outline this well-made wine’s many positives: “Good balance. Great flavour profile. Nice finish. Serious weight.” domainedechaberton.com

Chateau St. Jean 2005 Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon

Region:Sonoma County, California
Price:$39.95
Product #:977173

Restraint,” “elegance” and variants on those themes cropped up often in the assessment of this stylish and structured Sonoma Cabernet. Our judges all loved the balance between the wonderful core of fruit and the polished tannins. “Fantastic acidity” and “good structure” wrote Daenna Van Mulligen. “Beautiful texture — ripe, integrated,” were Linda Bramble’s comments. Most reviews also suggested there was little reason to race to consume this rewarding red. That balance is going to see that the wine matures nicely for years to come.

Creekside Estate Winery 2005 Butler’s Grant Vineyard Merlot Reserve

Region:Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula
Price:$34.95
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The complex coffee, meaty and smoky aromas on the nose of this powerful and intense red suggests a good number of toasty, charry oak barrels were used during its production. Those suspicions are confirmed on the palate. This is an oak-dominant style of wine, but one with enough extract, fruit concentration and acidity to carry the load. Its muscular palate reveals licorice, blueberry, plum and a slight earthy character. Some tasters acknowledged this was deceptive wine. They increased their score each time they returned to the wine in its flight. creeksidewine.com

d’Arenberg Wines 2006 d’Arry’s Original Shiraz Grenache

Region:McLaren Vale, Australia
Price:$19.75
Product #:942904

There’s a bit more stuffing to this Shiraz Grenache than the Wyndam Estate Bin 525 bottling. Judges enjoyed both styles though for different reasons. The fragrant and floral aroma of this wine appealed to some judges, but most were truly wowed by the intensity and concentration of this blend on the palate. This effectively mixes sweet red and black fruit flavours, with a slight sage/bay leaf herbal note, but does so with “a sense of elegance and finesse,” according to Craig McDonald. Two comments that cropped up more than a few times: “well-made” and “great balance.”

Featherstone Estate Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc Estate Bottled

Region:Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula
Price:$18.95
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This is made in a lighter, fresher style than the two other Cabernet Francs that struck gold in this competition. Sue-Ann Staff admired its “controlled varietal character,” complimenting its tannin management and judicious oak regime. Made in an approachable style, it makes the most of its elegant structure and expressive red fruit flavour that finishes with a nice lingering flavour suggesting fruitcake. featherstonewinery.ca

Flat Rock Cellars 2008 Riesling

Region:Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Peninsula
Price:$16.95
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The top scoring white wine in the competition was widely praised for its balance and intensity. While it’s definitely off-dry on the palate, sweetness alone isn’t a winning quality. The wine’s purity of fruit, underlying minerality and backbone of acidity were the traits that moved this expressive Niagara Riesling to the front of the class. A clean sweep of acidity — lemony/citrus notes — makes for a fantastic finish. “Delicious, rich extract,” wrote Linda Bramble. “Pure fruit, rich palate,” commented Craig McDonald. flatrockcellars.com

Hester Creek Estate Winery 2006 Cabernet Franc Reserve

Region:Okanagan Valley
Price:$25.99
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Jamie Drummond commented that this maturing Okanagan red revealed “a seductive, rich bouquet and substantial fruit on the palate backed up with subtle vegetal notes.” Many other tasting notes echoed that sentiment. Yes, there is a herbaceous streak to this Cabernet Franc — but isn’t that what classic Cabernet Franc is all about? Judicious use of oak plays up the smoked meat and spicy flavour and helps stretch out the lingering finish. The final word should go to Zoltan Szabo’s emphatic tasting note: “Great!” hestercreek.com

Hillebrand Winery 2008 Showcase Ghost Creek Vineyard Riesling

Region:Four Mile Creek, Niagara Peninsula
Price:$25
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The tasting notes for this fresh, bright and complex Riesling touched on the serious character of this off-dry Niagara Riesling and its lovely drinkability. Wet stone minerality, outstanding balance and ageworthy were also remarks made across a good many scorecards from the finals round. “Good attack and midpalate with excellent finish. Perfect balance,” was Jamie Drummond’s evaluation. While Sue-Ann Staff’s final summary was much more succinct. “Lovely,” she wrote. hillebrand.com

