Category Archives: Competition

My Reflections on 2015

If we only live once, then 2015 was a benchmark in my life so far. For starters, it almost makes me blush when I think of all the projects I worked on with so many great wine associations, winemakers, star chefs, actors, musicians, corporate groups, economic analysts, and even President Obama.

In the wine industry, 2015 will certainly be remembered as the year of the drought. And while the lack of rain hurt the yields, the quality was there in the grapes that were picked. The year also marked the 50-year anniversary of the planting of the first Pinot Noir grapes in Willamette Valley. And closer to home, some of the most notable news stories were focused on the devastating Valley Fire in Lake County; the departure of Sunset Magazine from its historic headquarters in Menlo Park to new offices in Oakland and Sonoma; and the heist of $300,000 in wine from the French Laundry in Yountville.

Below is a list of my favorite accomplishments in 2015. Alas, I also have plenty of fond memories catching up with old friends; enjoying delicious lunches and dinners or attending lavish parties with winemakers, proprietors, marketing gurus and other pals in the wine industry; travels with the family; winning the Bohemian magazine’s Top Sommelier of Sonoma County award for the second straight year; and watching the Warriors win the NBA Championship.

On a more personal level, the year also marked the passing of my mom, Linda Sawyer, at the age of 67. It was a hard loss for our family, but we were happy that she died peacefully after a long battle with cancer. Recently my mentor, Master Sommelier Bob Bath, sent me a very nice note about my mom, in which he wrote: “She will always be proud of you…I sure am.” That really touched my heart and made me realize how lucky I am to have support from such an amazing group of friends, colleagues, and family.

With that in mind, I’m looking forward to a very exciting 2016. As a preview, the year will kick-off quickly with me judging three major wine competitions between now and mid-February. At the same time, I’ll be starting more new projects with Feast It Forward, Allvino, ZigSaw Production, and ramping up my activities with the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone as the official Wine Director for the Flavor! Napa Valley Festival, March 16-20.

In a nutshell, I can’t wait to start sharing more cool, fun, and educational stories about wine, food, travel and philanthropy with you in 2016. In the meantime, thanks so much for following SawyerSomm.com and best wishes for a Happy New Years to all! –CS

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“Sommelier to the Stars” Christopher Sawyer’s Top Picks of 2015

1. Wine Writers Symposium: Held annually at the Meadowood Napa Valley Resort & Spa near St. Helena, this exclusive gathering of professional writers was a true learning experience for me and all those in attendance. Guest speakers included marquee writer Jancis Robinson MW, Evan Goldstein MS, Andrea Emmer Robinson MS, Karen McNeill, Wall Street Journal Wine Columnist Will Lyons, and Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Great discussions, education, opportunities, fabulous tastings, fine cuisine and bright ideas resonated throughout this superb three-day event!

2. Speaking Engagements: 2015 was a monumental year for me at major speaking engagements for an assortment of wine consumers, collectors, private parties, media, sommeliers, winemakers, winery proprietors, and bigger wine associations. Here are some of the highlights:

– Santa Barbara Vintners Seminar. As a special part of the Santa Barbara Spring Weekend, I was honored to moderate a fabulous seminar with gifted winemakers Jim Clendenan of Au Bon Climat, Bob Lindquist of Qupe, Ken Brown of Ken Brown Wines and Eric Mohseni of Zaca Mesa, whose careers were all influenced by stints at Zaca Mesa Winery and the development of the Santa Ynez Valley, which became an official appellation on April 15, 1983. Other highlights included a magnificent Winemaker Dinner at Mattei’s in Los Olivos; a fun Sauvignon Blanc-inspired lunch with winemaker Fred Brander and MW Patrick Farrell; the Festival Grand Tasting at Grand View Park’ a few late night shenanigans; and some great time spent with Chad Melville and his staff during my stay at Melville Winery. For tickets to the 2016 Spring Weekend April 21-24, visit www.sbvintnersweekend.com.

