Judges

moreJessica Altieri http://www.winechanneltv.tv/ CS, CEO WineChannelTV | Chicago, IL “America’s Social Wine Ambassador”, Ms. Altieri, 27, is a leading online wine social media and video pioneer, traveling the world to spread the conversation about wine in a non-pretentious way. Ms. Altieri is the founder, CEO and Certified Sommelier for WineChannelTVand has worked with some of the world’s leading wine brands, governments and trade associations: • Wine Lifestyle Correspondent for ABC7 Chicago, Windy City Live • Selected as the 2012 “Wine with Walgreens” Up-Market Grand Opening and Lifestyle Experience promotional partner for in-store and online Social Media campaigns with a Facebook Fan reach of over 1 million fans and a retail store base of over 7000 stores. • Named as the Official Wine Ambassador for the Sears Kenmore Live Studio in Chicago (over 400,000 Facebook Fans) • Social Wine Ambassador for the world famous Saratoga Wine and Food & Fall Ferrari Festival. • Selected as Social Wine Ambassador host for the Italian Trade Commission and Vino 2011 and 2010 events; largest Italian Wine Festivals in the USA. • Selected as the online Social Media and video host for Inaugural (2011) and 2nd Annual (2012) New Zealand Wine Day.
moreJamie Arevalo www.gallo.com Certified Specialist of Wine | E&J Gallo Winery Jamie is a graduate of Fresno State University’s enology program and spent the first part of her career in both retail and on-premise wine sales. She worked on the international winemaking team for five years and recently transitioned into Product Development. Jamie has continued her studies by becoming a Certified Specialist of Wine and is currently pursuing her Master of Wine Credential. Jamie lives in Modesto, CA with her husband and their two dogs.
moreJohn Ash www.chefjohnash.com Chef/Author/Food & Wine Instructor | Sonoma County, CA Many refer to Chef John Ash as the “Father of Wine Country Cuisine”. In 1980 he opened his namesake restaurant, John Ash & Company, in Santa Rosa, CA. He co-hosted a radio show for 26 years in Northern California. He also hosted two shows on the Food Network. John is an adjunct instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley. In 2008 John was voted “Cooking School Teacher of the Year” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. John is a champion of sustainable food issues, having served on the Board of the Chef’s Collaborative, as well the Board of Seafood Watch, an educational initiative of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. John has written 3 books: John Ash Cooking One-on-One which won a 2005 James Beard award. He has authored two other books: From the Earth to the Table and American Game Cooking. The former was awarded the IACP Julia Child Cookbook of the Year. His new book: Culinary Birds will be published by Running Press Books in fall of 2013. John has consulted for Del Monte Foods, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Brown Forman Corporation, Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, Viking River Cruises, and more.
moreNicole Bacigalupi www.johntylerwines.com/tag/bacigalupi-vineyards? Certified Sommelier/Grower Relations - Bacigalupi Vineyards | Healdsburg, CA Nicole is the third generation from the famous Bacigalupi Vineyards; the family has been growing grapes in the Russian River Valley for over 55 years. Nicole started her love for the wine industry at an early age. Growing up on the ranch and watching her father and grandfather develop their property from barren land with a few prune trees to what it is today, has been an inspiration for her to continue the family legacy. After high school she attended San Diego State University receiving a Business degree with an emphasis in Marketing. She gained real world experience by heading out on the road and building accounts with retail outlets and restaurants all over California, Washington DC, Chicago, Texas and New York. Nicole spent 4 years working with Silver Oak Cellars learning all aspects of the wine business. In 2008 she received her sommelier certification and worked along several wine educators in both Napa and Sonoma. In 2011 the Bacigalupi family opened a public tasting room for their brand John Tyler Wines. Currently Nicole along with her twin sister, Katey manage the daily operations, wine club and marketing for the tasting room located in the Russian River Valley.
moreJenne Baldwin-Eaton www.plumcreekwinery.com Winemaker, Plum Creek Winery | Palisade, CO Jenne Baldwin-Eaton, Winemaker, Plum Creek Winery As Plum Creek's winemaker since 1998 Jenne has produced scores of awardwinning wines from Colorado-grown grapes. It was Plum Creek, which pioneered the state’s commitment to locally sourced grapes, and Jenne has been at the fore in creating the sense of place unique to Colorado. She started at Plum Creek in 1994 as a lab technician with a chemistry background from Chico State University. For almost 20 years Jenne has been prominent in developing winemaking techniques specific to the special challenges of grapes grown at high altitudes of up to 6,100 feet. In the field she works closely with local Colorado grape growers to ensure optimum crop conditions, in addition to overseeing dayto- day operations at the winery to ensure quality and consistency. In addition to receiving numerous awards in international and national wine competitions for her Plum Creek wines, Jenne was featured in a recent New York Times article focusing on western Colorado wineries and is a popular speaker on AAA Wine Trains. Jenne is aided and abetted in her adventuresome spirit by her husband Jon, who joins her on river-rafting explorations of the Colorado River.
moreHeidi Barrett http://www.barrettwines.com/ Winemaker, Barrett & Barrett Wines | Napa Valley, CA Heidi Peterson Barrett grew up in the Napa Valley in a winemaking family and was destined to become one of the world’s foremost winemakers. It is said that winemaking is a combination of science and art. With her father a scientist-winemaker and her mother an artist, it’s no surprise that Heidi’s natural born talents led her to the wine industry. With great enthusiasm, a love for what she does, and an abundance of experience, Heidi’s instinctive gift of integrating the art and science of winemaking is unparalleled. During her High School years Heidi’s summers were spent in the vineyards and wineries diligently working every task from sorting vine cuttings to working on the bottling line. She continued her formal education in fermentation science at UC Davis. While at Davis she was an assistant to Dr. Ann Noble, developer of the aroma wheel. It was during a college internship at a large winery in Germany that Heidi learned the art of making balanced wines, no matter what the variety. After graduating from U.C. Davis in 1980 with a B.S. degree in Fermentation Science, she went to work for Justin Meyer at Franciscan Vineyards and Silver Oak Cellars. In 1981, after subsequent crush jobs at Lindeman’s Wines in Australia and Rutherford Hill in Napa Valley, Heidi became assistant winemaker to Jerry Luper at Bouchaine Vineyards. In 1983, at age 25, she became winemaker at Buehler Vineyards. Wearing the title of winemaker for the first time, Heidi attracted critical acclaim by integrating her unique style of winemaking. Demand for the wines grew, allowing Buehler to more than triple their production to 20,000 cases. This wide range of hands-on experience has given Heidi a distinctive approach to winemaking. “It is important to have diverse knowledge in all aspects of winemaking. You can’t just step in and be the winemaker unless you have adequate experience in the cellar and the vineyards. I wanted to make sure that when I finally had the title of winemaker, I had earned it.” In 1988, she left Buehler to become an independent winemaker, consulting for a number of small wineries. Within a week she was hired by Gustav Dalle Valle at Dalle Valle Vineyards where she remained as winemaker until the spring of 1996. It was there she took her talents to the next level, creating wines of “cult” status. Her powerful yet elegant Cabernets from Dalle Valle Vineyards include the famous proprietary blend “Maya” which received perfect 100 point scores in two consecutive vintages ( ’92 and ’93) from Robert Parker and record-breaking bids at the Napa Valley Wine Auction. In 1992 she began making wine for Screaming Eagle, her most celebrated and, undoubtedly, her most successful project to date. The 1992 and 1997 vintages garnered another set of perfect 100’s from Parker. A 6-liter bottle of the ’92 Screaming Eagle set a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction selling for $500,000. A vertical offering sold for $650,000 at the 2001 NVWA. These coveted accolades coupled with her philosophy of winemaking have earned her such great respect from Robert Parker, Jr. that he tipped his hat by proclaiming her the “The First Lady of Wine” and TIME magazine dubbed her “The Wine Diva of Napa Valley”. Heidi, who loves the ocean and especially SCUBA diving, began making wines under her own label, La Sirena, in 1994. “I was looking for a name for my wine which would be fun and magical. La Sirena, which means “the Mermaid” in Italian and Spanish is a lovely expression of my two great passions!” Heidi’s winemaking style lends itself so seamlessly to the Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, her proprietary Pirate TreasuRed blend, and dry Muscat Canelli (Moscato Azul) she hand-crafts for La Sirena. The La Sirena Cabernet Sauvignon follows the same winemaking style and blend that she made in the past for Screaming Eagle. Since 1988 she has developed an impressive client list of ultra-premium wineries. In addition to her very own wines from La Sirena, she is currently the winemaker for Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Lamborn, Kenzo Estate, Au Sommet, Vin Perdu, and Fantesca. Past winemaking clients include Screaming Eagle(14 years), Dalla Valle(8 years), Jones Family(12 years), Grace Family(6 years), Vineyard 29(6 years), David Arthur, Barbour Vineyards(15 years), Revana (10 years) and Showket(12 years). As well as her winemaking talents, Heidi is an accomplished artist and helicopter pilot and lives in Calistoga with her husband, Bo (winemaker at Chateau Montelena) and their two daughters, Remi and Chelsea.
moreDan Barwick http://www.prwinery.com/ Winemaker, Paradise Ridge Winery | Sonoma County, CA Dan Barwick was born in Dover, England. Since the age of 16, Dan has worked in the food and beverage industry. From 1978 thru 1987 he worked as a manager in the famous ‘Harrods Food Halls’ in Knightsbridge, London, where he also got his first taste of fine wine. In 1991 Dan moved to Sonoma County and did his first harvest as a cellar worker at Matanzas Creek Winery, this is when his passion for wine really evolved. From 1992 to 1995, Dan worked in the cellar at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery, while also completing several wine and viticulture courses at UC Davis and the Santa Rosa Junior College. It was in one of these courses he met his future bride, Sonia Byck, and they were married in 1995. In May 1996, Sonia and Dan began a two year journey throughout the world visiting and working in different areas within the wine industry. Their travels included harvests in Burgundy, France, Stellenbosch, South Africa, Sydney, Australia and the Barossa Valley, Australia. In 1998 they returned home and Dan took on the responsibilities of ‘winemaker’ for Paradise Ridge Winery. Over the last few years Dan has become a consultant winemaker for various wineries including Trecini Cellars, Gann Family Winery, Vin Nostro, Rio Piedra and Robert Rue Vineyards. Dan is a wine judge for numerous wine competitions in Northern California and occasionally moonlights as a wine educator at the Santa Rosa Junior College. In his spare time Dan enjoys cooking, gardening, wine & food tasting and pairing, home improvements and studying the wine industry. He also loves spending time with his 9 year old daughter Sophia and 7 year old son, Jonathan.