Inniskillin Wines 2007 Vidal Icewine

Region:Niagara Peninsula
Price:$54.95/375 mL
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Top scoring Icewine. Our top scoring Icewine comes from an expected source. Inniskillin is the one of the pioneers of Canadian Icewine, and has recently undergone a renaissance due the arrival of winemaker Bruce Nicholson. The 2007 Vidal Icewine reveals lovely baked peach and apricot jam aromas and flavours. Made in Inniskillin’s unctuous house style, this benefits greatly from pitch-perfect balance and exceptional length. A stellar effort. inniskillin.com

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate 2007 Proprietors’ Grand Reserve Sparkling Riesling Icewine

Region:Okanagan Valley
Price:$79.99/375 mL
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Tasters were quick to remark about the aromatic intensity, weight and depth of this exotic sparkling Icewine. “Gorgeous Riesling nose,” explained Peter Bodnar-Rod. Panellists also commented how the effervescence of the bubbles nicely balanced the wine’s nectar-like apricot, pineapple and tropical fruit flavours. jacksontriggswinery.com

Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate 2006 SunRock Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Region:Okanagan Valley
Price:$35
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The cool climate origin of this Cabernet Sauvignon was evident to all who noted savoury or herbal notes on the nose and palate. But that savoury side was only one dimension of a wine that also revealed sweet chocolate, blackberry and smoke as part of its complex package. “Grippy tannins” was also a shared note, as tasters commented favourably on the extracted, firm structure. jacksontriggswinery.com

Jacob’s Creek 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Region:South Australia
Price:$16.95
Product #:091751

Jacob’s Creek 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon South Australia $16.95 (091751) “Perfect varietal expression,” wrote Christopher Freeland in his assessment of this affordable Australian Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine’s resounding cassis, menthol and cedary aromas and flavours and fine tannin structure helped him come to that apt conclusion. “Amazing intensity of fruit” and “great grip and structure” were two other tasting notes that nicely sum up the overwhelming response this well-made wine’s winning personality.

Lailey Vineyard 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Region:Niagara River, Niagara Peninsula
Price:$35
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Judges loved the complexity on the nose and palate of this big, richly concentrated Cabernet — our top-scoring Canadian Cabernet Sauvignon. Cedar, pine, spice and “a little olive” were some of the aromatic descriptions, while the palate revealed rich, concentrated cherry flavour, chewy tannins and great length. It is a big wine, reflective of the hot and dry 2007 vintage in Niagara, but with laudable balance and harmonious “Solidly made,” wrote Jamie Drummond, while James Treadwell suggested this wine’s best days lay ahead. “Great potential,” he wrote. laileyvineyard.com

Megalomaniac 2007 Coldhearted Riesling Icewine

Region:Niagara Peninsula
Price:$40/200 mL
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Another classic expression of Riesling, this time in a fully-sweet Icewine that presents abundant peach, apricot and citrus fruit along with earthy mineral notes. “Great nose, good richness and focus,” was Paul Pender’s comment about this estate grown Riesling Icewine. The intensity of the fruit flavour is nicely matched by bright acidity and admirable freshness on the lingering finish. megalomaniacwine.com

Moon Shadows Estate Winery 2008 Black Currant

Region:Ontario
Price:$14.95
Product #:

Moon Shadows Estate Winery 2008 Black Currant Ontario $14.95 “We couldn’t imagine a Black Currant wine being made any better than this,” Peter Bodnar-Rod said, while he revealed his panel had given a gold medal in the fruit wine category. Tasters were bowled over by the purity of black currant aroma and flavour, its “juicy” texture and terrific balance. Two tasters described this as being “lovely,” which is warm and fuzzy to be sure, but says a mouthful when jaded tasters are mooning over the quality of an unassuming fruit wine. moonshadowswinery.com

Penfolds 2006 Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz

Region:South Australia
Price:$37.95
Product #:309625

Made in a profoundly bold plummy and spice style, Penfolds classic Cabernet Shiraz blend won people over with its rich, concentrated fruit and luscious, creamy texture. “Velvety/harmonious,” was Linda Bramble’s take on its sumptuous mouthfeel. “Very appealing and very focused,” was Jamie Drummond’s overall assessment, while Sue-Ann Staff commented that for all of the wine’s richness and bold intensity there was an enticing violet note that signalled a well-made, expressive wine.