– Banfi’s Cru Artisan College 2015.
Highlighted by a colorful cast of some of the world’s leading winemakers and me as the “Head Master” at the San Francisco stop on this exciting multi-city tour; this unique wine education platform explored the different ways that terroir, plant material, sustainable farming practices, new technology and the winemaker’s touch can add more personality to the flavor profiles of some of the finest wines of Italy, Chile, and Washington State. In 2016, the Cru Artisan College Campus Tours will be happening in new metropolitan markets across America. For information on these comprehensive seminars and intimate wine tastings and pairings, visit www.cruartisancollege.com.

– Mt. Veeder Media Lunch and Q & A Session To celebrate the 25-year anniversary of the Mount Veeder appellation in Napa Valley, this year’s panel featured Chris Carpenter of Loyoka Winery, Steve Lagier and Carol Meredith of Lagier-Meredith Vineyard, and me as the moderator. Kudos to Sam Peters for organizing this great discussion, luncheon, and public tasting at the Golden Gate Club in San Francisco! www.mtveederwines.com.

– “A Winemakers Perspective on the Petaluma Gap AVA” Seminar
As the VIP and Media kickoff to the “Wind to Wine” Festival put on by the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance, I was happy to do this interactive seminar with talented winemakers James MacPhail of MacPhail Family Wines and Ryan Pritchard of Three Sticks Wines at the Sheraton Hotel in Petaluma. Overall, the festival was a smashing success and a great sign of things to come in wines made with fruit grown in this cool climate area in southern Sonoma County, which is currently under review to become its own appellation. For breaking news in 2016, check out www.petalumagap.com.

– Taste of Sonoma “The Glass makes a Difference” Seminar For the second year in a row, the two special seminars I taught at the historic MacMurray Estate in Russian River Valley were focused on showing how Stolzle Stemware brings out the unique flavors in special wines made in Sonoma County. Tasty delights for the seminar were provided by Bennett Valley Cellars, Matanzas Creek, St. Francis, Stryker Sonoma, and Dutcher Crossing wineries. Other highlights of Sonoma Wine Country Weekend included attending special dinners and lunches, working with the Somm Stars team, and once again being the private sommelier for the top table at the Sonoma Harvest Wine Auction which raising $4.5 million for local charities. Job well done by everyone involved! www.sonomawinecountryweekend.com.

– “Sip & Discover: Livermore Valley Wine Stories” In the luxurious Grand Hall at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco, this brilliant seminar explored how the unique growing conditions, rich history, specially selected grape varietals, farming techniques, and a modern approaches to winemaking make the wines from Livermore Valley so special. After my intro, I passed the microphone to the passionate “storytellers” of the region: Karl Wente of Wente Vineyard; John Concannon of Concannon Vineyard; Steven Kent Mirrasou of The Steven Kent Winery; Collin Cranor of Vasco Urbano Wine Company; Bob Bossi of Dante Robere; Steve Burman of 3 Steves Wines; and John Kinney of Occasio Winery. For more information about this unique appellation, visit www.lvwine.org.

– Single Varietal Tasting Series at Napa Valley Wine Academy. Organized by Jolene Patterson of Discover Napa Valley Wine & Discover Sonoma County Wine, this magnificent series of in-depth tastings was designed to educate members of the media, sommeliers, wine buyers, vintners, winemakers and other wine professionals from the Bay Area. As the official moderator of the series, I got to work with a fascinating group of winemakers who are also grape varietal experts: John Skumpky of Lang & Reed Winery (Cabernet Franc); Ehren Jordan of Failla Wines (Syrah); Michael Scholz of St. Supery (Sauvignon Blanc); Chris Pettinger of Skinner Vineyards (Grenache); and Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars (Petite Sirah). Stay tuned for the continuation of the series in 2016!