moreCorey Beck www.franciscoppolawinery.com Director of Winemaking/General Manager, Francis Ford Coppola Winery | Sonoma County, CA Director of Winemaking and General Manager Corey Beck has more than 20 years of experience in the wine industry. Corey began his career in viticulture quite by accident, tagging alongside his grandfather who was the vineyard manager for Napa Valley’s renowned Chateau Montelena. Born and raised in Calistoga, Corey spent summer vacations working in the vineyards. Upon earning his degree in Fermentation Science from the University of California at Davis, Corey returned to Chateau Montelena as their Cabernet Sauvignon Cellar Master, working with grapes his grandfather had planted in the 1970s – from the same vineyards that gained international recognition in the famous Judgment of Paris tasting. Wanting to broaden his repertoire, Corey joined Inglenook (formerly Rubicon Estate, Niebaum-Coppola) in 1998 as their assistant winemaker. In 2006, the Coppola family purchased the historic Château Souverain property in Sonoma County, providing a home for the ever-popular Diamond Collection wines, and appointed Corey as director of winemaking and general manager. In the four years following what would become Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Corey worked alongside Francis to help revitalize the property and expand the wine operation. In 2010, after extensive renovations, the winery debuted new tasting rooms, two restaurants, a swimming pool, a movie gallery, a performing arts Pavilion and a park area with game tables and bocce courts. Not only did Corey oversee major components of the hospitality renovation, he also made improvements to the bottling line and winemaking facility. He grew the wine portfolio into the ten distinct wine brands available today. His personal vision for Sonoma County wines can been seen in brands such as Francis Coppola Reserve, Director's Cut and Director's, showcasing Sonoma County’s unique appellations and vineyards. In addition to managing a compelling destination winery, Corey and his team have created a strong grower relations program that their growers rely on and admire. From their hands-on techniques in the vineyards to their valuable winemaking goals and analytical feedback, Corey and his team are often regarded as leaders in the wine industry, known for their innovative and engaging approach to their network of 150+ grapegrowers. A respected member of the Sonoma County community, Corey currently serves as vice president of the Sonoma County Vintners and is a member of the board of directors of the Alexander Valley Winegrowers association. When asked about his true winemaking passion, Corey’s answer is always Petite Sirah. It’s not just Corey’s favorite varietal, it was a passion of his grandfather’s and one of the primary reasons Corey chose winemaking as a career. “Harvest is not only about turning grapes into wine, but it’s a reflection of Mother Nature’s work throughout the growing season.”– Corey Beck
moreDan Berger http://www.vintageexperiences.com Writer, Columnist | Santa Rosa, CA Dan Berger began writing about wine in 1976 and has been nationally syndicated since 1979. He and his wife, Juliann Savage, also publish a private weekly wine newsletter, Dan Berger’s Vintage Experiences, available by subscription. He contributes articles to Wines & Vines, Decanter Magazine, the privately published California Grapevine, Wine Press Northwest, trade journals Cheers and Beverage Dynamics, Sommelier Journal, and numerous others. He recently was project editor for the book North American Wine Routes for Reader’s Digest. Mr. Berger was a reporter for The Associated Press from 1967 to 1976. He joined the San Diego Union in 1978 and wrote three wines columns per week for the newspaper and Copley News Service. He was subsequently Business Editor and wine columnist for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat; was syndicated by The New York Times Syndicate, and later full-time wine columnist and reporter for the Los Angeles Times. In 1996, he began publishing Vintage Experiences, a weekly newsletter on wine and food, which continues to this day. Mr. Berger also has been a restaurant reviewer for two publications as well as a judge at numerous international wine competitions. He also runs the Riverside International Wine Competition and the Long Beach Grand Cru wine competition. Among his honors are the Wines & Vines Wine Writer of the Year award; the Father Junipero Serra Award of the California Wine Patrons of Los Angeles; the Wine Literary Award, presented by the Wine Appreciation Guild, and was the 2010 Wine Writers Hall of Fame honoree of the Wine Media Guild in New York. Three of his five books have been on wine.
moreWilliam S. Bloxsom-Carter Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage | Playboy Mansion, Los Angeles, CA Mr. Bloxsom-Carter has been creating extraordinary food and exclusive wine offerings for Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion parties for over 27 years to 100,000 guests annually. Chef Carter’s philosophy is to bring out the best flavors in food products from beginning to end with minimal intervention and uncompromising standards. At the Playboy Mansion, Chef Carter has developed an internship/externship program with culinary schools nationwide. The program has garnered an exceptional reputation as the preeminent host facility for students. Additionally, Chef Carter is a recurring featured guest on numerous radio shows syndicated nationwide describing and promoting California wines and foods. Chef Carter completed intensive studies with the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company focusing on their Gold Standards of Hospitality Service to enhance the hospitality experience to all guests attending corporate and charity events at the Playboy Mansion. He attended Florida Institute of Technology for his undergraduate studies. He enhanced his education in hospitality related studies at UC Los Angeles Extension. Additionally, he has successfully completed UC Davis Extension classes in enology studies. He serves as a professional wine judge at competitions throughout California. In June 1999, he received the PEI AWARD from Ms. Christie Hefner, former Chief Executive Officer of Playboy Enterprises. In April 2002, Chef Carter received the esteemed Auguste Escoffier Medal of Merit from the American Culinary Federation. For the past four years, the Bakersfield College Foundation has featured Chef Carter as the Guest Chef for their annual Sterling Silver Dinner, netting over $64,000 for student scholarships in the culinary arts program. Chef Carter serves as an industry faculty advisor to Pacifica High School in the Oxnard Unified School District and Los Angeles Harbor College. Additionally, his lectures at Glendale Community College are standing room only by the students in the hospitality program.
moreBob Blumber Television Personality | Hollywood Hills, CA Gastronaut, artist and seven time Guinness World Record holder Bob Blumer is the creator and host of the television series Surreal Gourmet, and Glutton for Punishment, and host of World’s Weirdest Restaurants. His shows air in over twenty countries world-wide. Blumer transforms ordinary ingredients into wow-inspiring dishes through simple cooking methods and whimsical presentations that have become his culinary trademark. He is the author of five acclaimed cookbooks and is co-author of the best-selling Pizza on the Grill (just released in it’s second edition). Publishers Weekly summed up his most recent book Glutton for Pleasure as: “equal parts memoir, lavish art book, multi-genre soundtrack and culinary tour de force” Bob is an ambassador for Toronto’s Second Harvest and an active shareholder in Victoria Gin. In 2013 he returned to his artistic roots, creating a show of 25 surreal wine glasses and decanters that he exhibited in Napa, CA, and designing a Surreal Gourmet Suite for Toronto’s legendary Gladstone Hotel. When he is not traveling for work or pleasure—which is most of the time—the transplanted Canadian cycles daily in the canyons near his home in the Hollywood Hills, doing his best to stay in shape for his next big adventure.
moreTom Bohr Wine Judge | California Tom Bohr has been a wine enthusiast for over fifteen years. His love of the vine prompted him to enter the amateur division of the California Wine Tasting Championships, a “blind” competition involving identification of wines. After winning the title at that level, he was soon graduated to the professional division, normally inhabited by winemakers, sommeliers, and wine salespersons. He is a six-time winner in the pro division. Tom has also enjoyed judging wines at California State Fair, Central Coast Wine Competition, Riverside International Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru Competition, and the Orange County Fair Home Winemaker’s Competition.
moreVirginie Boone Wine Writer | Santa Rosa, CA Boone is a contributing reviewer of California wines for the Wine Enthusiast with a focus on Mendocino, Lake, Lodi, Livermore, Contra Costa, the Sierra Foothills and South Coast. She also writes about wine, beer and spirits for the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Zester Daily and Uncorked.
moreWesley Box Founder, Source Marketing Group | San Francisco Bay Area Founder Source Marketing Group, wine brokers; Viticulture and winemaking experience 2009-2012 at Arista Vineyards, and Red Car Wine Company. Wine Director: Vin-Antico restaurant and Wine Bar San Rafael Ca.
moreCarrie Boyle www.totalwine.com General Manager/Buyer, Total Wine & More | Sacramento, CA Carrie Boyle, who holds a certificate from the Master Court of Sommeliers, has been a general manager and buyer for Total Wine & More since 2007. For the ten years prior to that, Carrie owned and managed two small fine wine shops in the Sacramento region. Carrie has also participated as a wine judge in the CA State Fair.
moreCarl Brandhorst http://www.aswawines.org/ President of the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association (ASWA) | Fairfax, VA Carl is currently the President of the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association (ASWA) (formerly the Vinifera Wine Growers Association (VWGA)), a trade group that helps promote the wine industry. He has served as Chairman of the July 2005-2014 Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competitions sponsored by ASWA. Carl is also a past President of the Washington, DC Chapter of the German Wine Society. Carl is a longstanding member of the American Wine Society (AWS) and a graduate of the AWS wine judge program. As the current AWS Regional Vice President for Virginia, he assists in the formation of new chapters and supports current chapters through educational seminars. He is also a founding member (1988) of the Nation’s Capital Chapter of the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Vine (KOV), an international wine organization in which he holds the cadre title of Charge d’Affaires. Carl has been an active member of the Dionysian International Wine Society since 2002. He was a member of the Society of Wine Educators from 1985 to 2008; further, he is a graduate of courses at the Austrian Wine Academy (Rust-1998) and the German Wine Academy (Geisenheim-1999). He is an honorary member of a number of international wine organizations: the Slovenian Knighthood of Wines (Ljubljana-2003); the Confraria del Cava Sant Sadurni (Barcelona-2006); the Federation Suisse des Confreries Bachiques et Gastronomiques (Morges-2007); the Wine Guild of the United Kingdom (London-2008); the Confrerie Vinum Regum Rex Vinorum de Tokaj (2010) and the Serbian Wine Brotherhood (Belgrade-2012). Carl has participated as a judge in a number of annual wine competitions, specifically, the AWS commercial and amateur competitions (2000-2011); the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Farm Winery competitions; the former VWGA Virginia competition (2002/2003); the San Francisco Chronicle competition in Cloverdale, CA (2002-2014); the Wines of the South competition in Knoxville, TN (2004 & 2011); the New York Finger Lakes International Competition in Rochester, NY (2006/2008/2010-2012); the Grand Harvest ( 2012); and the Sonoma County Harvest Fair Wine Competition (2007-2009 & 2011-2014), U,S. National Wine Competition (2013) and the International East Meets West (2014). Carl travels extensively to wine regions in the United States, and has visited wine areas in Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Carl is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and holds Master Degrees in International Relations (American University) and Public Administration (George Washington University). He currently resides in Virginia.
moreThrace Bromberger www.villasanjuliette.com Proprietor - Gustavo Thrace Winery/General Manager - Villa San-Juliette | Napa/Paso Robles Thrace began her wine adventures by founding GustavoThrace winery in Napa in 1996. This boutique winery rose to national attention when her partner, Gustavo Brambila, was characterized in the movie “Bottle Shock” for his role as assistant winemaker at Chateau Montelena during the famous “Judgement of Paris.” After 30 years in Napa the siren song of a new wine region lured her down to Paso Robles. She joined the team at the newly opened Villa San-Juliette in San Miguel, owned by television’s most successful producers, Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe. At Villa San-Juliette Thrace manages the tasting room and hospitality for the winery. She began wine-judging in 1998 and judges at several competitions a yea
moreJeanne Burgess www.seavin.com/ Vice-President/ Director Winemaking Operations, Seavin, Inc. | Florida Jeanne Burgess provides the technical direction for Seavin, Incorporated, Florida’s largest wine growing enterprise. The company operates two award-winning wineries, Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards in Clermont and San Sebastian Winery in St. Augustine, Florida. Burgess first became interested in winemaking while helping her father establish a ten-acre vineyard in Florida. She received a bachelor’s degree in education from Florida State University and completed post-graduate studies in enology and viticulture at Mississippi State University. Over the last 30 years Burgess has been instrumental in developing Florida grape products, including the release of Florida’s first commercial bottle-fermented muscadine sparkling wine, muscadine port, and muscadine grape juice product. In addition to winemaking, Burgess has taken an active role in directing the positive growth of the industry, serving on the Florida Grape Growers Association, the State Viticulture and Agriculture Advisory Councils, and judging at numerous state and international wine competitions.
