Results
from the 2009 International Eastern Wine Competition
and Riesling Championship
Santa
Rosa, California (June 2, 2009) -- Final results, including
Best of Category winners and the Riesling Champion, were announced
today for the 33rd International Eastern Wine Competition (IEWC),
one of the oldest and largest professional wine competitions
in the United States. Produced by Vineyard & Winery Management
magazine, the judging was held May 18-20 in Watkins Glen, New
York. Complete results with links to many winery web sites may
be found at www.vwm-online.com.
Judges awarded 41 Double Gold, 84 Gold, 514 Silver and 603 Bronze
medals from a field of 1,800 entries that were submitted by
wineries in 36 American states and three Canadian provinces
(British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec) as well as Australia,
Chile, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Spain.
Entries
were evaluated by an experienced group of professional wine
judges with backgrounds in wine marketing, education and media,
enology, viticulture, food and beverage, hospitality and tourism.
The
five Best of Category winners were selected from the 41 Double
Gold medalists that advanced to the final round after earning
unanimous gold votes from judging panels in the previous "medal
round".International Eastern Wine Competition
2009 Best of Category Winners
Best
White Wine
Fox Run Vineyards "Tierce" Riesling 2006, Finger Lakes,
$30
Best
Sparkling Wine
Goose Watch Winery, NV Pinot Noir Rosé - Brut, Finger
Lakes, $18
Best
Red Wine
Michael~David Winery, 2006 Petite Petit, Lodi, $18
Best
Fruit Wine
Flickerwood Wine Cellars, 2006 Flickerberry Dew, New York State,
$16.95
Best
Dessert Wine
Ripken Vineyards & Winery, 2006 Late Harvest Viognier, Lodi,
$20
"New
York wineries dominated top honors this year, winning three
of five Best of Category awards: white, sparkling and fruit
wines," said IEWC Chair Richard Leahy. "Finger Lakes
producers also triumphed in the Riesling Championship by taking
home two of four Best of Class awards.
"One
Finger Lakes wine was particularly impressive at both ends of
the judging: the 2006 Fox Run Vineyards "Tierce" Riesling
was awarded the Best of Category White Wine in the IEWC before
winning the Best of Class Dry Riesling, and ultimately, the
Riesling Championship."
Tierce
is a winemaking collaboration of three riesling producers from
the Seneca Lake AVA of the Finger Lakes Region: Anthony Road
Wine Company, Fox Run Vineyards, and Red Newt Cellars.
The
Riesling Championship is a subset of the IEWC: all Rieslings
entered in the IEWC are also judged in one of four sweetness
classes from dry to sweet; Best of Class winners are determined
in each sweetness grade; the four Best of Class winners compete
for the Riesling Championship.
There
were 169 Rieslings from four countries and 22 states entered
in this year's competition.
Riesling
Championship
2009 Best of Class Winners
Riesling
Champion
Fox Run Vineyards "Tierce" Riesling 2006, Finger Lakes,
$30
(also Best Dry Riesling)
Best
Semi-Dry Riesling
Jekel Vineyards, 2007 Riesling, Monterey, $11.99
Best
Semi-Sweet Riesling
Penguin Bay Winery, 2008 Riesling, Finger Lakes, $15
Best
Sweet Riesling
Navarro Vineyards, 2007 Late Harvest Riesling, Anderson Valley,
$35
About
the producer
Vineyard & Winery Services Inc. publishes Vineyard &
Winery Management magazine (www.vwm-online.com),
the Wine Industry Index and Wineries of the Index on compact
disc. Based in Santa Rosa, California, the multimedia corporation
produces seminars, conferences and trade shows (Wineries Unlimited,
Wine Club Summit, Wine Country Water Summit, Tasting Room Profitability,
Managing the Winery Laboratory) as well as three wine competitions
(Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition,
and West Coast Wine Competition).
