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Local wineries were recognized at the recent Great Grapes awards competition.
Great Grapes is a local wine award competition held every 2 years. The event is hosted by The Ontario South Coast Beverage Association (OSCBA) and boasts seven categories from wines produced in 2023 or earlier. The OSCBA created the Great Grapes wine competition to highlight the incredible wines being made within the Elgin and Norfolk County region.
In the end, 14 medals were handed out with Front Road Cellars’ Norfolk Pinot being the highest scored. Nick Vranckx, winemaker and owner of Front Road Cellars had this to say: “We’re thrilled and extremely proud that our wines did so well, especially the Norfolk Pinot, which is as Norfolk as it gets. It’s grown on native Norfolk County rootstock at the Simcoe research station and is aged in Canadian Oak barrels made from a wood-smith in the Brantford area.”
Category winners and runner ups are as follows:
Riesling
Best in Show – Burning Kiln Horse + Boat
Runner Up – Front Road Cellars Off-Dry Riesling
Chardonnay
Best in Show – Burning Kiln Sparks
Runner Up – Quai du Vin Unoaked Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Best in Show – Front Road Cellars Norfolk Pinot
Runner Up – Burning Kiln Prime Pinot Noir
Cabernet Franc
Best in Show – Front Road Cellars House Party
Runner Up – Frisky Beaver Cocky Cabernet
Hybrid Reds
Best in Show – Bonnieheath 2016 Marechal Foch
Runner Up – Hounds of Erie 2020 Marquette
Hybrid Whites
Best in Show – Hounds of Erie 2022 Frontenac Blanc
Runner Up – Frisky Beaver Crappy White
Hybrid Other (sparkling, pink, dessert)
Best in Show – Hounds of Erie 2022 Marquette Unleashed
Runner Up – Bonnieheath Frontenac Lavender Gris