moreDr. Christian E. Butzke Professor of Enology, Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana Dr. Christian Butzke is a Professor of Enology in the United States’ elite food science department at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. He is past president of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and chief judge of the Indy International, one of the largest wine competitions in the US. His Extension responsibilities include the planning and teaching of a wide variety of professional education programs for winemakers as well as individual winery consultations. He is the editor of the technical book “Winemaking Problems Solved” for commercial winemakers, and author of the textbook “Wine Appreciation” written for the over 300 students he teaches every semester. Prior to teaching at Purdue, Dr. Butzke was Director of Winemaking for Sakonnet Vineyards in coastal New England. An award-winning commercial winemaker and one of the leading enologists in the US, he has been featured in the Economist, the Financial Times, Wine Spectator, Rolling Stone Magazine, Food and Wine, and many other publications. Prior to making wines professionally, he was a tenured faculty member in the world-renowned Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis where he conducted his well-known research on wine shipping conditions, cork taint, and wine yeast nutrition. Professor Butzke is the co-founder of the Joint Burgundy-California-Oregon Winemaking Symposia, and served on the managing committee for the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, the largest annual conference for the American wine industry.
moreTina Caputo www.winereviewonline.com Editor-in-Chief, Vineyard & Winery Management magazine and Columnist, Wine Review Online | Sonoma County, CA Before joining Vineyard & Winery Management magazine in 2008, Caputo spent five years as the managing editor at Wines & Vines magazine. She began her career at the Wine Institute, and went on to work in public relations/communications for international wine importer Maisons Marques & Domaines USA. Throughout her career she has written about wine as a freelancer for publications including the San Francisco Chronicle, Harpers Wine & Spirit (UK) and Decanter. Since 2007 she has been a monthly columnist for Wine Review Online (www.winereviewonline.com).
moreJim Caudill http://www.hesscollection.com/ Public Relations & Hospitality, The Hess Collection | Napa, CA Jim Caudill oversees public relations and hospitality for The Hess Collection, including sister wineries on four continents, including Peter Lehmann (Australia), Glen Carlou (South Africa), Colomé and Amalaya (Argentina) as well as Pinot Noir specialists Sequana and MacPhail Family Wines and Mendocino’s Artezin. His work in the tourism industry early in his career, where the intersection of food & wine was well underway, led to his interest in wine and a now two-decade old career as consultant and in-house marketing communications director for several notable wine companies, wine organizations and wineries. He began his career as a newspaper reporter, and continues to contribute to trade magazines as a journalist. His assignments have taken him to wine growing regions in France, Italy, Chile and Argentina, as well as throughout California. He has judged regularly at the San Francisco Chronicle, Grand Harvest, West Coast Wine, International Eastern, San Diego and Green wine competitions and is a member of the Wine Century Club.
moreRené Chazottes http://www.pacificclub.org/html/ Director of Wine & Mâitre Sommelier | The Pacific Club, Newport Beach, CA In 1988 René Chazottes was pronounced “Best Sommelier” in the United States. He also is the only Frenchman outside of Europe to hold the title “Mâitre Sommelier” and the title of “Commandeur” in the International Association of Masters counsel in French Gastronomies. Originally from Madagascar, following private schooling in France and Switzerland, René Chazottes first set foot in the United States in 1967. René’s career prospered and the following are some of his achievements. He is Founder and Member of the Board of Directors of The Sommelier Association of California and Former Vice President of The Sommelier Society of America. Mr. Chazottes does judging for Sommelier contests both in the United States and France. He is also a sought after jurist for wine, chef, and sommelier competitions at such well known events as Cofradia del Vino de Baja California (Wine Society of Baja California), Club Managers Association of America, Dallas Wine Competition, Grand Harvest Terrior, Santa Rosa Wine Judging, Indiana International Wine Judging, The Los Angeles County Fair, The Long Beach Grand Cru, Michigan Wine Competition, Missouri National Wine Judging, New York State Wine, Pacific Rim International Wine Competition, Riverside County National Wine Competition, San Diego National Wine Competition, West Coast International Wine Judging. Guest speaking engagements and appearances include Aspen, The Kapalua Wine Symposium, Polytechnic University, Pomona, The Society of Wine Educators and The School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at California State. He has been featured in the New York Times, Wine Country Living, USA Today, The Orange County Reporter, Santé Magazine, Decanter Magazine, and formerly was the director of the tasting panel for the Underground Wine Journal. Mr. Chazottes also conducts wine and gastronomic tours in Argentina, Australia, California, Chile, France, Italy, Mexico, New York, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and Washington.
moreJil E. Child . Partner of Wine Tours of the World & Wine Competition Coordinator V&WM | Sonoma County, CA Jil earned a B.A. in Economics, schooled in business wine from Sonoma State University and is a certified Sommelier. She is also a partner and owner of Wine Tours of the World, a full service, global wine tour company specializing in custom wine vacations. For nine years, she was employed by Kendall Jackson Wine Estates, performing many different positions within the company, such as sales, distribution, education and private wine tasting tours and events. Her 16-year winery and hospitality experience has given her the opportunity to teach Introduction to Tasting Room Management, an extended education/certificate program at Sonoma State University. Jil also enjoys consulting within the wine industry and is both a panel coordinator and professional wine judge with various wine competitions throughout California. As a Sommelier, she studies very intensely in hopes of one day becoming a “Master of Wine.” She also has worldwide travel experience having worked as a vacation and leisure travel agent for 15 years and occasionally can be spotted pouring the fabulous wines in the Paradise Ridge tasting room, located in Fountain Grove. During the day, she is Wine Competition Coordinator at the multi-media magazine, Vineyard & Winery Management.
moreTami Collins Winemaker, De La Montanya Estate Vineyards & Winery | Healdsburg, CA Tami Collins is an aficionado of red wines, and she particularly enjoys working with pinot noir, zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon based blends. She favors the art of wine blending because it demands a bit of science and a lot of creativity. Tami has a B.S. degree in Environmental Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara but her entire working career of 18 years has been at a winery. In 1996, newly graduated from college, new to Sonoma County and in need of a job, Tami took a seasonal job as a harvest lab technician at Associated Vintage Group, a custom crush winery. At the conclusion of harvest, hopeful to pursue her degree, she declined the winery’s offer for a fulltime lab position. As fate may have it, she soon returned as fulltime lab technician for the same company. After several years working in the lab, Tami moved on in 2000 to work for Blackstone Winery. As part of Blackstone’s winemaking team she learned the art of blending and fining wines to their finished product. Tami gained hands-on cellar experience working South Australia’s 2004 harvest at Leasingham Winery in Clare Valley, further rounding out her budding winemaking career. In 2006 Tami was hired at De La Montanya Winery in Healdsburg to work alongside winemaker, Mike Loykasek. Known as the renegade cowboy winemaker, Mike taught Tami that great wine could be made in a wheelbarrow, though she has yet to try it. Since 2008 Tami has had sole winemaking responsibility for De La Montanya’s limited production wines made from the 16-plus grape varietals grown in the winery’s vineyards. When not climbing barrels for samples at De La Montanya Winery, Tami currently serves as consulting winemaker for Sapphire Hill, Marcucci Farms, and an occasional other small, family-owned Sonoma County winery or two. She and her husband (General Manager at Asti Winery) live in northern Alexander Valley with their two young children.
moreKelly Conrad www.gallo.com Public Relations Manager | Healdsburg, CA Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Kelly Conrad stayed in the Northwest to attain her Undergraduate degree. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration & Marketing with a minor in English & Professional Writing from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. After several years in the finance and hospitality/resort industries, Kelly enrolled in the Wine Marketing Program at California Polytechnic University where she specialized in the chemical reactions and relationships of wine & food. During this time, she consulted on marketing projects for Ponzi Winery in Portland, Oregon, and Saucelito Canyon Winery in Arroyo Grande, California. After completing the wine program at Cal Poly, Kelly accepted a position at the EOS Estate Winery in Paso Robles, California. It was there that she gained experience in all aspects of the wine industry, including scheduling bottling, creating label text, tracking broker/distributor performance, sales in various national and international markets, advertising, compliance, events, etc. This job allowed her the opportunity to evaluate which aspects of the wine industry she most wanted to pursue in her career. This led her to accept a position as Public Relations Manager with Cambria Winery & Vineyard in Santa Maria, California and eventually with Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery in Sonoma, California and E. & J. Gallo Winery. In her current role, Kelly handles all aspects of Public Relations. Kelly is a member of the American Wine Society, the American Institute of Wine & Food, Society of Wine Educators and is actively involved with several winery associations. She has been a member of Women for WineSense (WWS) since 1999 and served as the Public Relations Director for the WWS National Board of Directors. She is also a member and Editor of the Academy of Wine Communications and was featured in an International Bar Association Conference and the Wine Industry Symposium as a keynote speaker/panel member. She was selected to serve on the Sonoma County Vintners’ PR committee in 2007. She has made two vintages of her own Pinot Noir and claims it tastes best in a gritty glass when she is camping. A former resident of Squaw Valley, she loves to snowboard, enjoys running, hiking and reading books with her 9-year-old daughter, Katy, and 5-year-old son, Cooper.
moreRich Cook www.winewiseweb.com Director, San Diego County Fair Wine Competition/Wine Writer | Vista, CA/San Diego County Rich Cook has over 25 years of wine competition and wine judging experience. He is involved with several wine competitions in California, serving as the Director of the San Diego County Fair Wine Competitions and the Assistant Director of the San Diego International Wine Competition and Robert Whitley's Challenge Wine Competition series. He is a panelist with the California Grapevine newsletter and has been the Chief Judge at the Monterey International Wine Competition since 2011. He contributes reviews to www.winereviewonline.com , and also posts tasting notes and other wine related information at his website, www.winewiseweb.com.