3. Epic Wine Cruise on the Mediterranean: In July, I spent eight amazing days sailing from Rome to Venice on the Oceania “Riveria” with Chris Silva, the president & CEO of St. Francis Winery, and Steve, Lawrence and Emily Lohr from J. Lohr Vineyards & Wine. Organized by Brian Murphy of Expedia Cruise Ship Centers in Petaluma, the “Isles & Empires Wine Cruise” included stops in Sorrento/Capri in Italy; Taormina, Sicily (with a magnificent side trip to Benanti Winery near Mt. Etna); Argostoli, Greece; Kotor, Montenegro; Zadar, Croatia; Koper, Croatia; and a memorable day in Venice at the end. The food was fantastic and Chris, Lawrence, and I hosted informative wine education classes along the way. Can’t wait to go on my next trip with Oceania Cruises!

4. Napa Valley Film Festival
It’s back! This year marked the 5-year anniversary of the Napa Valley Film Festival, a magnificent experience which fused together film, wine, talented actors, star chefs, sommeliers, mixologists, and other colorful characters in mid-November. Highlights of this year’s event included the cinematic debt of SOMM Into the Bottle, an extremely entertaining exploration of some of the greatest wines of the world through the view of the sommeliers, winemakers, and world-reknown experts; a set of unique Celebrity Tributes honoring John Travolta, Bruce Dern, Keegan–Michael Key and other talented actors; lively parties and culinary events; and a continuous flow of remarkable features and documentary that make this annual event so special! www.nvff.org.

5. Memorable Tastings
While there were plenty of special tastings of international wines in the Bay Area in 2015, some of my favorite memories were based on the accomplishments of gifted winemaker and family owned wineries in Napa Valley and Sonoma County.

– Celebrating the 50 years of Winemaking with Winemaker Richard Arrowood. To kickoff his monumental 50th vintage, Sonoma County icon Richard Arrowood hosted a series of retrospective tastings featuring over 60 wines from his private collection. My great mentor Master Sommelier Fred Dame and I were there to help with each of these tastings. I must say it was a pleasure to taste through this vast collection of gems. Highlights include: a rare series of vineyard designate wines made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Riesling and Chardonnay grapes from legendary sites like the Laurel Glen, Wildwood and Glen Ellen (now Moon Mountain Vineyard) that were part of the Chateau St. Jean collection from 1974 to 1988; to a series of elegant and ageworthy wines from Arrowood Vineyards; and finishing with an impressive grouping of the more powerful styles made under the Amapola Creek label from 2005to the present. My stories on this experience appeared in Tasting Panel and Napa Sonoma Magazine in 2015 as well.

– The 40th Harvest Luncheon at Jordan Winery. This special gathering honored winemaker Rob Davis and his dedication to the craft, the winery and his family. Other special guests included SF Giants coach Bruce Bochy and radio announcers Mike Krukow and Duane Kuiper; winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet of Chateau Petrus, Dr. Ann Noble of UC Davis, and the dazzling meal was prepared by Executive Chef Todd Knoll and his fabulous staff. A winning combination!

– The 25th Anniversary of Robert Biale Winery: Hosted by co-founders Robert Biale and Dave Pramuk, this magnificent tasting of single-vineyard designates wines made with pristine fruit from old Zinfandel and Petite Sirah vines was a complete joy to the senses. Through the years, the winery has done a great job of protecting these old vines and it showed in the lively flavors in each of the wines we tasted. For that reason, I’m looking forward to Robert Biale being part of the Preservation Society Seminar I’m moderating at CIA Greystone as part of Flavor! Napa Valley on March 18. For more info, visit www.flavornapavalley.com.

6. Wine Writing: This year included a wide range of writing assignments, as well as reviewing wines for Vivino and other wine, food, and travel projects.

