We are proud to announce that Quails’ Gate has been recognized with 11 medals at the 2025 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada (NWAC) — one of the country’s most prestigious and competitive wine competitions.
This year marks a significant milestone: every wine submitted by Quails’ Gate received a medal, including a Platinum, four Golds, four Silvers, and two Bronzes. This accomplishment is a strong endorsement of the consistency, quality, and excellence that defines our winemaking program.
Award-Winning Wines
Platinum Medal
• 2022 Rosemary’s Block Chardonnay – “This is easily in my top ten Canadian chardonnays with an amazing combination of sophistication, power and delicacy. It is from a small old vine block in the heart of the the home Boucherie vineyard. The nose unveils a tapestry of hazelnut/cashew, vanilla cream, poached pear and fine toast. It is full bodied and richly textured yet refined and almost airy at the same time. The flavours never waver, the balance is impeccable and the length excellent to outstanding.” – David Lawrason
Gold Medals
• 2022 Plume Cabernet Sauvignon, Similkameen Valley – “The complete package: this wine is integrated across varieties with a ripeness that is true to its profile. Balanced tannins frame it well.” – Evan Goldstein
• 2022 Richard’s Block Pinot Noir – “The aromatics are very classically pinot here with lot’s of savoury and mulchy notes to the ripe wild red berries. On second look, there is a really nice purity of fruit and delicacy at play. The palate moves more into cherry fruit and then is elevated by soft yet generous acids and supportive tannins. Finishes with a clear note of cherry cola and sweet spices. This is a very well made and approachable style of pinot noir.” – Brent Muller
• 2022 Boswell Syrah – “This is a really expressive, elegant Syrah showing some restraint. There is a savoury edge to the slightly lean black cherry and blackberry fruit with some spicy structure. Compact with nice structure.” – Jamie Goode
• 2024 Continuum Riesling – “The Continuum Distinction Collection features a rare 2024 release from the Okanagan Valley, comprising riesling from the 7 acre Waldhof Vineyard in South Kelowna, planted in 1978 and 2005. It has flavours of ripe pears, white peach, and candied citrus, with firm and refreshing acidity that balances the 9 grams of residual sugar.” – Anthony Gismondi
Silver Medals
• 2022 Stewart Family Reserve Pinot Noir – “This is a nicely ripe pinot with generous aromas of black cherry and considerable oak spice, light toast and dusty sage-like herbals and tobacco, so typical of BC. It is medium bodied, with fairly smooth textures mid-palate then considerable crusty, burly and drying tannin. There is excellent depth and generosity here but you should age it another two to three years at least to soften the impact.” – David Lawrason
• 2022 Queue – “An attractive dry red blend with abundant dark plum and cocoa notes.The palate is spicy with hints of grilled peppers and chalky tannins. Needs a few years to reach full potential or decant if drinking now.” – Janet Dorozynski
• 2022 Dijon Clone Pinot Noir – “The Dijon Clone pinot noir includes West Kelowna-grown clones 828, 777, and 115–hand-picked and destemmed with two weeks of maceration prior to fermentation. It features generous plummy fruit with a modern swagger and a well-balanced degree of ripeness. French oak aging for 15 months lends notable spice and a swell of complexity to the palate. Very good length.” – Sara d’Amato
• 2022 Estate Chardonnay – “This ‘regular’ chardonnay offers a lot of character for the money – very much in Quails’ Gate’s modern, balanced and generous style. It captures good complexity with ripe pear – almost tropical – fruit, honeysuckle, subtle nutmeg spice and vanillin. It is medium weight, quite glossy, smooth and warm, with a sense of richness. A bit low in acid perhaps. The length is excellent.” – David Lawrason
Bronze Medals
• 2022 Estate Merlot – “The grapes, which were from the winery’s West Kelowna vineyard, were fermented on the skins for 14 days. The wine was aged for 18 months in French oak. The wine has aromas of black cherry, blueberry and blackberry, echoed on the full-bodied palate. 91.” – John Schreiner
• 2022 Stewart Family Reserve Chardonnay – “The chardonnay summit is reached with Quails’ Gate’s signature release, a.k.a. the Stewart Family Reserve made with fruit from the chosen sites, meaning best and oldest vineyards in the Okanagan Valley. Volcanic soils of Mt. Boucherie are key in this top shelf chardonnay, whole-cluster pressed and aged for 10 months in a mixture of 35 percent new and (65) neutral French oak. Bâtonnage is carried out, as with all the chardonnay, to effect a texture commiserate with the QG style and no other Okanagan estate expresses this specificity. Close maybe, but not precisely like the kinship of these chardonnay and the family resemblance is uncanny. The vintage is really quite ideal for the SFR. Stock up on 2022s folks – They are the cream that rises to the top for great producers who face greater challenges in too many unfair Okanagan vintages.”
“These results are a reflection of the incredible care and attention that goes into every step of our process from vineyard to bottle. From Chardonnay and Riesling through to Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, I’m especially proud that we were able to achieve success across such a diverse range of wine styles. This is a team win in every sense.” – Jeff Del Nin, Senior Wine Maker
Raising the Bar for Canadian Wine
Being honoured across such a broad range of varietals and styles underscores our ongoing commitment to excellence and our role in elevating the profile of Canadian wine on the national stage. We are especially proud that this is the first year every wine submitted has been awarded a medal — a testament to the depth and consistency of our portfolio.
We invite you to experience these award-winning wines firsthand — available at our Wine Shop, Estate Restaurant, and select partners across the country.