moreAndrew "Rew" Craig Certified Sommelier | Sonoma County, CA Andrew worked as a Sommelier for over 20 years working his way through University for his B.S. and M.B.A. and passing the Advanced level Master Sommelier exam in New York City in 1990. He has worked the floors (Restaurants) as Sommelier of many four star restaurants in San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. He has traveled through out France and Spain several times to increase his knowledge and studies of the French Vinifera, Terroir, and Wine making practices. He has been listed in the Whose Who of the wine world many times in various outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Enquirer, and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. He was listed in the Chalk Hill top 50 book of Sommeliers in 2000, and is the recipient of seven Wine Spectator restaurant awards and several industry honors. Andrew now resides In Sonoma County, and continues as a buyer for some smaller venues in San Francisco as well as brokering small hand crafted wines. He also studied Oenology at UC Davis
moreAlison Crowe www.garnetvineyards.com Winemaker/Garnet Vineyards/Director of Winemakeing - Plata Wine Partners | Napa, CA Alison Crowe is an award-winning winemaker, author and blogger based in Napa. She is the Director of Winemaking for Plata Wine Partners as well as the Winemaker for Garnet Vineyards and Picket Fence Vineyards brands, among others. Alison’s clients at Plata Wine Partners include acclaimed “Top 100” brands, nationally-distributed wineries, top national retailers, celebrity chefs and hot start-up brands. Her wines consistently earn high scores in national wine publications. Alison holds degrees in Viticulture & Enology as well as Spanish from UC Davis. In 2010 she went back to Davis to earn her MBA from the Graduate School of Management. She is on the Board of the Carneros Wine Alliance and the Wine Industry Financial Symposium and is a contributor to Wine Business Monthly and Wines & Vines Magazine and published The Winemaker’s Answer Book in 2007. In 2014 her blog, Girl and the Grape, won “Best New Wine Blog” at the 2014 Wine Blog Awards. She enjoys judging wine competitions, playing tennis, cooking for friends and lives with her husband and two small sons in a Victorian house in downtown Napa. Twitter: @alisoncrowewine blog: www.girlandthegrape.com
moreFred Dame Master Sommelier | CA Frederick L. Dame, Master Sommelier brings an impressive blend of experience, expertise and enthusiasm to the world of wine and cuisine. He is the first American to have served as President of the Court of Master Sommeliers Worldwide and assists restaurateurs and hoteliers in developing their wine programs in his role as Vice-President of Prestige Accounts, American Wine & Spirits of California. He is currently the President of the Guild of Sommeliers Education Foundation. He holds Honorary Professorships at Purdue University and The University of South Carolina. Dame's ability to transmit his passionate interest in wine make him a natural teacher. One of just seventy-three Americans to have passed the Master Sommelier Examination, Dame was the first to successfully pass all three parts in a single year. This feat and his high score won him the coveted Krug Cup of the British Guild of Sommeliers in 1984. Dame founded the American Branch of The Court of Master Sommeliers in 1986 and has played an active role in the expansion of the Master Sommelier program throughout America since that time. As Cellarmaster of The Sardine Factory in Monterey, California for twelve years, Dame created a wine list which won the Wine Spectator Grand Award. With the many wine events held in the brick and wine lined Wine Cellar, Dame turned The Sardine Factory into a wine destination restaurant of world renown. He is also active in the culinary arts serving as an Honorary Trustee of The American Academy of Chefs, the honor society of The American Culinary Federation. He was awarded the Antonin Careme Medal and was made a Supreme Knight of the Knights of the Vine in 2000. He was elected to the prestigious National Restaurant Association College of Diplomates in 2004. In 2006 he received Sante Magazine’s Wine Professional of the Year as well as Starwine’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2010 he was elected to the American Academy of Chefs Hall of Fame. A sixth generation Californian, Dame graduated from Washington and Lee University with a degree in journalism and communications. A European trip after high school piqued his curiosity about wine and food. Since then, he has applied his considerable persuasive skills to the service and appreciation of fine wine.
moreGeorgetta Dane Lead Winemaker, Chloe Wine Collection | California's Central Coast Georgetta Dane’s path to becoming the Lead Winemaker for the Chloe Wine Collection began halfway around the world. Born and raised in Romania, Georgetta earned a master’s degree in food science at Galati University. In 1998, her husband applied for a U.S. visa on a whim, and eight months later – on the day of their daughter’s baptism – the family received green cards. Despite having careers, a family and a home under construction, Georgetta and her husband risked it all and immigrated to the U.S. in hopes of living the American Dream. In Monterey, Calif., Georgetta’s first job in the wine industry was in 1999 with Jackson Family Wines as a lab technician. As her English improved she demonstrated her enological knowledge and she quickly advanced. In 2004, she joined The Wine Group and three years later took the helm of her own brand. Today, Georgetta is the Lead Winemaker for the Chloe Wine Collection, where she marries her old world European roots with a contemporary American lifestyle to craft wines fit for sophisticated and modern wine lovers. Based on California’s Central Coast, Georgetta sources grapes from prized vineyards in California’s Sonoma County and North Coast in addition to Northern Italy’s Valdadige D.O.C. region, to create exceptional wine everyone can enjoy. Georgetta appreciates capturing the full characteristics out of the grapes in each of Chloe’s wines. Chardonnay from Sonoma County, Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy’s Valdadige D.O.C. and Red No. 249, a selective blend from California’s North Coast regions – showcase high-quality fruit that communicate each unique varietal and AVA. This dedication to sourcing quality allows for each Chloe wine to blossom into a balanced and luxurious product that delivers a memorable experience. For more information about the Chloe Wine Collection or to schedule an appointment with Georgetta, please contact Sonia Meyer at Calhoun & Company at Sonia@calahounwine.com or call (415) 346-2929.
moreDebra Del Fiorentino Professional Wine Judge | Sonoma County, CA Debra Del Fiorentino International Wine Judge, Sommelier, Certified Wine Professional and Certified Specialist of Wine, Debra Del Fiorentino is a consummate wine professional who brings a dynamic energy and expertise to every endeavor she undertakes. Debra is a familiar face at numerous prestigious wine competitions. She currently holds the esteemed position of Director of Wine Competitions for Vineyard & Winery Management, a producer of wine competitions for nearly 40 years with eight unique wine judgings. Born and raised in San Francisco, Debra is a second generation Italian from a large family that originally settled in the Napa Valley. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the University of California at Berkeley, Debra opened two gourmet food stores in Marin before venturing into the wine industry. Debra also serves as an independent wine educator and partner in Russian River Vineyards.
morePaul Dolan www.pauldolanwine.com Industry Entrepreneur/Author | Mendocino County Paul Dolan believes that business leaders can help make a better world, and he sees Mendocino County, California, as fertile ground to grow this vision. During his 27 years at Fetzer Vineyards, 12 as president, he led a transformation that put the company at the forefront of organic viticulture and sustainable business. While Paul’s history in this county goes back decades, his family’s involvement in the wine industry extends back four generations through the Rossi and Concannon families. Growing up in Oakland, Paul spent a month each summer in Asti, Sonoma County, where his grandfather – Edmund Rossi – ran Italian Swiss Colony. “During the rest of the year, Granddad visited us in Oakland every weekend,” remembers Paul. “At our family table you could always count on great food and wine, and stories of the old days.” As an undergraduate at Santa Clara University, Paul studied business and finance. Shortly before he graduated, he wrote a paper on the wine industry (advised by his winemaking uncle, Ed Rossi), and Paul’s family legacy came alive. In 1975 he enrolled in the Enology program at California State University, Fresno ultimately receiving a Masters Degree with honors. In 1977 Paul joined forces with the Fetzers, becoming the company’s first winemaker from outside the family. Together they grew the business to two million cases a year, regularly earning acclaim and awards for their wines. After the Fetzers sold their family business, Paul became president of the company under its new ownership. Today, with Hurst, Dolan and Dolan and Paul Dolan Vineyards wines, he continues to break new ground. “We are clear about what we want,” says Paul, “ … an environmentally and socially conscious winery making great wines from The North Coast. Our farming practices are based on a deep respect for the health of the environment in which live and farm. Paul works with a constant focus on quality and expression of Mendocino terroir. “Every wine is a unique expression of a carefully nurtured piece of land, made manifest in each bottle,” says Paul. The Paul Dolan Vineyards brand is hand crafted exclusively from certified organic and Biodynamic® grapes. One of Paul’s great passions is winegrowing at his family’s Dark Horse Ranch, east of the Russian River in the foothills near Ukiah. He and sons Heath and Jason chose this location because of its diverse natural beauty, dramatic terrain and deep red soils. It has been a family project and a labor of love to convert 70 acres of grapes into a certified Biodynamic vineyard. An earnest student of Rudolf Steiner (the father of the Biodynamic movement), Paul embraces Steiner’s premise that each piece of land has its own unique expression. The Dolan family is nurturing the land to capture that expression in the Paul Dolan Vineyards wines. In 2004 Paul and his sons harvested the first Dark Horse grapes (Syrah, Zinfandel and Petite Sirah). The resulting wine, named Deep Red for the Red Vine soil series in which the vines grow, is a limited production, certified Biodynamic wine. “Dark Horse Ranch is my family’s home, where my sons and their children are 5th and 6th generation winegrowers in the mountains of Ukiah. We’re rooted here. I am part of the fabric of this place: the water, air, wine and food are part of me.” Paul’s goal is to create a model for the wine business. In turn, he is determined to develop the wine industry as a model for all agriculture worldwide. “We are seeing a shift, an awakening, where people are taking a strong stand on the food and wine they consume and its impact on the environment. The greatest challenge in the world today is global warming. All of us, individuals and businesses, must do all we can to meet this challenge.” This is the message he delivers as an industry leader, winemaker, farmer and father. Paul and his family have continued to expand their farming activities thru the purchase and development of 3 additional vineyards in the Ukiah area. Additionally they have interest in animal husbandry and a small olive orchard. Paul knows that sustainability is an economic asset and a competitive advantage, as well as an imperative for healthy life on this planet. He is spreading the word – for the good of business, the community and the environment. A sustainable business should be a whole business, like a whole person. It must have integrity. It must have a moral center. It must be connected to its values and the greater world. It must aspire to do what is right, not just for the bottom line, not just from a legal standpoint, but from a moral and ethical standpoint. It’s not only accountable, it’s responsible. Paul Dolan, True to Our Roots, Fermenting a Business Revolution, 2003 Paul resides in Healdsburg, California with his wife Diana and daughter Sassicaia. He spends leisure time in his Mendocino County vineyards and on horseback at Dark Horse Ranch.
moreSusan Doyle Director of Winemaking, Innovation & Technical Services, Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines | Napa, CA Following her degree in environmental science at the University of Tasmania, Susan pursued postgraduate studies in enology and viticulture at Lincoln University near Christchurch, New Zealand. Susan's first enology position was at Moorilla, a small winery that played a large role in developing Tasmania's reputation as a fine-wine region. Next she worked at Domaine Chandon in Australia's Yarra Valley with renowned winemaker Dr. Tony Jordan. Here she began her interest in cool-climate wines and winemaking, especially the varietals of Burgundy and Champagne, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In the early 1990s, she took a six-month internship as assistant winemaker for Hartford Court, where she fell in love with Sonoma's Russian River Valley and the USA. After returning to Australia to work first at Yarra Ridge Winery in the Yarra Valley and then Pipers Brook Winery in Tasmania, Susan decided to move permanently to California in 2003. She became winemaker for MacMurray Ranch and was responsible for growing the brand and overseeing all Pinot Noir production for Gallo of Sonoma. In 2010, Susan joined Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines as Director of Winemaking and Innovation. "I feel lucky to be involved with all of Diageo's wine brands, both domestic and international," says Susan. "I work with 20 winemakers to assure that they have access to everything they need to make the best wines. On the innovation side, I constantly look at new techniques and winemaking opportunities with our Marketing team. I'm especially driven to attain sustainability in our vineyards and winemaking-an understandable passion with my background in environmental science."