– At the top of my list is the article I wrote about chefs Duskie Estes and John Stewart of ZaZu Restaurant in Sebastopol for the inaugural release of The Clever Root, a new cutting-edge culinary magazine created by the publishers of The SOMM Journal and The Tasting Panel. The next issue will feature my article on Chef Trevor Kunk of Press Restaurant and the Rudd Farms in Napa Valley. Can’t wait to work with Editor Meridith May and the team in 2016!

– For Diablo Publications, I wrote a series of articles focused on wine, food and travel in Napa Sonoma Magazine. In addition to the story on Richard Arrowood’s 50th vintage and another I did on hip wine caves; one of my favs was the “Power Duos” article focused on intriguing teamwork between family-based winemakers and proprietors featuring Heidi and Bo Barrett, Joel Peterson and Morgan Twain Peterson, Mike and Violet Grgich, Jamie and Lisa Whetstone, Susan Lueker and Chef Ralph Tingle, and Jesse Katz and star photographer Andy Katz. In the fall, my story on Urban Tasting Rooms highlighted Cornerstone Cellars in Yountville, Starmont Winery in Napa, Ramey Wines in Healdsburg, MacPhail Family Wine Salon in Sebastopol, Corner 103 Wines in Sonoma, and Ancient Oaks in Santa Rosa. Versions of the article were published in both Napa Sonoma and Diablo magazines. Coming soon is my article on the new Virginia Dare brand started by Francis Ford Coppola at the old Geyer Peak facility in Geyserville.

– With Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine, I did a special article on the 50-year anniversary of the planting of the first Pinot Noir vines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, and two dynamic Q & A articles focused on Jean Arnold Sessions of the Jean Arnold Group and Chris Indelicato of Delicato Vineyards. In November, I also served as the official spokesperson for VWM Media at the 25th Anniversary of the Grand Harvest Wine Competition.

– As a side note, it was also nice to have my sister-in-law, Alexander Russell, write a fantastic profile piece on me in North Bay Biz Magazine. Thanks, Alex!

7. Thanksgiving Wine Pairings for President Obama:
Finally, I must say that it was a pleasure to be asked to do a special set of Thanksgiving pairings with Sonoma County wines for President Obama. The premise behind the pairings was the fact that the two birds the president pardoned, Mac & Cheese, were from a unique breed developed at the Nichols Ranch in Sonoma County. Articles with my pairings ran throughout the United States, including a great story written by Diane Peterson for the Press Democrat. Featured wineries included Gloria Ferrer, Gundlach Bundschu, Balletto Vineyards, Cline Cellars, St. Francis Winery and Dry Creek Vineyard. Special thanks to the President Obama, Foster Farms and Fineman PR for getting me involved in such a unique project.

2015 Grand Harvest Awards!

First I want to congratulate Balletto 2012 Zinfandel from Russian River Valley which was the Top Wine of the Grand Harvest Awards this year. Get yourself a bottle to find out why!

GH2015dThe entire list of winners will be revealed soon so keep an eye out for the link here in the upcoming weeks. Until then if you are interested in a little background about the Grand Harvest Awards then check out the Wine Competitions site. Here are a few pictures to whet your mental palate!

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Mix your wine with charity this weekend!

bless1If you aren’t feeling the pull, like I am, to the Sierra Nevadas this weekend (see The Big Crush), then perhaps you can enjoy some local sips to support worthy North Bay causes?

On Saturday October 3rd you can Raise the Roof  along with an assortment of farmers, wineries, restaurants, hoteliers, insurance agents, realtors, event planners, civic leaders, local law and fire department personnel, and many other local Sonoma County businesses.   Proceeds go to help victims of the recent Valley fire in Lake County.

roof2Attend the event and participate in the silent auction while enjoying delectable wines from the most sought after wineries and sensational bites from featured chefs including Dustin Valette, Duskie Estes, Guy Fieri, Nicolai Lipscomb to name a few. Tickets are $100 pre-sale or $125 at the Sonoma Jet Center doors in Santa Rosa.

