The 2012 Sommelier Challenge
International Wine Competition
will be held September 15 and 16.

Sommelier Challenge III Winners

Winery of the Year
Eberle Winery, Paso Robles, California

Wine of the Year
&
Best of Show Dessert
Inniskillin 2007 Vidal Ice Wine, Niagara Peninsula ($60)

Best of Show Sparkling
Gloria Ferrer 2002 Royal Cuvee, Carneros ($32)

Best of Show White
&
Best Gewurztraminer
Sheldrake Point 2010 Gewurztraminer, Finger Lakes ($15)

Best of Show Red
&
Best Cabernet Sauvignon
Bracey Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain ($65)

Best of Show Fortified
Loel Winery Commandaria Alasia, Cyprus ($23)

COMPLETE 2011 RESULTS 

Inniskillin Finds the Sweet Spot

Robert Whitley
Creators Syndicate

The Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition ended on a sweet note Sunday in San Diego, as the distinguished panel of wine professionals voted an ice wine from Canada's Niagara Peninsula Wine of the Year at the annual event.

Though it faced stiff opposition in the championship round from an array of impressive wines from a number of the world's most well-regarded producers, the Inniskillin 2007 Vidal Ice Wine ($60) narrowly prevailed.

Ice wine, for the uninitiated, is a wine that is made from grapes picked after they've frozen on the vine, a technique that was originally perfected in Germany. The result is a wine that is very concentrated and intensely sweet. Ice wines are typically served after dinner with cheeses, or during the course of a meal with foie gras.

Ice wines are expensive to produce because yields are extremely low, which makes them a rare but expensive treat. Inniskillin entered three ice wines, and all three were voted Platinum awards and pushed forward into the championship round.

Sommelier Challenge III brought together a dozen sommeliers from New York, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Los Angeles and San Diego to judge 657 entries from 17 countries.

Among the top winners was perennial competition favorite Gloria Ferrer, which aced the vote for Best of Show sparkling wine with its 2002 Royal Cuvee Brut ($32), a wine that has had an impressive run in major wine competitions over the past two years. Gloria Ferrer also saw its 2008 Estate Chardonnay, Carneros ($18), advance to the finals.

Best of Show red wine was awarded to Bracey Vineyards for its 2006 Howell Mountain, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($65). To win Best Red, the Bracey had to survive a runoff that included Chateau St. Jean's 2007 Cinq Cepages, Sonoma County ($75), Col Solare 2007 Red Wine, Columbia Valley ($75) and Domaine Carneros 2008 Pinot Noir, The Famous Gate, Carneros ($68).

The Cinq Cepages and Col Solare had to settle for a tie as Best Bordeaux Blend, and Domaine's Carneros' The Famous Gate was the runaway winner as Best Pinot Noir.

Voting for Best of Show white wine produced a value gem from New York's Finger Lakes region, with a Sheldrake Point Vineyard 2010 Gewurztraminer ($15) emerging as the winner. This was a beautifully balanced white from perhaps America's premier growing region for this particular grape variety.

Sheldrake Point was a narrow winner in the vote for Best White over the Rodney Strong Vineyards 2009 Chardonnay Reserve, Russian River Valley ($35).

The category for Best Fortified also produced a very close vote, with the Commandaria Alasia, Cyprus ($23) prevailing by one vote over a beautiful sherry from Spain's Gonzalez Byass, the Solera 1847 Oloroso Dulce, Jerez ($20). The Cypriot winner was made in a sweet sherry style.

There were numerous other outstanding performances.

I've singled out some of the more interesting winners:

Eberle Winery of Paso Robles was named Winery of the Year. Eberle entered 14 wines and medaled with 13 of them, including a Platinum award for its 2007 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($34). As director, I evaluate the results and select the top performance based upon consistency and quality of awards. Besides the Platinum, Eberle earned Gold awards for its 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah ($29), its 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon ($75), its 2009 Steinbeck Vineyard Syrah ($21) and its 2010 Muscat Canelli ($14).