moreMartha Dunne www.WineGigs.com Co-Owner/WineGigs.com | Sacramento, CA Martha Dunne, with her husband Mike Dunne, owns WineGigs.com, a business that involves wine tastings, wine tours, consulting and writing. Her long history of wine appreciation and commercial judging ranges from the smallest competition (Fiddletown) to the largest (San Francisco Chronicle). She enjoys the process of viewing, swirling, smelling, tasting and 'listening' to the wine, thus appreciating or, in any case, rating the sample based on contextual experience. She also enjoys sharing news and views with other wine aficionados. Besides her wine focus, Martha's other salient interest is the autism spectrum. She authored the book "Wait, What Do You Mean?" Asperger's Tell and Show. The book is used in universities as suggested reading for students pursuing education related to special-needs children and adults. Reviews are found on http://www.amazon.com/. More information is available at http://www.aspergerstellandshow.info/. Mike Dunne contributes a weekly wine column to The Sacramento Bee, where he worked in features for 30 years, retiring as food editor, wine columnist and restaurant critic. These days, he freelances for a range of publications, focusing on wine and travel. He is one of two chief judges for the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, and he judges at about a dozen wine competitions each year. Because of numerous assignments and obligations, he's suspended his blog, A Year in Wine, though he may succeed it later in the year with a more diverse platform.
moreMike Dunne www.WineGigs.com Writer & Business Owner/Sacramento Bee & WineGigs | Sacramento, CA Martha Dunne, with her husband Mike Dunne, owns WineGigs.com, a business that involves wine tastings, wine tours, consulting and writing. Her long history of wine appreciation and commercial judging ranges from the smallest competition (Fiddletown) to the largest (San Francisco Chronicle). She enjoys the process of viewing, swirling, smelling, tasting and 'listening' to the wine, thus appreciating or, in any case, rating the sample based on contextual experience. She also enjoys sharing news and views with other wine aficionados. Besides her wine focus, Martha's other salient interest is the autism spectrum. She authored the book "Wait, What Do You Mean?" Asperger's Tell and Show. The book is used in universities as suggested reading for students pursuing education related to special-needs children and adults. Reviews are found on http://www.amazon.com/. More information is available at http://www.aspergerstellandshow.info/. Mike Dunne contributes a weekly wine column to The Sacramento Bee, where he worked in features for 30 years, retiring as food editor, wine columnist and restaurant critic. These days, he freelances for a range of publications, focusing on wine and travel. He is one of two chief judges for the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, and he judges at about a dozen wine competitions each year. Because of numerous assignments and obligations, he's suspended his blog, A Year in Wine, though he may succeed it later in the year with a more diverse platform.
moreTraci Dutton www.ciachef.edu/california Beverage Manager/Sommelier, Culinary Institute of America at Greystone | Calistoga, CA Traci Dutton is the beverage manager and sommelier for The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, located in Napa Valley, CA. Ms. Dutton’s responsibilities include The selection and purchasing of wine, inventory control, wine list development, menuing, food and wine pairings, and staff training for all components of the CIA Greystone campus, including the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, the Professional Wine Studies Program, and Special Events. Traci started her tenure with The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in 1998, as beverage manager and sommelier for the college’s Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, where her all-California wine lists and imaginative Flights of Fancy have won her numerous awards, the most recent being presented by the National Restaurant Association for “America’s Best Wine Lists.” In 2011 she was named as one of Tasting Panel Magazine’s Top Wine Country Sommeliers. Ms. Dutton has extensive experience in the beverage industry, including the three-star restaurant Montrachet under the direction of Daniel Johnnes (New York City), Service Manager at The Striped Bass (Philadelphia) and Beverage Captain at 231 Ellsworth (San Francisco area). Her expertise spans a spectrum from French and Italian wines, to the wines of California and the northeastern United States, as well as the art of mixology. Traci has extensive experience as a wine judge, including the Dallas Morning News New Wine Competition and the Los Angeles Country Fair Wines of the World Competition, two of the largest wine competitions in the country. She has spoken on the marketing of wine at the University of California at Davis, Sonoma State University, and the Wine Industry Financial Symposium. Her wine and beer writing has appeared in Kitchen & Cook, Wine Country Magazine, the St. Helena Star, Taste, ProChef Journal and Mise en Place. She recently contributed wine essays and pairings for the Culinary Institute of America’s “Seasons in Wine Country” cookbook. Traci’s special interest is in finding vintners who create “labors of love” that civilize our daily lives.
moreJanet Dyer Independent Contractor and Broker As a college student at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Janet Dyer worked her way through school at the Santa Barbara Winery. After graduation, Dyer found herself working for a small wholesaler and broker, becoming the first woman to sell wine ‘wholesale’ in Ventura County and the first woman to sell fine wine in Santa Barbara County. Since then, Dyer has found herself wearing many different hats in the wine industry, becoming Partner at Adventures in Wine (1986), Director of National Accounts with Julliard Alpha Distributors (1991), Sales Manager for Redwood Vintners (1996) and finally in 2002, working as an independent contractor and broker. Presently, Dyer is editing her book about her experiences as a woman in the wine business and is working with Senator Leland Yee’s office in developing a wine association for independent contractors. Dyer has vast experience in judging wine competitions, including the San Francisco International Wine Competition, San Francisco Spirits Competition, Bon Appetit Magazine, Wine & Spirits Magazine, and other various competitions in California. She also enjoys acting in her spare time, working as an extra on an HBO mini-series, working in both short films and commercials, and has a bit part in a major Hollywood production called The Master set to be released in 2013.
moreBob Foster Assistant Editor, California Grapevine Wine Newsletter | San Diego, CA Assistant Editor of the California Grapevine wine newsletter, Bob Foster has been a wine judge for over 30 years in California, Iowa, Missouri, Virginia and even Baja California. He is the Director of the Mid-American Wine Competition (held in Iowa and open only to the wines of the Midwest), Director of the Monterey Wine Competition, and Chief Judge of the Central Coast Wine Competition in Paso Robles. Bob is also a retired prosecutor, retiring after 33 years of service with the California Attorney General's Office. During his career he twice argued (and won) cases at the Supreme Court of the United States.
moreSara Fowler www.peju.com Winemaker, Peju Winery | Napa, CA Sara Fowler joined Peju as the Winemaker in the summer of 2006, bringing a wealth of knowledge and creativity into the cellar. Sara’s passion for Bordeaux varietals and knack for innovative blending make her the perfect fit to lead Peju’s winemaking team. Sara cut her teeth in the wine industry as a seasonal member of the Kendall-Jackson Winery staff during high school and college. The experience with Kendall-Jackson and mentoring from then Head Winemaker Jed Steele (Steele Wines) laid a solid foundation and taught her key winemaking concepts. Jed has since become an ‘inspirational character’ within her wine industry circle. But Sara was no stranger to agriculture. Her family has owned and operated a 400-acre organic ranch dating back to 1884. Though she initially studied Art upon entering the college ranks, Sara took a year hiatus from school and lived in Mexico on a sailboat where she reflected on a future career. She decided to redirect her passion, pedigree and expertise back into viticulture. Upon returning stateside, Sara began to help her family plant wine grapes on their organic ranch. She took a very active role in their new venture and chose the varietals and rootstock, installed the drip tubing and eventually pruned the vineyard. At the same time, she also served as an Enologist Assistant during crush at Kendall-Jackson. From these efforts, Sara decided her new focus would be in the wine industry as a Winemaker. Sara applied and was accepted to Fresno State. She doubled as a student and research assistant for the Viticulture Enology Research Center (VERC). Upon completion of the program at Fresno State, Sara worked for seven-plus years as the Associate Winemaker at Franciscan and Mt. Veeder Winery under Larry Levin, where she honed and perfected the craft. Through her tenure at Franciscan, Sara worked abroad during the 2002 harvest season in Chile for Veramonte. Sara also had the honor to work with world renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland, where she gleaned from his experience and knowledge. She also played a role in the terroir-driven Bordeaux blends of Quintessa and Estancia from 1999 to 2002, where she was able to utilize her talent for blending and creating Meritage wines. As the keystone of Peju’s wine team, Sara’s commitment to excellence in the vineyard and in the cellar is extraordinary. In September 2007, Sara headed Peju’s efforts to gain organic certification in the Rutherford Vineyard and she is overseeing the winery’s sustainable farming efforts in the Persephone and Wappo Vineyards with organic certification goals in the near future. “The Peju vineyards are excellent properties,” Sara explained. “The diversity is extremely exciting. I'm enjoying having a hand in maintaining and enhancing the quality reputation of the Peju wines." Over the past decade, Sara has traveled the world representing the Napa Valley as a speaker, guest panelist, trainer and wine educator. Sara currently lives in St. Helena with her Husband and three sons. Her interests include travel, gourmet cooking, and wine education.
moreRenata Franzia-Price www.classicwinesofcalifornia.com Sales Account Manager/Classic Wines of California | Modesto, CA Renata Franzia Price is one of the members of the 4th generation Franzia wine family. I graduated from Santa Clara University in Business Economics in 1990. I am currently an account manager in sales at Classic Wines of California which is the distribution company for Bronco Wine Company. I enjoy entering our family brands into the major wine competitions and participating in the wine tastings. Wine has always been a part of our family and I am excited to expand into the wine judging arena.
moreRhett Gadke http://www.bountyhunterwine.com Senior Wine Buyer/Bounty Hunter | Napa, CA Rhett Gadke is the senior wine buyer and lead catalog copywriter for the Bounty Hunter Rare Wine company, a Napa Valley purveyor of rare and high-end wines from around the world. A native of Cleveland, Rhett decided at a young age that cold weather was vastly overrated. His studies took him to journalism school at the University of Georgia where he developed an intense hatred of the inverted pyramid and the color orange. After graduating with a degree in psychology, he decided against further academic pursuits in favor of the good life. He now eats, drinks and writes for a living… sometimes all at once, and is quite happy with the arrangement overall. Rhett is entering his 15th year with the Bounty Hunter and lives in Napa with his wife and daughter.
moreGina Gallo http://gallo.com/quality/winemaking/winemaker%20bios/ginagallo.html Winemaker, Gallo Family Vineyards | Sonoma, CA Gina Gallo followed the footsteps of her grandfather Julio Gallo to find her calling as winemaker for Gallo Family Vineyards Sonoma Reserve. Today she creates award-winning wines from grapes grown by her brother Matt Gallo. For Gina, a career in winemaking was inevitable. During high school she worked summers at E. & J. Gallo Winery, and after college she joined the company full time in the sales department. She was drawn to the creative process of making wine, and years later she began studying at the acclaimed Viticulture and Enology program at the University of California, Davis. At the Winery, she apprenticed under 30-year veteran Marcello Monticelli. Gina is immediate past president of the International Wine & Spirit competition.