On Sunday, October 4th is the 15th Annual Blessing of the Animals at St. Francis Winery. Bring your best furry friend to the Winery to be blessed and spend the afternoon helping raise money for the Sonoma Humane Society.

Admission is FREE! Winery Dog of the Year Contest entry is $10. Wines by glass, raffle tickets, silent auction all contribute to funds raised for animals in need.
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Harvest Fair Photos and Database of Winners

Here are a few candid shots from my days judging with the 2015 Harvest Fair. Before you jump into the Press Democrat Database of Winners, get primed with this article published on Sunday that features an interview with me, Harvest Fair wine entries impress judges.

Judge Christopher Sawyer checks the color of a zinfandel at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair wine competition. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)
Judge Christopher Sawyer checks the color of a zinfandel at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair wine competition. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)

Harvest Fair Wine Database
There were 1,189 award-winning wines, given in the categories of Best of Class, Gold, Silver and Bronze. A total of 629 silver and 205 bronze medals were awarded. Among 1,254 entries, only 65 wines received no award.

Fabulous Sonoma County Harvest Fair Judges Dinner hosted by the Gallo Family at the Frei Ranch in Dry Creek Valley.
Fabulous Sonoma County Harvest Fair Judges Dinner hosted by the Gallo Family at the Frei Ranch in Dry Creek Valley.
With my co-judges Liz Thach MW and wine writer Mike Dunne.
With my co-judges Liz Thach MW and wine writer Mike Dunne.
Getting ready for the Sweepstakes Round of the judging at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
Getting ready for the Sweepstakes Round of the judging at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

Rose Rendezvous on Saturday, August 1st

Here is an opportunity to taste some great wines, some which I was fortunate enough to award Gold Medals at the recent Rose Competition.

roserendevouz-250August 1st, 2:00-5:00pm

Rose Rendezvous will be a charming event where you can meet some winemakers and celebrate all things Rose. SIMI’s Executive Chef Kolin Vazzoler will be cooking up tasty noshes while music will be provided by the eclectic band Full Chizel.  Be sure to get primed for the day with my recent article Ten New Pink Wine picks with Class and Style.

$35.00 per person includes all sips, bites plus a custom souvenir Rose glass to take home.  Buy your tickets at HTTP://ROSERENDEZVOUS.BPT.ME/

For further information contact Bob Ecker (707) 421-1701

Press Release: Results from SF International Wine Competition

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION
CELEBRATES 35th YEAR WITH GLOBAL ARRAY OF WINNERS

26 Countries, 29 states with a total of 4,902 entries compete in America’s largest International Wine Competition

SAN FRANCISCO, CA June 23, 2015– A celebratory 35 years of the pre-eminent international wine competition in the United States wrapped up on June 14th with the San Francisco International Wine Competition.
Surpassing last year’s record number of entries, this year’s competition had a 7% increase in contenders from the year before. The elegant downtown Hotel Nikko was once again the headquarters for this competition, judged by 50 leading palates from around the U.S. as well as Australia, Germany and New Zealand. Judges from the sectors of retail, restaurants, winemaking, media, and consulting judged over 4,902 wines from 26 countries and 29 states. Cabernet Sauvignon, one of the two top selling wines in the U.S., remained dominant categorically this year with 544 entries, the largest category of the competition. Pinot Noir showed its continual winning streak with 32 Double Golds, 20 of which were from the 2013 vintage.

It was also the 4th year in a row that a Riesling wine won BEST IN SHOW WHITE. The WINERY PORTFOLIO OF THE YEAR went to DELICATO FAMILY VINEYARDS of Napa, California; the TASTING PANEL MAGAZINE WINERY of the Year went to WOLF BLASS WINES, South Australia; and the ANDRÉ TCHELISTCHEFF  WINEMAKERS OF THE YEAR award went to Chad Richard, Robert Zeches and Shalini Sekhar of FURTHERMORE Pinot Noir, California.

