Christopher Waters has served as the Canadian judge for the Global Fine Wine Challenge since Canada joined the competition in 2016.iStockPhoto/Getty Images | Product photos supplied
Judging for the 2025 Global Fine Wine Challenge took place last week in Sydney, Australia. This year’s edition was a four-way competition between Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, with a leading wine writer from each country nominating 120 wines presented across 22 different categories. (U.S. participation was curtailed by economic uncertainty and other external factors.)
I’ve served as the Canadian judge since Canada joined the competition in 2016. However, this was the first time back in Sydney since the pandemic. The format calls for wines of quality from each participating nation to be tasted blind during four exhaustive days. With 480 entries, more than 120 wines are sampled and only the best are awarded medals. The results will be announced later this year, by which time my tooth enamel may have recovered from the erosive effects of acidity and tannins built up over these massive tasting days.
Seven wines to enjoy in the dog days of August
Mass tastings like the Global Fine Wine Challenge require a different approach from my usual tastings for this column. I typically keep the number of samples small (between eight and 15 a day) and taste them over several days. But at competitions, there’s a rigour of quickly assessing quality by tasting and evaluating the nature of the aromas and flavours and gauging each wine’s balance, intensity, complexity and length. We aren’t appraising entries based on personal preferences, there’s a question of what each is trying to accomplish and how well it succeeds.
Each judge tastes in isolation, recording their notes and assigning a score into a custom database. We then rank the samples based on our score and commentary to single out the shining stars in each flight. Depending on the strength of each class, a Trophy and range of Double Gold and Gold medal winners are selected. The larger the class, the more potential medals on offer. Five awards were given out in a small but strong flight of 20 cabernet francs, double that amount were conferred in a beautiful class of 42 sparkling wines.
Trophy wines have strong consensus across the four judges, usually ranking in the Top 5 across everyone’s score cards. Likewise double golds carry uniformly high scores from the panel. There’s typically equal agreement on the wines of lesser quality.
The five wines recommended here include two fine wines that reflect a grape variety that’s shaped by a time and a place and three commercial styles made to reflect a style and value for price. The 1 Mill Road Pinot Noir is a perfect representative of the best of Canadian winemaking, while the Villa Maria Reserve Sauvignon Blanc is an elevated take on the popular Marlborough sauvignon blanc style.
The newly released low alcohol sauvignon blanc from Kim Crawford and the new Greasy Fingers sauvignon blanc and cabernet don’t aspire to be fine wine. They aren’t made to be cellared and collected. Rather they are intentionally blended to be tasty and appealing, which is where their quality lies.
1 Mill Road Pinot Noir Home Block 2023 (Canada), $65
Rating: 93. Produced by winemaker Ben Bryant, this lovely and structured Okanagan pinot noir comes from his family’s 1.5-acre estate vineyard in Naramata. Grapes from vines planted in 2013 are used to make this complex, spicy and savoury wine.
Ripe texture and bright acidity make this shine, with a silky core of fruit contributing to its satisfying character. A remarkable and age-worthy style.
This has 13.5 per cent ABV and 0.4 r.s. Drink now-2035. Available direct, 1millroad.ca
Greasy Fingers Zesty Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (Australia), $17
Rating: 88. Made in a crowd-pleasing, off-dry style, this medium-bodied white offers textbook grassy, gooseberry and tropical fruit flavours. Grapes from South Australia are used to fashion fresh and inviting wine with good length. This has 11.5 per cent ABV and 11 g/litre r.s. Drink now. Available at the above price in Ontario, various prices in Alberta, $18.99 in Prince Edward Island.
Greasy Fingers Big Bold Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (Australia), $17
Rating: 88. This South Australian cabernet is full-bodied and fruity, with a mix of dark fruit, cedar and vanilla notes that carry through to a sweet finish. Lively acidity helps to provide balance and structure to a wine that’s purpose built to go with burgers, pizza or barbecue. This has 14.3 per cent ABV and 11 g/litre r.s. Drink now. Available at the above price in Ontario, various prices in Alberta, $18.99 in Prince Edward Island.
Kim Crawford Illuminate Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (New Zealand), $21.95
Rating: 88. Illuminate is a lower alcohol sauvignon blanc from popular New Zealand producer, Kim Crawford. The winemaking team uses vacuum distillation, which removes alcohol while preserving flavour. The traditional Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is 13.5 per cent ABV. This one comes with roughly half that volume, with added sweetness on the palate providing weight. The result is a vibrant white with classic grassy and fruity (guava, passionfruit and citrus) Marlborough sauvignon blanc character. This has 7 per cent ABV and 16 g/litre r.s. Drink now. Available at the above price in Ontario, $21.99 in British Columbia and Manitoba, various prices in Alberta, $23.99 in Saskatchewan, $22.45 in Quebec, $27 in New Brunswick, $21.77 in Nova Scotia, $23.20 in Newfoundland.
Villa Maria Wairau Valley Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (New Zealand), $24.99
Rating: 92. Selected sauvignon grapes from the Wairau Valley in Marlborough, New Zealand are used to produce this expressive and lively white. Tank fermentation provides lift and intensity, while aging for three months on yeast lees (left over from fermentation) contributes texture. Expect a mix of grassy and tropical fruit (passionfruit, guava) flavours. Decant for best enjoyment, to remove some sulphites (matchstick, onion) on the nose. This has 13 per cent ABV and 5 g/litre r.s. Available at the above price in Ontario and Manitoba, $31.99 in British Columbia (Everything Wine).