moreNick Goldschmidt www.goldschmidtvineyards.com Winemaker and Consultant/Goldschmidt Vineyards | Healdsburg, CA First vintages and work status New Zealand 83 - present, Australia 85 - present, Chile 89 - present, USA 89 - present, Argentina 93 - today, Italy 95 - 99 Portugal 95 - 99, Mexico 03 - 05, Spain 03 - present Employers Simi 1990 – 2003 (LVMH and Constellation) Allied Domecq 2003 – 2008 (AD and Jim Beam) Goldschmidt 2008 - present Past Lead winemaking roles for Simi, Blackstone, Ravenswood, Franciscan, Estancia, Clos Du Bois, Gary Farrell, Geyser Peak, Wild Horse , Atlas Peak, Callaway, Mumm Napa Valley, Buena Vista, Callaway, Spain - Ruffino, Ysios, Tarsus, Campo Viejo, Argentina - Graffigna, Balbi, Mumm Terrazas, New Zealand - Stoneleigh, Brancott, Cloudy Bay, Mexico - Domecq Mexico, Portugal - Roses, Australia - Green point, Consults today for Errazuriz, Arboleda, Sena, Chadwick, Calitera, santa Carolina, Casablanca, Mont Gras, Atlas Peak, Argento, Ehret Family, Blue Rock, GiaDomella, Don Sebastiani and sons, Columbia, Covey Run, Mission Hill, Finca Origion More than 100 of his wines have received 90 pts and above from Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Robert Parker. 20 of his wines have been included in the Wine Spectator Top 100 schmidt Goldschmidt, Forefathers, Boulder Bank, Goldschmidt daughters, Five Gold Hands Rendition, Pampano, Red Bone, Embankment, Estribo Gold Mark Chacrus, Yardstick, Bush House Bay, Fidelity Other Trig Point, NZ One, Paua Rock, Luna Rosa, Shoreline, Farmers Market First vintages Forefathers 1998, Goldschmidt 1999 Appellations Australia – Forefathers Argentina – Pampano, Chacras, Forefathers, Luna Rosa New Zealand – Forefathers, Boulder Bank, Shoreline, NZ one, Farmers Market, Paua Rock, Bush House Bay USA Alexander Valley – Forefathers, Goldschmidt, Goldschmidt Plus, Katherine Goldschmidt, Fidelity, Embankment, Trig Point, Napa - Goldschmidt, Plus, Hilary Goldschmidt, Yardstick, Dry Creek - Red Bone, Chelsea Goldschmidt
moreJoel Green http://safeharborwines.com/ General Manager and Winemaker | Safe Harbor Wines Joel Green graduated from UC Davis in 2002. He immediately went to work at Kenwood Vineyards and Winery in Sonoma, working his way up to Assistant Winemaker within three years of joining the winemaking staff. After working at Kenwood for 5 years Joel then moved on to Safe Harbor where he became the General Manager and Winemaker. Joel oversees all day to day operations at Safe Harbor as well as advising clients on their wines while they are stored at Safe Harbor.
moreDaryl Groom www.groomwines.com Cheif Judge - Owner/Winemaker, Groom Wines | Healdsburg, CA Daryl Groom is the recipient of 8 Winemaker of the Year awards. He has judged in over 100 wine competitions across the USA. While he resides in Healdsburg California he is also the owner and winemaker for Groom Wines from Australia. This highly acclaimed Australian Winery focuses on three varietals: Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, and Zinfandel. In addition to Groom Wines, Daryl recently launched his most rewarding wine project ever, Colby Red Wine. This wine from California was initiated by his 13-year old son Colby who recently underwent back-to-back heart surgeries. Profits from Colby Red Wine go to heart related charities across the USA. Daryl's previous experience includes winemaking and operational management at Penfolds, Geyser Peak Winery, and Beam Wine Estates.
moreEric Harris twoees.com Winemaker, Two-EE’s Winery & 2013 Rising Star Winemaker Award Winner | Huntington, IN As a young man, Eric Harris began making wine as a hobby. He spent long hours learning the craft of winemaking in the basement with Emily’s dad, Dennis Hart, never imagining that he would one day plant a vineyard of his own. But as experience often teaches us, our passions fuel our desires, and Eric soon discovered that he had a love for three things: Indiana, wine, and a beautiful woman named Emily. In 2010, Eric became a certified winemaker from the University of California Davis, allowing him to blend his unique process of winemaking with his educational expertise. In 2011, Eric merged his three passions, establishing Two-EE’s Winery (http://twoees.com/) in Roanoke, Indiana, with his fiancée, Emily Hart. Together, Eric and Emily have discovered winemaking as an art and Two-EE’s stands as the first of many testaments to their love for one another and for their local region. (from Our Story at twoees.com).
moreSherrie Holzer www.castorocellars.com Assistant Winemaker, Castoro Cellars | Paso Robles Sherrie makes wine in Paso Robles at Castoro Cellars where she gets to experiment with 28 varietals from their organically and sustainably grown estate vineyards along the Central Coast. Not only are the growing conditions diverse in Paso Robles, the winery is very diverse too! Besides the 35,000 cases produced for Castoro Cellars, the winery is a 3.5-million gallon custom crush facility and has a mobile bottling line company. Most recently, Castoro Cellars also started distilling organic grappa, brandy, and fruit liqueurs. Sherrie earned her enology and chemistry bachelor’s degrees at Fresno State, where her love for sensory and flavor chemistry was born. She spent much of her time there helping to develop Fresno State’s first Professional Wine Sensory Evaluation Panel. She led and trained all of the panelists for descriptive analysis and difference testing on research and commercial wines. After graduating college, Sherrie’s interest in sparkling wine and pinot noir took her up to J Sparkling wines in Healdsburg. Although she loved the Russian River, she knew that the Central Coast is where she wanted to settle and rear a family. A year later she moved to Paso Robles. When she’s not up to her ears in grapes, Sherrie can be found running through the vineyards training for her next marathon, playing volleyball, or digging in her garden.
moreRick Hutchinson www.amphorawines.com Owner/Winemaker, Amphora Winery | Sonoma County, CA Sonoma County native Rick Hutchinson first became involved with wine while working on the bottling line at Sebastiani Vineyards in 1975, at the tender age of 20. Over the years he honed his winemaking skills, apprenticing with some of the best in the business in Sonoma County and Australia. At the same time, he often found himself straddling a potter’s wheel, crafting sensual amphorae — clay jars used by ancient Greeks and Romans to store wine. When the time came to make his own wine, Rick married both passions. His magnificent pottery became the symbol and moniker for his new venture. In 1997, Amphora Winery began its life in the tiny, hand-dug basement of an old redwood barn in the midst of a vineyard. Rick started with a few barrels each of Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Syrah– and garnered such ’buzz’ that he sold out quickly. Two years later, he left his “day job” as cellarmaster for Quivira, to devote himself full-time to Amphora. Since then, Rick has expanded production to include over sixteen varietals straddling multiple appellations.
moreDan Kosta www.kostabrowne.com Founder, Kosta Browne Winery | Sonoma County Kosta Browne began as a dream shared by Dan Kosta and Michael Browne. In the summer of 1996, while working at John Ash& Co. Restaurant in Santa Rosa, California, Dan and Michael decided to venture into winemaking. They saved tip money for two months and eventually had enough to buy a half ton of Pino Noir, a used barrel and an old hand-crank stemmer-crusher, a purchase that marks the beginning of Kosta Browne. Since that vintage, they have nurtured relationships with the best growers and honed their winemaking skills, making sure to focus on the vision and values with which they began. Dan Kosta is a native of Sonoma County where wine became an integral part of his life at the age of 5, learning about the enjoyment of wine from his father. At home, wine was served at nearly every dinner and discussion of wine always accompanied the pour. At his dad’s wine shop in Santa Rosa, Dan learned about labels, varietals and style. Later, Dan followed his passion for food and worked for more than 15 years in fine dining, with the majority of his experience gained at John Ash & Co. in Santa Rosa, California. He worked every position imaginable at the restaurant, finally landing as the Operations Manager and Wine Director. Dan has consulted for restaurants in the Sonoma County area and sits on the Board of Directors for the Soonoma County Vintners Association, and along with his wife Allison, the Make-a-Wish foundation. He continues to participate in numerous judgings such as the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, Grand Harvest Awards and the San Francisco International Wine Competition. Dan spends a majority of his time traveling the country attending charitable events where the brand partners with many organizations. “I love how wine and food bring people together and feel very fortunate where we can play a role in helping many worthy causes,” says Dan. When not behind the scenes of a working winery or on the road, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, Allison and three young children, Mazie, Maggie, and Sean.
moreAeron Lancero www.intrestco.com Chief Operating Officer/Intrestco Group | Chicago, Illinois AERON LANCERO Chief Operating Officer Aeron Lancero is chief operating officer of Intrestco Group, a lifestyle, hospitality and investment company. Originally from the Island of Guam, Lancero moved to the Philippines islands for his secondary and collegiate education at La Salle Greenhills, and then at De La Salle University, where he majored in business management. After school, Lancero returned to Guam to begin his hospitality career and started working in prestigious 4-star hotels such as the Hyatt, Pacific Star Hotel and the Pacific Island Club. From there, he joined the reputable Theo Davies Group and then Watami U.S.A, opening restaurants in China, Japan, Hong Kong and the Micronesian Islands. In 2001, his professional journeys continued when he relocated to the United States and joined the leadership team of Brinker International. Lancero worked for the company for nearly 8 years,where he quickly climbed the ranks to ultimately lead the team of Maggiano’s highest-grossing U.S. restaurant. His successes and contributions, first in Minnesota and then in Chicago, earned him numerous corporate and community awards. In 2008, he joined forces with Rockit Ranch Productions, a restaurant and nightclub development and management company. After two hugely successful venue openings, the group brought on Lancero to take the managerial reigns of Sunda New Asian. With a March 2009 opening, Sunda continues to draw huge crowds and rave reviews. Based on these successes and less than two years after joining Rockit Ranch Productions, Lancero was promoted from General Manager to Operating Partner and created a new concept and was the Operating Partner as well of Dragon Ranch. Lancero has received numerous awards with the restaurants that he managed and partnered with from the Michelin Guide, as well as being named Best New Restaurant and Best Restaurant from publications such as CS, Red Eye Chicago, and Time Out Chicago. His work also helped win an award from business organization, RNBA.
moreEllen Landis www.ellenonwine.com CS, CSW Ellen, a published Wine Writer, Certified Sommelier and Certified Wine Specialist, is involved with many aspects throughout the world of wine. As Wine Director and Sommelier at Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn located in Half Moon Bay, CA (which she co-owns with husband and chef Ken Landis), she continually seeks out interesting and noteworthy wines to enhance their extensive wine cellar, coordinates wine tastings and hosts wine events to help further educate wine aficionados. Ellen was also a Sommelier at the Ritz Carlton for 4 years. She has traveled many wine regions throughout North America including California, New York, Virginia, Arizona, New Mexico, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, and Canada, and several international wine regions including Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, Rhone, Tuscany, and wine regions throughout Spain, Portugal, Chile, Argentina and Australia. Ellen participates as a key speaker, moderator and panelist at various wine events. Her wine consultant role also includes fine tuning wine lists for restaurants and creating and implementing wine education seminars. Her wine seminars focus on wine topics such as “Basic Wine Components”, “Wines from around the World”, “Food and Wine pairings” and specific seminars focused on various wine regions. In addition to an MBA, Ellen’s wine education includes high marks in her completion of UC Davis course work, The Society of Wine Educators CSW program, and the Court of Master Sommelier Certification program. She regularly serves as a judge at numerous wine competitions including the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, SF International Wine Competition, California State Fair Wine Competition, Amador County Fair Wine Competition, Sonoma Harvest Fair Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, Grand Harvest Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru International Wine Competition, Riverside International Wine Competition, Mendocino County Wine Competition, Michigan Wine & Spirits Competition, The Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition, the Mid-American Wine Competition, The Central Coast Wine Competition, and Affairs of the Vine wine competitions.