The competition continued its 100-point scoring system for all Gold and Double Gold medals, which was implemented last year. Several new judges were added in 2015 including Eduardo A. Dingler, Corporate Beverage Director, Morimoto Restaurants in Napa; Ryan McHendry, Coordinator of Category Management, The Kroger Co., Cincinnati; and Bob Paulinski, MW, Senior Vice President of Wine at BevMo!. They joined noted wine talents such as winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett; Wine Enthusiast critic Virginie Boone; Court of Master Sommeliers’ Fred Dame, MS; and leading wine blogger Joe Roberts among others. When queried about the competition this year Bob Paulinski MW stated, “I’ve judged in wine competitions all around the world, but this was my first at the SFIWC.
It impressed me with a great cast of judges, along with a thoughtful process that fairly judges each wine on its true merit.” Phil Market, Liquor Manager of the Southern California division of Safeway who judged for the second time this year stated, “I’m truly amazed at the caliber of the judges at this competition. You have 50 judges from around the world with years of experience in wine, from retail, wholesale, restaurants, wineries, journalism and consultants, all at the top of their game.”

The medal count for 2015 included 254 Double Golds, a distinction given when a wine unanimously wins a gold medal by all the judges evaluating it, 538 Gold medals, 1,742 Silver medals and 1,568 Bronze medals. A complete listing of winners can be found at www.sfwinecomp.com [4] on June 30, 2015.

BEST IN SHOW awards went to CHAMPAGNE COLLET from France for their 2004 Brut Millésime (BEST IN SHOW SPARKLING for the 2nd year in a row), JEFF REHNQUIST WINES of Paso Robles for their 2013 Syrah (BEST IN SHOW RED), FRAMINGHAM of Marlborough, New Zealand for their 2013 Riesling (BEST IN SHOW WHITE), and AVIGNONESI for their 2000 Vin Santo di Montepulciano, Occhio di Pernice, DOC Tuscany (BEST IN SHOW DESSERT WINE).

Other VARIETAL AND BLEND-SPECIFIC “BEST” awards were presented to 40 wineries from 8 different countries; eighteen different U.S. American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) were also awarded. BEST OF VARIETAL award winners include Chateau Frank of the Finger Lakes, NY; Fess Parker Winery, Los Olivos, CA ; Spy Valley, New Zealand; Baileyana, Edna Valley, CA; Hiro Sake, Japan; Harney Lane, Lodi, CA; Eberle, Paso Robles, CA; Shenandoah Vineyards, Amador County, CA; Catena Zapata, Argentina; Church & State Wines, Okanagan Valley, Canada; Becker Vineyards, Texas; Wolf Blass Wines, South Australia; Quinto do Tedo, Douro Valley, Portugal among many other notable winners.

The 2015 Label Competition was held on June 16th. Of the 152 entrants,
12 merited a Double Gold award for excellence in label design, more than any previous year. The 2015 Label Design judges included Joel Blum of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, Thomas Gronbukt of the Academy of Art University, and Patti Mangan from Imagine That Design Studio.

Competition director Anthony Dias Blue, renowned food and wine authority and publisher, leads and organizes one of the most important and comprehensive wine competitions in the world. Of this year’s competition he stated, “It is hard to believe that each year can improve upon the last, but it happened again this year. At 35 years, we show no signs of slowing down. Like a focused athlete, we’ve refined our judging roster, trained our staff who manages the logistics for close to 5,000 wines flawlessly, and continue to attract great entries from wineries around the globe. I’m thrilled to see the bar of wine quality continue to rise for the trade and consumers. Our job is to deliver to the consuming public the best of the best.”

Tim McDonald, Director of Judging, said, “I am beyond honored to work with Anthony Dias Blue and such a terrific pool of wine judges who cover every aspect of the wine industry and represent over $2 billion in wine sales collectively. Sommeliers, journalists, buyers, producers, importers and wholesalers make the San Francisco International Wine Competition the most prestigious wine competition held in America every year, as is evident in the results from our 35th year.”

