Tawse on top: Bench winery named best in Canada at WineAlign awards
By Luke Edwards
Staff at Tawse Winery took their Winery of the Year drought - though certain sports fans would hardly call a decade a drought - not as a problem, but as a positive sign.
There was a time in the early 2010s when winning the top award at WineAlign almost became the expectation. Judges awarded Tawse the Winery of the Year award three years in a row, beginning in 2010. The winery won its fourth national title in 2016. The following year Tawse’s sister winery Redstone won, giving the team another win. But then the top spot eluded them until this year.
But for Jennifer Otting and Augusta Van Muyen, that’s a good thing, because it shows how much their fellow wineries have elevated their respective games.
“It’s just a testament to how far the industry has come. There are so many other great wineries that have won over the last few years. Everybody has moved up together,” said Van Muyen, vineyard manager at Tawse.
“Anyone on the Bench winning has been really exciting for all of us,” added winemaker Otting.
And this year there was plenty to be excited about on the Bench, as Beamsville wineries took home each of the top three spots. Finishing second behind Tawse was Fielding Estate and in third was Black Bank Hill.
Two other Lincoln wineries made the top 10, including: Bachelder at fifth and Organized Crime at sixth.
Malivoire, Queenston Mile, Hidden Bench, Palatine Hills, Peller, Domaine Queylus and Stratus rounded out the top 25 that had Niagara connections.
For Tawse, Otting said their 2023 chardonnays helped power their victory. The estate chardonnay won them a platinum award, while the Robyn’s Block and Quarry Road chardonnays from that year netted them golds. Their 25th Anniversary Spark and 2024 Quarry Road Riesling also won golds.
“I guess 2023 was a good year for chardonnay,” said Otting.
It was a bit of a roller coaster ride for the team as the results started coming in. A library wines category is relatively new for the organization, honouring older wines from past vintages. While individual awards are handed out, they don’t count towards the winery of the year tally.
As emails started flying about the awards they were unsure if they had actually won the overall award or not. Eventually owner Moray Tawse got the word that yes, they had won.
Overall, it’s been quite the year for Tawse. Van Muyen was named grape king last year, and this year marked their 25th anniversary, leading to the WineAlign title.
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