Results from the 2025 Nationals – Fortified Wine
Announcing the Results from the 2025 National Wine Awards of Canada
The 2025 Nationals took place in Penticton from June 21st to 25th. Today, we are pleased to announce the winners in the Cider, Mead & Non-fruit, Fruit wine, Fortified, Icewine and Late Harvest categories. Category results will be rolling out throughout the rest of July, concluding with the Winery of the Year announcement on August 1st. We hope that you will stay tuned to follow the results!
Fortified Wine
Category Overview by Judge Janet Dorozynski, Ph.D, DipWSET
Fortified wines continue to represent a small, niche category at the National Wine Awards of Canada, with entries made from both grapes and fruits. The number of submissions has been declining in recent years, reflecting broader global trends. Internationally, traditional fortified wine categories such as Sherry, Port, Madeira, and Marsala have similarly seen diminished consumer interest and declining production.
Despite their marginal role in today’s Canadian wine industry, fortified wines have historical significance. For much of the 20th century, Canada produced large volumes of inexpensive, sweet, fortified wines, often made with imported juice or must. Generations of Canadians will remember the once popular “Canadian Sherry” from Andrès , now Andrew Peller Limited. In compliance with the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which recognizes the protected geographical status of the names Sherry and Port, this product was renamed Andrès Fine Old Apera (Apera being the term used for sherry-style wines made outside Spain).
Other legacy fortified wines, such as Brights 74 Tawny (a reference to the winery’s founding in 1874), Classic Cream, and Pale Dry Select, continue to maintain shelf space at liquor boards and retail stores with a loyal, if aging, consumer base.
Alongside these commercial mainstays, Canada’s modern wine landscape has made space for a new generation of what might be described as “craft” fortified wines. These have emerged over the past five decades through experimentation and diversification in the industry. While not central to Canada’s wine identity, fortified wines are quietly produced by a handful of wineries, particularly in Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, as part of broader portfolios that also include table, sparkling, and Icewines.
Modern craft fortified wines, made entirely from Canadian grapes and fruits, are defined by the addition of neutral spirits to increase alcohol content. As with traditional fortified styles, timing is critical in their production. When the spirit is added early in the fermentation process, it halts yeast activity, preserves residual sugar and results in a sweeter profile. Delaying fortification until fermentation has completed yields drier, more structured wines. The neutral spirit used may be distilled from grapes, grains, or potatoes.
When crafted with care, Canadian fortified wines deliver depth, intensity, and balance. Their versatility makes them suitable as companions to dessert, aperitifs, or as ingredients in sweet and savory dishes.
At this year’s NWACs, eight fortified wines were submitted with four awarded silver medals. Though underrepresented, fortified wines in Canada represent a quiet but persistent tradition that also reflects our evolving wine culture and persistent creativity of our producers.
And the winners are…
Black Sage Vineyard 2017 Pipe, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia
Domaine Ives Hill Crème de Cassis , Quebec
Domaine au tour de table 2024 La Révélation, Quebec
Krause Berry Farms Blackberry Portoe, Fraser Valley, British Columbia
NWAC 2025 Sponsors:
