AlaWine.com: Super Award Winning Wines

Top Award Winners, 2010 Idaho Wine Competition

Fraser Vineyard won unanimous double gold, best red wine, and best in show at the 2010 Idaho Wine Competition, for its 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, $28.

Sawtooth Winery won best white wine for its 2009 Riesling, while Indian Creek Winery won best rosé for its 2009 White Pinot Noir, and Ste. Chapelle won best dessert wine for its 2007 Riesling Ice Wine.

A total of 208 wines were entered from 26 wineries, with five winning unanimous double gold medals, 13 winning gold medals, 51 winning silver medals and 58 winning bronze medals. The competition was conducted by Wine Press Northwest, a quarterly consumer magazine based in Washington.

The four other double gold medal award winners included:
Cinder 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Malbec, $27
Huston Vineyards 2008 Private Reserve Red, $40
Koenig Vineyards 2008 Riesling, $12
Syringa Winery 2008 Primitivo, $20

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Denver International Wine Competition Winners

The super-award winning wines from the 2010 Denver International Wine Competition are:

Best of Show, Best White Wine, and Double Gold
Cinquain Cellars Chardonnay 2009 California - Monterey

Best Red Wine and Double Gold (tie)
Coiled Wines Syrah 2008 Idaho - Snake River Valley
Andretti Winery Dolcetto 2008 California

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Super-Award Wines, 2010 Sommelier Challenge

Results of the 2010 Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition have been posted, and the super-award winning wines are:

Wine of the Year
2003 Valdubon Crianza, Ribera del Duero, Spain

Best of Show White
Navarro Vineyards 2009 Gewurztraminer Anderson Valley $19

Best of Show Rose
Belhurst Estate Winery 2009 Dry Rose New York $19

Best of Show Sparkling
Gloria Ferrer NV Va de Vi Sonoma County $22

Best of Show Dessert
Quady Winery NV Starboard Batch 88 California $15

Best of Class Chardonnay
B.R. Cohn 2008 Chardonnay, Sangiacomo Vineyard Carneros $29

Best of Class Pinot Gris
Melrose Vineyards 2009 Pinot Gris, Estate Grown Umpqua Valley $16

Best of Class Riesling
Diva Cellars 2009 Riesling, Reserve, Franscioni Family Vineyard Monterey $15

Best of Class Merlot
Niner Wine Estates 2007 Merlot, Boot Jack Ranch Paso Robles $24

Best of Class Pinot Noir
Sequana 2008 Pinot Noir, Sarmento Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands $32

Best of Class Pinot Noir
Deep Sea 2008 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills $36

Best of Class Red Bordeaux Blend
Steppe Cellars 2007 Artemisia Columbia Valley $27

Best of Class Zinfandel
V. Sattui Winery 2008 Zinfandel, Black-Sears Vineyard Howell Mountain $40

Best of Class Cabernet Sauvignon
Delille Cellars 2006 Grand Ciel Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain $135

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Best of Show, 2010 International Cold Climate Wine Competition

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Saint Croix Vineyards 2009 La Crescent Dessert Wine from Stillwater, MN won the coveted Minnesota Governor’s Cup trophy at the 2010 International Cold Climate Wine Competition (ICCWC) held recently at the University of Minnesota’s Conference Center in Saint Paul, MN.

"Best of Show" awards went to Lincoln Peak Vineyard, VT, 2009 La Crescent for Best White; Indian Island Winery, MN, 2009 Marquette for Best Red; and Morgan Creek Vineyards, MN, 2009 Black Ice, for Best Specialty Wine & Fortified Wine.

This year’s competition included 331 cold climate wines from commercial wineries in 17 states including, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut in the east, Nebraska and Nevada in the west, and the Midwestern states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio, South Dakota and host state Minnesota with 19 participating wineries. Awards were based on blind tastings by 21 expert judges from Minnesota and several other states. Judges included prominent wine writers, restaurateurs, retailers, and wine educators. Three-judge panels determined the initial awards, with the top-scoring Best of Show wines evaluated by seven-judge panels and all 21 judges for the Minnesota Governor’s Cup award.

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Top 2 Wines: 2010 San Joaquin Valley Wine Competition

The results are in from the 2010 San Joaquin Valley Wine Competition. The top two super-award winning wines are:

Gold Award and Best of Show:
Peirano Estate, The Heritage Collection, Petite Sirah, Lodi, Estate Grown, 2008

Gold Award Winner:
Cardella Winery, Fattoria Cardella, Ruby Cabernet, Fresno County, Fundus Vineyard, 2008

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"Best of" Winners, Santa Cruz Mountains 2010 Wine Competition

The Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association recently completed their 2010 Wine Competition. Of the 175 wines submitted, these four were judged "Best" - Martin Ranch Winery 2007 Syrah earned the Best of Show award. Clos Tita 2006 Gironde and Soquel Vineyards 2007 Cabernet Franc tied for top honors in the Best of Red category, and Beauregard Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay won the Best of White award.
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