moreKen Landis http://www.landisshores.com/ Chef and co-owner | Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn, Half Moon Bay, CA Ken is Chef and co-owner of Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn with wife and Sommelier Ellen Landis (recently named one of the top 15 Inns for Wine Connoisseurs in North America.) He has traveled many wine regions throughout North America including Canada, New York, Virginia, Oregon, Washington, California; international wine regions including Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, Rhone, Tuscany as well as throughout Australia, Chile, Argentina, Spain and Portugal. In addition to creating recipes for Landis Shores, Ken participates as a guest chef at off-site events including the Lodi ZinFest, creating and demonstrating unique recipes, and attends numerous trade events to assist in choosing top notch wines from around the globe for their 3000 bottle wine cellar. In addition to his degree in marketing, Ken has successfully completed wine courses at UC Davis, and course work at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. He participates in numerous blind tastings, and regularly participates as a wine judge at various wine competitions including the California State Fair Wine Competition, The Sonoma Harvest Fair Wine Competition, The Grand Harvest Wine Competition, the Amador County Fair Wine Competition, the San Francisco Chronicle Competition, The West Coast Wine Competition, the top 12 ZINS of Lodi, and Affairs of the Vine competitions.
moreRoxanne Langer http://www.wine-seminar.com/ Founder Wine FUNdamentals, Sommelier, Educator | Sierra Nevada Foothills, No. California Dynamic and entertaining, sommelier and wine expert Roxanne Langer, will captivate you with stories from within the “world of wine”. As an insider, Langer has moved from the tasting rooms of the Napa Valley to management positions in global wine sales, public relations and marketing, eventually occupying the executive director’s office of a prestigious international winery association. Langer has traveled through 25 countries within Europe, Asia and North America talking, teaching, researching and learning about wine, all the while enjoying the glamour and exhilaration of the international wine trade. As the founder of WineFUNdamentals and author of The 60-Minute Wine MBA, Langer is called upon by meeting planners and CEO’s to educate and entertain their constituents at conventions, board retreats, incentive sales programs, dinners, special events and auctions. She is also a sought after wine judge for both domestic and international wine competitions. A two-time graduate of the University of the Pacific ( B.A & M.A.) Langer wrote her Master’s Thesis on Wine. She attended the University of Davis Community Education Wine Program and has obtained her Higher Certificate from the prestigious Wine & Spirit Trust of the United Kingdom (predates the diploma.) She is also currently a wine instructor in the Culinary Academy at the Art Institute and in the Community Education Department of Sierra Community College, Rocklin, California. Prior to WineFUNdamentals and teaching, Langer worked as the marketing, sales, export and public relations director for some of the most prestigious wineries and winery associations in California and the Pacific Northwest including Grgich Hills Cellar, Rutherford Hills, Jordan and the Napa Valley Vintners Association. Langer resides with her husband and two children in the wine country of the Sierra Nevada Foothills.
moreJim Lapsley http://aic.ucdavis.edu/ Adjunct Associate Professor/Researcher | University of California/Davis In 2009, Dr. Lapsley retired from his position as Department Chair for U.C. Davis Extension, where he had directed continuing education programs in agricultural and environmental sciences for over 30 years. He is the author of Bottled Poetry, a history of the emergence of the Napa Valley and the market for quality wine in the 20th century and is the co-editor of Successful Wine Marketing. In retirement he conducts research on grape and wine economics and history at the University of California’s Agricultural Issues Center. He remains an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at U.C. Davis and co-teaches a class on wine and grape economics. From 1980 through 2002 he was the president and winemaker for Orleans Hill, a 6000 case winery specializing in no-sulfite wines produced from organically-grown grapes. He has taught and lectured in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia and enjoyed a Fulbright Fellowship in Uruguay in 2003. He helped re-establish the California State Fair wine judging and has judged wines in North and South America for the past 25 years.
moreBarry Lawrence Wine Educator | Sonoma County, CA Barry has been involved in every aspect of wine all his life. He Began his wine career at the German Wein Academy in Klosterebberbach, Germany in 1977, then went on to home winemaking where he won the sweepstakes award for best White Wine at Calif. State fair in 1983. In 1985 he got the crazy idea of creating a commercial winery and Eagle Ridge winery was born. He's been a vineyardist since 1984 and established the first Geneve Double curtain trellising system in Sonoma county. He was involved in wine sales on several levels - wholesaler, retailer, importer. He's been a wine educator at Santa Rosa Jr. College and specialized wine schools. He's was a California and National Board Member of the Society of Wine Educators, and currently is a Tastevin member of the Dionysian International Wine Society. And he is a published author having written for Wines and Vines, Redwood Rancher, Calif. Wine country Journal and has written a book about actor River Phoenix. He was one of the first to pass the judges' exam for both Intervin and the California State Fair in 1985, and has been a judge for the California State Fair since 1988 and many other wine competitions not only held around Calif, but also Canada, London England for the IWSC, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey state competitions. Away from wine Barry is a commercial pilot and instrument flight instructor both air and sea.
moreCory Lester Certified Sommelier, sales at Trusty Hurst Winery | Sonoma County, CA Growing up in Sonoma County, Cory Lester developed a passion for agriculture at a young age. Riding horses from the age of 6, her choice to haul her horse from California to Ohio was no surprise. Cory began her appreciation for wines of the world while working at small town fine dining restaurant in Ohio. After graduating with a B.S. in Equine Entrepreneurship, Cory made the move back to sunny California. Cory started working at one of California's few winery-based restaurants, where the transition from serving to pouring wine in the tasting room was natural. Currently, Cory is a Certified Sommelier, works in sales at Trusty Hurst Winery in Healdsburg, California, and is a certified international wine judge.
moreAnn Littlefield Professional International Wine and Spirits Judge | Napa, CA Napa Valley resident, Ann Littlefield fell in love with wine during college years in Europe. A longtime international industry veteran and professional international wine and spirits judge, she specializes in new market development. Pioneering various facets of the international wine business, Ann’s diverse focus includes marketing, buying, selling and teaching in the United States, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South America. Ann launched and developed a successful company to market and sell wines of the world to the international airline industry. She went on to create global wine sourcing and corporate wine programs for the leading Internet wine retailers. Ann judges in many prestigious wine and spirits competitions, including Los Angeles International, San Francisco International Wine, San Francisco International Spirits, Riverside International, Dallas Morning News International, San Francisco Chronicle, Long Beach International, New World International, Pacific Rim International, San Diego International, The New York Wine Classic, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Central Coast Wine Competition, Mendocino County, Monterey International, Best of the Bay & Zin Challenge and Tri Cities,Washington State.
moreVeronica Litton Wine Expert | Florida Veronica Litton is a wine expert with over 20 years of experience in the retail field. Her experience comprises wine selection, negotiations, marketing and selling over 1800 facings of wine from around the world. In her present capacities she is the Head Chain Wine Buyer in all Wine Categories, she also manages the flagship store of the Chain in Coral Gables Florida. Overall she is responsible for yearly sales in excess of 30 million dollars in wine. She has traveled through most vineyard areas in the world extensively and thoroughly since 1992. Her philosophy is to always bring the very best selections to the consumer at a fair cost.
moreJonjie Lockman Certified Specialist of Wine | Napa, CA Jonjie is a certified specialist of wine, CFO of Intervine in the Napa Valley, and an executive board member of Women for WineSense. Intervine is the leading distributor of wine to the global airline and cruise line industries. As CFO, Jonjie leads the supply chain, finance, accounting, information technology, and human capital management activities and tastes and evaluates over 4,000 wines annually for Intervine’s clients. Women for WineSense is the premier wine education and networking organization for wine industry professionals and wine enthusiasts. As the Grand Events Director, Jonjie is responsible for planning a bi-annual national conference that focuses on wine education and networking for the organization’s 12 chapters and 800+ members. Jonjie is also pursuing the American Wine Society’s wine judge certification, an intense three-year program.
morePeter Lopez Jr. Partner, Healdsburg Emporium & Beer Blogger | Sonoma County, CA Peter Lopez Jr. has been in the wine industry his entire adult life. He started as a warehouse worker at the age of 19. In his early twenties he spent time as a wine lead for Oliver’s Market before moving to the sales side of the business. He spent a year as a sales representative with Classic Wines of California. In his late twenties he became manager and buyer for Wilibees Wines and Spirits and helped them become Petaluma People’s Choice recipient of the ‘Best Place to Buy Wine’ category. Peter is currently a partner at the Healdsburg Emporium where he is responsible for the wine and beer purchasing. He is also the wine buyer at Fircrest Market and the beer blogger for the Press Democrat. He takes pride in being a part of the millennial age group (those born between 1980 and the early 2000s) who are quickly becoming a driving force in the wine industry. In 2013 the Wine Market Council found that 24% of wine drinkers enjoying a glass several times a week are millennials. That number jumps up to 55% in the high end market share. “As a millennial I strive to educate the younger generation about the history and traditions of the industry while working to break some of the barriers and pretentiousness that many times intimidate the novice wine drinker.”
moreTeejay Lowe CEO, G&G Supermarkets | Santa Rosa, CA Teejay Lowe’s background in the wine industry has been through and diverse in scope. As a developer, grower, retailer and consultant in the industry, these roles have given him a multi-faceted perspective that serves the ultimate critics of our industry, the consumer. As a Russian River Winegrowers Association member and grower of premium Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel in the renowned Russian River Valley, his experience with terroir and the wines resulting from unique terroir have inspired his journey to seek out wines true to the nature of the fruit and land from which they are created. His travels through international wine regions include, but are not limited to, renowned regions like Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhone, Loire, Armagnac, Cognac, Rheinhessen, Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Lazio, and Piedmont. Travels throughout Europe, Australia, Asia, New Zealand and North America have been the foundation for an appreciation of diverse cultures and their respective artisan representation of wine.
moreSusan Lueker www.simiwines.com Director of Winemaking, Simi Winery | Healdsburg, CA Susan Lueker says she always wanted to be a scientist, envisioning that she would ultimately “end up like Jane Goodall, observing chimpanzees in their isolated natural habitat.” But her years at the University of Missouri studying chemistry and working in labs changed her mind. During her senior year Susan switched majors, graduated with a minor in chemistry and a major in medical child development, then went on to graduate school while working at John Hopkins as a play therapist. Having grown up in a farming family, Susan thought she wanted a career in anything but agriculture. However, her work at John Hopkins was not fulfilling. After much soul searching and the counsel of her father, Susan transferred to UC Davis intending to pursue either a medical or enology degree. With her first enology class, visit to the vineyards and internship Susan knew she wanted to be a winemaker. “I loved the vineyard, the interaction with people, nature and science,” says Susan. Starting at Hacienda Winery, a 20,000 case family winery in the Sonoma Valley, gave Susan an unequalled hands-on experience. “Working at a small winery you get to do everything from vineyard thinning, sampling, experimentation, pump maintenance, winemaking, problem solving, sensory analysis, blending and bottling line production.” Susan took that experience on to Kendall Jackson and then worked for eight years at Dry Creek Vineyard where she developed an intense love of Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc. In the fall of 2000, attracted by Simi’s reputation as an industry leader in winemaking technology, Susan joined the team at Simi. At Simi, Susan directs the day to day winemaking processes, works with growers and vineyard managers to obtain the highest quality Sonoma County grapes, and assists marketing and sales to promote the unique beauty and diversity of Sonoma County wines. In addition Susan gives special attention to varietal favorites: Pinot Gris, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel.