Barboursville Vineyards has long been among the top wineries in Virginia, and that fact was evident by the number of awards — six — that Barboursville racked up, as well as the quality of the awards. This sterling example of the potential for Virginia wine won four Gold awards: 2007 Octagon ($39.99), 2009 Cabernet Franc Reserve ($22.99), 2010 Viognier Reserve ($21.99) and 2010 Vermentino Reserve ($21.99). All of the Barboursville winners carry a Virginia appellation.

Jefferson Vineyards is another superb Virginia winery, and it's located on the site of Thomas Jefferson's original vineyard plantings. Jefferson scored Gold awards with its 2010 Chardonnay, Reserve Monticello ($21.95) and its 2010 Pinot Gris, Virginia ($18.95). They say Virginia is for wine lovers. Now I believe it.

Castello Banfi of Brunello di Montalcino fame and its sister property in the Chianti district of Tuscany swept eight awards, and six of those were Gold. Castello Banfi won Gold with the 2007 Belnero Proprietor's Reserve, Toscana IGT ($39), the 2006 Brunello di Montalcino DOCG ($55) and the 2009 San Angelo Pinot Grigio, Toscana IGT ($17). The Chianti wing of Banfi took Gold awards for its 2009 Chianti DOCG Superiore ($11), the 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG ($18) and the 2008 Centine Rosso, Toscana IGT ($11).

Bouchaine Vineyards of the Napa Valley's Carneros district only entered four wines but claimed two Platinums with its 2008 Estate Pinot Noir ($30) and its 2009 Estate Chardonnay ($25). The 2010 Bouche d'Or Chardonnay ($30) won Gold.

Winery at Holy Cross Abbey acquitted itself well, representing the growing Colorado wine industry with five awards, including Platinum for a 2009 Cabernet Franc ($29) and a 2008 Syrah Reserve ($30). Both of those wines carry the Colorado appellation on the label.

Rodney Strong Vineyards of Sonoma County was among the first California wineries to take chardonnay seriously and plant it copiously. As a result, chardonnay has always been a Rodney Strong strength. That manifest itself in the Best Chardonnay award with its 2009 Chardonnay Reserve, Russian River Valley ($35). It was a very good weekend for Rodney Strong, winning 10 medals overall.

Parallel Vineyards of the Napa Valley entered two wines and walked off with Platinum and Gold for its two stellar Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons, the Estate ($125) and the Napa Valley ($55). The winemaker is the renowned Philippe Melka.

Follow Robert on Twitter at @wineguru.

Photos by Karen MacDonald

These Somms Know Value

ROBERT WHITLEY
Creators Syndicate

You wouldn't ordinarily think value when seeking a wine recommendation from a professional sommelier. After all, they dwell in the rarefied air of Napa Valley cult wines, trendy Garagiste Bordeaux and the occasional 100-point bottle that would surely make you gasp at the price.

Of course, that's the stereotype. The reality is somewhat different. The wave of hip, young sommeliers now managing large wine inventories in top-notch restaurants from New York to San Francisco has grasped the art of the deal. For proof, thumb through the wine list the next time you dine out and order the least expensive bottle.

You might be surprised. It has been my experience that the best sommeliers pride themselves on discovering inexpensive gems. That was so true at the recent Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition in San Diego. To be sure, big-ticket wines such as Parallel Estate Cabernet Sauvignon ($135), Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages ($75) and Archery Summit Pinot Noir ($100) swept their share of the awards, but there were an impressive number of winners that retail for $20 or less.

One judge, Lisa Redwine, wine director at both the Marine Room and The Shores in La Jolla, Calif., enthusiastically confided in me that her panel had tasted several outstanding Spanish cavas. The significance is that Redwine understands that most cava is not very expensive by sparkling wine standards. Didn't matter; she loved them.

This aroused my curiosity in what I would consider the "value" winners from the 2011 Sommelier Challenge. There are too many of these wines to comment on each one individually, so I have culled out a number of those that I personally found interesting and that I believe might be easily sourced.

The largest group of value winners came from Italy, which immediately got my attention because Italian cuisine is such an important segment of our restaurant culture.

Banfi was a huge winner with four medals for its inexpensive lineup of Chianti and red Tuscan blends that retail between $11 and $18. The 2008 Centine Rosso ($11) and 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva ($18) are personal favorites. Cecchi scored a Platinum Award with its 2008 Chianti Classico ($13) and a Silver with its 2009 Bonzio Sangiovese di Maremma ($9).

