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Entries reflect global wine palate/trends – Syrah, Pinot Gris, Grenache – HOT!
Awards given in wine, olive oil and wine packaging competitions
The 2003 L.A. County Fair Wines of the World Competition, Olive Oils of the World and Wine Packaging Design Competitions have announced the results of judging that took place over the last three days, May 14-16. These competitions act as the official kick-off events for the L.A. County Fair, which will be held September 12 -28 at Fairplex in Pomona.
In this year’s competition, 87 judges from all over the world determined the winners of these prestigious awards, from more than 4,000 entries from 800 wineries around the world – the most ever for the oldest and largest event of its kind in the U.S.
Top awards for the competition are as follows: (A complete listing of the award winners in all categories will be posted at www.lacountyfair.com site May 20.)
•Best Wine of the Competition: Burnstein-Remark Winery, Monterey Grenache, 2001
•Best Red Wine of the Competition: Burnstein-Remark Winery, Monterey Grenache, 2001
•Best White Wine of the Competition: Beringer Stone Cellars, California Chardonnay, 2001
•Best Limited Production Red Wine: Rosenblum Cellars, Hillside Vineyards Syrah, 2001
•Best Limited Production White Wine: Isabella Montright Group, Celestium Moscato D’Asti, 2002
•Best Sparkling Wine: Mumm Cuvee, Blanc de Noir, Napa Valley
•Best Late Harvest Wine: Navarro Vineyards, White Riesling Cluster Select, 2001
•Best Dessert Wine: Mount Palomar Port, California Limited Reserve
•Best Vermouth and Others: Sake One Corporation, Sake, Moonstone, Asian Pear
In the competition for Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the domestic award went to Stella Cadente and the international award went to Blumenfeld, New Zealand Classic Blends. An international panel of experts sponsored by the California Olive Oil Council judged the nearly 200 entries – up more than 100 percent from last year, a clear reflection of the olive oil industry’s booming 20 percent per year growth.
With more than 4,000 entries from around the world, the trends seen in submissions to this prestigious event are as telling as the winners of the medals themselves, and are a clear response to the tastes consumers are moving toward. Following are the highlights:
•Largest increase in overall submissions: Syrah
•Other rapidly growing red wine submissions: Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Grenache, Barbera and Tempranillo.
•Leading red wine submissions continue to be: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
•Fastest growing white wine submission: Pinot Gris
•Leading white wine submission continues to be: Chardonnay – but style is much more fruit-forward and less oaky
•Red wine submissions topped white by 42 percent.
•Leading sparkling wine submission: Brut, the driest of champagnes
•Leading late harvest submission: Ice Wine
•Leading dessert wine submission: Port
•Leading aperitif submission flavor: Honey
•Leading flavored olive oil submission: Lemon
In addition to these honors, a special Lifetime Achievement award was presented to the Riboli Family, owners and operators of the historic San Antonio Winery, a downtown Los Angeles fixture since 1917. The family was honored for their longstanding commitment to the wine industry in Southern California, which spans three generations and over 85 years.
For wine lovers, the hard work of tasting thousands of wines is done – and trying the medal winners will be as easy as visiting Ralphs Grocery Stores, which is creating special in-store displays for gold-medal winners prior to the L.A. Count
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