Tawse Winery 2007 Van Bers Vineyard Cabernet Franc

Region:Lincoln Lakeshore, Niagara Peninsula
Price:$48
Product #:

This was the ripest of the three top scoring Cabernet Francs and easily the youngest at the stage of evaluation. Judges found a lot to like about its complex aroma and flavours, especially the anise/spice elements on the nose and smooth, red berry and chocolate character on the palate. There was also much praise for the quality of the fruit, the handling of the wine’s structure and acidity and its impressively long finish. tawsewinery.ca

Wente Family Estates 2008 Morning Fog Chardonnay

Region:Livermore Valley/San Francisco Bay, California
Price:$16.20
Product #:175430

This affordable California Chardonnay impressed judges with its fleshy texture, excellent balance and delicate peachy and spice aromas. The terms “youthful” and “young” were noted several times in tasting notes, but this likely a case where its fresh character is perfectly suited to the fruit-forward style of wine. Drink now for best enjoyment.

Wirra Wirra 2006 Church Block Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Merlot

Region:McLaren Vale, Australia
Price:$24.99
Product #:

Bright, ripe red fruit mixes with chocolate and some savoury notes on the nose of Wirra Wirra’s Cabernet Shiraz blend. The aroma is sound and clean, but lacks the dramatic impact of the palate. One sip shows how sweet Cabernet fruit is backed up by the weight from the Shiraz. A warm spicy/clove note adds welcome complexity to the abundance of sweet fruit on the palate. “A very well-made wine with fine tannins,” wrote Jamie Drummond.

Wolf Blass 2005 Grey Label Cabernet Sauvignon

Region:Langhorne Creek, Australia
Price:$34.95
Product #:470120

The minty/eucalyptus notes on the nose of this aromatic model of Cabernet had some judges wondering whether they were in Australia or Chile. The full, flavourful palate — “Ribena with structure,” according to one positive tasting note that drew parallels to the popular blackcurrant concentrate — impressed with its extract and fine tannins. “Delish,” wrote Sue-Ann Staff, having noting evidence of chocolate and cassis on the palate. Jamie Drummond found his thrill with the first sniff. “Eucalyptus, blackcurrant, spice — everything I like…”

Wolf Blass 2005 Premium Selection Cabernet Sauvignon

Region:South Australia
Price: $24.95
Product #:321927

Aroma and flavours from oak aging are central to the character of this robust but balanced Cabernet. Notes about coconut and vanilla informed every stage of assessment — nose, palate and lingering finish — but the overall judgment of our panellists was that the style works for such a fantastically concentrated wine. Berry (blueberry and blackberry) fruit gives way to meaty notes on the nose, while savoury spice flavours peek out on the palate.

Wyndam Estate 2008 Bin 525 Shiraz Grenache

Region:South Australia
Price:$15.95
Product #:098826

Wyndam Estate 2008 Bin 525 Shiraz Grenache South Australia $15.95 (098826) “Very fruit and juicy,” wrote Peter Bodnar-Rod, which is likely what you’re hoping for if you’re blending Shiraz and Grenache to produce a wine for less than $20. Bodnar-Rod also commented that he found this to be “accessible with structure to match with food.” That’s a resounding endorsement for a style of wine often written off as being too big, too jammy for the dinner table. That said, Margaret Swaine suggests perhaps we should not overthink such generous full-bodied character. “Yummy,” she said.

Wyndham Estate 2005 George Wyndham Founder’s Reserve Shiraz

Region:South Australia
Price:$22.95
Product #:107904

Our top scoring red was justly celebrated for its restrained, balanced style as much as its classic Australian core of rich, ripe dark fruit. Virtually every taster noted “Australia,” “Aussie” or merely “Aus” in their notes. “Quite fruity, but not over the top,” wrote James Treadwell who underlined his note about the wine being “more restrained in style.” Other tasters equally admired the bold red’s spicy character and its firm structure that effortlessly supported the ripeness of the palate.

INTERVIN JUDGES