Ruffino, which won Best Chianti with the 2007 Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico ($24.99), took three additional awards with wines that retail for less than $12 a bottle.
 
And anyone looking for tasty but inexpensive bubbly for the holidays can quench that thirst with either the Maschio Brut Prosecco ($13), which won a Gold Award, or the Caposaldo Prosecco DOC ($15), which won a Silver. Caposaldo also won Gold for its Chianti and Pinot Grigio, both at $10.

The most medaled wines among the bubblies, however, were the cavas. Freixenet walked off with the award for Best Cava with its Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut Cava ($18), and three other medals, including two Golds.

Segura Viudas had a Platinum winner with its Aria Brut Cava ($14) as well as a Gold and Silver award for its Aria Pinot Noir Brut ($14) and Brut Reserva Heredad ($20).

Value in the southern hemisphere was well represented by Australia's Wakefield winery, from the Barossa Valley, which took eight medals, seven of those with wines that retail for $16.99 or less. It won Gold with its 2010 Clare Valley Riesling, 2009 South Australia Chardonnay and 2008 Clare Valley Shiraz, all priced at $16.99.

Argentina had a tremendous value wine in the Amalaya 2009 Vino Tinto de Altura, Valle Calchaqui ($17), which won a Platinum Award. New Zealand achieved nice value wins with a Gold for the Starborough 2010 Savignon Blanc, Marlborough ($13) and a Silver for the 2008 Boro Hills Pinot Noir, Central Otago ($9.99). Chile scored with a Silver for the Emiliana 2010 Natura Sauvignon Blanc, Valle de Casablanca ($9).

On the domestic front, I was pleased to see Alma Rosa take a Silver with its 2009 Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County ($19). Don't let the screw cap fool you; this is a first-class wine from the legendary vintner, Richard Sanford.

The most impressive performance by a domestic winery, in terms of value, was turned in my Navarro Vineyards of Mendocino County. Navarro is a family run winery in Mendocino's Anderson Valley that has a long track record for quality wine at a reasonable price.

Navarro won five awards, including Best Riesling with the 2010 Anderson Valley Riesling ($18), and three Gold Awards (Muscat Blanc, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris), all from the 2010 vintage and all priced at $19.

Estancia, located in Monterey County, picked up six awards, including Gold for its 2009 Pinnacles Ranches Chardonnay ($11.99). Estancia's five Silver winners (for Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc) range in price from $11.99 to $15.99.

Having tasted almost all of these winning wines myself, the bottom line for me is that the Sommeliers pretty much got it right, regardless of price.

Follow Robert on Twitter at @wineguru. To find out more about Robert Whitley and read more of his Wine Talk columns, visit the Creators Syndicate website at Creators.com.

Marketing Your Sommelier Challenge Awards

Just about everyone who owns a winery loves to say their wines are award winning. To be sure, a significant number of the wines entered in the 2011 Sommelier Challenge will win something. The statistical average over the past two years has been about 55 percent.

What that tells us is that the skill of the grape grower and the winemaker is at a very high level at this time, creating a climate in the marketplace that is fiercely competitive. There are so many good wines that a consumer almost doesn’t know which wine to choose. An award from the Sommelier Challenge is a valuable tool in this scenario and could be just the thing that puts your wine over the top in today’s market.

What’s more, wines that advance to the championship round of the Sommelier judging will receive extensive coverage at Wine Review Online (www.winereviewonline.com) and in Director Robert Whitley’s nationally syndicated Wine Talk column, which is distributed by the Creators Syndicate (www.creators.com). The Sommelier Challenge also offers additional awards for Best of Category and Wine and/or Winery of the Year.

These accolades can be utilized for marketing purposes through print and social media, as well as on your website.
Success at the Sommelier Challenge is something you can build upon, and there’s a good chance that if your wine rises all the way to the top, hundreds of thousands if not millions of potential customers will get the news.

Entering the Sommelier Challenge is a tremendous marketing opportunity at an affordable price. Don’t miss it.

Follow Sommelier Challenge on Twitter:  @SommelierChall