The largest competition of American wines in the world, the SFCWC this year featured 4, 736 wines entered by wineries from 26 states, and evaluated by 55 judges in the course of a 4-day contest… Math has never been my favorite subject, but even a rough estimate points to some superhuman numbers of wine consumption… It all came to a glorious finale at the sold out Annual Public Tasting, held in the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion last Saturday, February 28. An hour into the celebration, there was not a face without a smile, the laughter was becoming lauder by the minute, and polite apologies were offered more and more frequently for some unsteady chance encounters. The majority of 2009 Sweepstake Awards went to California venues, and the winners were: Sparkling from Sparking Pointe of Long Island, NY; White from Ventana Vineyards of Monterey, Ca; Pink from South Coast Winery of Temecula, CA; Red from Caliza Winery of Paso Robles, CA and DH Lescombes of Mimbres Valley, NM; and Dessert Wine from Geyser Peak Winery of Geyserville, CA. In this reporter’s unofficial contest, the winners all came from the state of California, a.k.a. as a state of joie de vivre: Cinnabar Winery (Saratoga); Three Clicks (Yountville); Crazy Flower Wines (Napa), and Dancing Bull (Healdsburg). Among the food presenters stood out: Artisan Sonoma Foie Gras (as usual) with owner Junny Gonzalez in person, spreading her amazing product on baguette slices for all to enjoy; Fabrique Delices (predictably) with their mind-boggling array of pates and rillettes; Live Gourmet (“living” arugula leaves); Mrs. A’s Famous Salsa Buena; La Bella Olives; Spindel Farms Pomegranate Vinegar; Sartain’s Menu The Sauce, PCS fennel pollen spice blends, and absolutely irresistible tea-infused chocolate truffles from The Tea Room. Non-alcoholic beverages of choice: Clover Kefir; Vignette Wine Country Soda, and Nana Mae’s Organics fruit juices. More information at: www.winejudging.com. Photography by Yuri Krasov.
0 comments:
Post a Comment