For a complete list of winners and judges, visit the San Francisco International Wine Competition’s website on June 30th: www.sfwinecomp.com
Find more on twitter at #SFIWC and @SFIntlWineComp

Taste Winners of North Coast Wine Challenge 2015!

On April 14th & 15th I helped judge the North Coast Wine Challenge in Santa Rosa.  The judging compares select California North Coast AVAs including Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Marin and parts of Solano County.  As recently announced the 2015 winner is. . .

ROCHE 2013 Carneros Chardonnay French Oak Reserve!

Congratulations to all the winners, search the List and follow-up with a summary in this Press Democrat article.

tasting_mashead_ver3Now you have a chance to taste over 80 Gold Medal  winners at the North Coast Wine Challenge Tasting hosted by the Press Democrat on Sunday May 17, 1-4pm, at The Barlow in Sebastopol.  It will feature the highest scoring wines from the 2015 judging.

This year, the event will include Storytellers & Innovators. Guests will be able to hear from and meet pioneers of the past and today’s innovators to learn what’s new in winemaking in California’s North Coast.  There will also be a pre-event seminar, 11:30 – 12:30 pm:
A Conversation with Gold Medal Wine Makers and Award-Winning Chefs  

Get your tickets now!

Drink Pink!

Time for a spring awakening with a pink twist: I’m happy to say that the results are in from the Rosé Wine Competition I judged on March 25 at Simi Winery in Healdsburg. Started by my pal, Napa-based wine and travel writer Bob Ecker, this is the largest competition of pink wines in the United States. Of the 192 entries, 155 received medals.

The Best in Class from the “Dry” Rosé Category was won by Martin Ray Vineyards of Santa Rosa, California.  The Best in Class from the “A Little Sweet” Rosé Category was a Rose from Truett Hurst Winery from Healdsburg, California. These wines were from 19 different states and all the unique interpretations of pink wines were tasted blind.

My fellow judges at the competition included Denise Gill, Debra Del Fiorentino, Sue Straight, Debra Parker Wong, Rick Fraga and Ray Johnson. The full list of awards can be found at The Rosé Competition.

The Gold Medal winning Rosé wines will be featured at a special tasting at Simi Winery on May 30th. Stay tuned for more details about the event. In the meantime, don’t forget to drink pink!

Trekking the wine road. . .

mtveeder2This month leads into a collection of treks that keep me moving throughout April!  So many exciting events that I want to share some details.  Perhaps a few of you will be joining me along the way. . .

Begining this week, on Thursday April 16th, I will be at the Mt. Veeder Spring Tasting, discussing the 25-year anniversary of the appellation at their media luncheon.

This is an exciting event so take advantage to participate in their public tasting, tickets are available at Mt Veeder Appellation.

Even sooner, I will be judging two prestigious wine competitions. The first is the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, April PD_NC-wine_challange14-15, at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country Hotel at Fountaingrove in Santa Rosa. Winners of the event will be announced in the Press Democrat.  On May 17, many of these award winning wines will be featured along with dishes made by some of Sonoma County’s top chefs at The Barlowe in Sebastopol.

Then, for the long haul south, I will be at the Sunset International Wine Competition judging between April 26-28.  Besides being one of the top wine competitions in the nation, this year also marks the last time the competition will be held at the expansive Sunset Headquarters in Menlo Park.  For that reason, the other judges and I will be sure to make the most out of this experience, before final sale of the property.  Entries for this competition end on April 17th.

sunset2015You can continue to follow these exploits by virtual means, on my Social Media outlets; Facebook, Twitter  and Instagram.  There will be fun pictures and daily updates.

Last note,  don’t forget that Friday, April 24th is International Sauvignon Blanc Day!  When posting use #SauvBlanc, #nzwine, etc, and don’t forget to spread the word! -CS