morePaul Lukacs Paul LukacsColumnist, Author, Wine Educator | Baltimore, MD Paul Lukacs is a wine writer, educator, and advisor. Currently a columnist for a metropolitan newspaper and an on-line site, he also is the author of two prize-winning books: The Great Wines of America: The Top Forty Vintners, Vineyards, and Vintages (WW Norton) and American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine (Houghton Mifflin hardcover; WW Norton paperback). The Great Wines of America, published in November 2005, profiles forty of the country’s finest wines, while American Vintage, first published in 2000 and republished in 2005, offers a social history of wine in the United States. American Vintage won the three major American wine “book of the year” awards in 2001—from the James Beard Foundation, Champagne Veuve Clicquot, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. The Great Wines of America, a finalist for wine book of the year from IACP, was awarded a Gourmand prize and was featured as a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. Lukacs is currently working on a third book, Wine: A New History, scheduled for publication (by WW Norton) in 2011. Since 1994, Lukacs has written features, columns, and individual wine profiles for The Washington Times on a weekly basis. From 2002 to 2005, he served as the wine columnist for Washingtonian magazine. In 2007 and 2008, he served as wine editor for Saveur magazine. And in 2005, he became a regular contributor to Wine Review Online. In these roles, he covers wines and winemaking all across the globe. Lukacs has traveled to many of the world’s most important winegrowing regions, and he evaluates literally thousands of wines every year. He has taught numerous wine appreciation and education classes. Since 1999 he has worked as a consultant for restaurants in the Washington, D. C. area, helping select wines for wine lists, pair wine with menu items, and train wait staff. Lukacs also has served as a judge at numerous wine competitions, both in America and in Europe. In addition, he is one of the organizers and founders of the International Oyster Wine Competition, held each November in Washington. Paul Lukacs also serves as a professor of English at Loyola University Maryland. His academic specialty is 19th Century American literature, and he has published in leading academic journals in that field. He lives in Baltimore.
moreAndre Hueston Mack www.moutonnoirwines.com Proprietor & Winemaker/Mouton Noir | New York/Oregon Despite having a successful career with Citicorp Investment Services, André Hueston Mack decided to leave his “desk job” to pursue his passion for wine. While working as a sommelier in San Antonio, Mack discovered the joys of introducing guests to the little known vineyards that first attracted him to the business and “the instant gratification of a guest’s reaction.” While still in Texas, Mack was awarded the prestigious title of Best Young Sommelier in America by the highly regarded Chaine des Rotisseurs. This recognition propelled him into the opportunity to work as a sommelier at Thomas Keller’s world-renowned The French Laundry in Yountville, California. Mack went on to accept the position of Head Sommelier at Keller’s equally famed Per Se in New York City, where he managed a 1800 selection award-winning wine list and consulted with Chef Keller on menu and pairing development regularly. Winemaking has always been a dream of his and came to fruition when he set up shop under the moniker of Mouton Noir Wines. Throughout his career Mack has forged unique relationships with luminary growers and winemakers from around the planet. It is with this prestigious group that Mack currently creates his wines. Mack has been featured in major publications, such as Food and Wine, Wine & Spirits Magazine, The New York Times, Women’s Health, Ebony, and Wall Street Journal. Mr. Mack was honored in 2007 with The Network Journal’s 40-Under-Forty Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to business. Mack is a zealous wine educator who has been invited to host seminars as well as conduct panel discussions at numerous esteemed food and wine events. He enjoys sharing his fondness of wine with others.
moreCharles F. Mara www.marawines.com President, The Mara Wine Group | Pound Ridge, NY A nationally recognized wine judge, winery producer/owner and wine merchant, Charles F. Mara is a force within the wine industry. Having traveled to many of the world's most prestigious wine regions, he is a well respected and knowledgeable wine guru who brings to table a love of wine. Wine judge for numerous prestigious wine tastings, as well as serving on several wine tasting panels, Professor of Oenology and member of the Society of Wine Educators, he has also appeared on local TV and Radio shows, was appointed as the Consumer Representative by the Governor of New York to the State Wine Grape Marketing Order Advisory Board, and has been a "Tastemaster" for monthly wine tasting events designed to increase wine awareness and appreciation by consumers. His knowledge has also led him to be a consultant to many restaurateurs and retailers. Charles is also noticed, not once but twice, in the Guinness Book of World Records. One listing is "most paid for a single bottle of wine," - an 1806 Lafite-Rothschild for $28,000 (1978) - and the other is "most paid for a bottle case of American wine" - 1979 Opus I for $24,000 (1981).
moreKris Margerum www.aubergedusoleil.com Head Sommelier, Auberge du Soleil, Napa | Napa, CA As Head Sommelier at Napa Valley’s Auberge du Soleil, Kris Margerum follows a simple philosophy when selecting wine for the inn’s Michelin-starred restaurant: One plus one can equal three. The right wine complements the food, and together, they create an unforgettable experience. Margerum has been in pursuit of the perfect food and wine pairings at the iconic wine country inn for more than 25 years, during which time he has developed close relationships with the top wine makers of Napa Valley. His wine list currently offers 1,500 selections from a 17,000-bottle cellar and has been awarded Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for the past six years. Margerum works in partnership with Executive Chef Robert Curry to create exquisite food and wine pairings for the six-course Chef’s Menu and all of the other dishes Curry dreams up for the Restaurant and the more casual Bistro and Bar. Margerum is also responsible for the restaurant staff’s wine education and conducts wine tastings and advanced-level winery tours for them on a regular basis. “A few of years ago, I started conducting blind tastings,” recalls Margerum. “This allows me to evaluate each wine on its own merits, without prejudice. I taste more than 100 wines a week to find four or five that meet my ideals and make the wine list and hope our guests can benefit from knowing that each wine has been hand selected.” Margerum has developed wine lists for a number of other Auberge Resorts’ properties, including the opening wine list for Esperanza in Los Cabos, Mexico and for Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley. More recently, he turned his attention to Auberge Spa, where he pairs wines by the glass with the floral or herbal notes in a selection of spa treatments to create the ultimate wine country spa experience. His newest project, a collaboration with Auberge pastry chef Paul Lemieux, showcases Margerum’s passion for Madeira wines and Lemieux’s talent with confections in an after-dinner presentation of Madeiras and house-made chocolates. Margerum’s career with Auberge du Soleil spans more than 25 years. Prior to being appointed head sommelier in 1999, he acted as the restaurant’s assistant food and beverage director for six years, helping to oversee daily operations, planning, budgeting, forecasting, hiring and reviews, monthly inventories and guest satisfaction management. Before that, he acted as assistant restaurant manager for the Auberge and was promoted to restaurant manager after a year. He began his career at Auberge du Soleil in the dining room as a server. Margerum is a graduate of the Sterling School of Service and created the Napa Valley Sommelier Society, which meets quarterly at various Napa Valley restaurants to discuss common issues and strategies – and, of course, to taste wine. About Auberge Resorts Auberge Resorts is a collection of exceptional hotels, resorts and private clubs, each with a unique personality that assures a memorable guest experience. Among the distinctive properties are Auberge du Soleil, Napa Valley; Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas; Calistoga Ranch, Napa Valley; The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina; Encantado, Santa Fe; Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif, with several others currently in development. While Auberge Resorts nurtures the individuality of each establishment, all are characterized by a set of communal elements: intimate, understated elegance; captivating locations that inspire exceptional cuisine and spa experiences; and gracious yet unobtrusive service. For more information about Auberge Resorts, please visit www.aubergeresorts.com. Auberge du Soleil is also a member of Relais & Châteaux, the prestigious global hospitality association of intimate, elegant and independently owned hotels and acclaimed restaurants. Founded in 1954 in France, the association is comprised of 480 luxurious establishments in 56 countries.
moreVirginia Marie Lambrix Sonoma County, CA Virginia started her wine career by studying horticulture and agronomy in the master’s program at the University of California, Davis. It was immediately clear to her that the principals of respecting nature and nurturing ecology within the vineyard made sense in both a scientific framework and on an intuitive level. She embraced the philosophy and made a point to study and implement its principals at every opportunity. With this knowledge she for Lynmar and De Loach Vineyards, both in the Russian River Valley. During her 3 years at De Loach Vineyards, Virginia worked closely with her growers moving their vineyards to more sustainable farming methodologies and in the process, improving quality and moderating farming costs. In 2008 Virginia began making wine for Truett Hurst Winery. Bringing her former background in the Russian River Valley to the attention of the Truett Hurst team she added Russian River Valley wines to the winery’s portfolio. Today she oversees winemaking for the brands of Truett-Hurst Inc.
moreTim Marson www.globalwineco.com MW - Buyer Global Wine Company | Marin County, CA Tim’s initial interest in fine wine was developed during four years of studying Classics at Oxford University. Here, as a member of the Oxford University Wine Circle, he had the opportunity to taste and learn about some of the great wines of the classic regions of Europe and beyond. In his final year, Tim was a member of the winning Oxford team in the annual blind tasting competition versus Cambridge University. Inspired by some of the winemakers and merchants he met whilst a student, Tim decided to embark upon a career in the wine industry and spent four years with Oddbins, at that time the leading high street wine merchant in the UK. He climbed the retail ladder to become Fine Wine Manager at the flagship store in Notting Hill, London, and completed the Wine & Spirit Education Trust examinations, passing the Diploma with Honours in 2000, winning both the Worshipful Company of Distillers Scholarship and the Rhone Prize. Tim then moved into the independent specialist retail sector, working for some of the leading wine merchants in London, initially as a store manager and later as a buyer. Winning the Davies-Langton Award (2001) and Marne & Champagne Diffusion Scholarship (2002) he embarked upon the study programme of the Institute of Masters of Wine. Tim passed all three practical (tasting) papers at the first attempt in 2003 and passed the four theory papers the following year. Having moved briefly from retail into trade sales Tim then, in 2006, became buyer at London-based Bibendum Wine Ltd., one of the UK’s largest and fastest-growing independent importers and distributors. While at Bibendum he was responsible for the management and development of a large portfolio of suppliers across all major wine-producing countries of the northern hemisphere. In 2009 Tim passed the final dissertation component of the Master of Wine examination with a paper on the sub-appellations of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. He is currently one of only 297 Masters of Wine (MWs) in the world. Tim left his native England in early 2011, relocating to Napa, California to become Vice-President of Procurement at a direct-to-consumer online retailer. He is now full-time buyer at Global Wine Co. (based in San Rafael, CA) where he is responsible for domestic sourcing for a number of high profile wine clubs; he also consults to a mobile wine application company. Tim is in regular demand as a wine judge and has participated as a panel chair at many of the leading wine competitions including the International Wine Challenge, Decanter World Wine Awards and the International Wine & Spirit Competition. While based in London he was also a regular taster on Decanter Magazine’s monthly tasting panels. Although he is always open to new wine experiences, his personal love is for the wines of Burgundy (of both colours), the Rhone Valley, Piedmont, and German Riesling. While not enjoying great wine, good food, and the places where they are produced, Tim is a keen musician and performs as a bass with several vocal ensembles in Napa and Sonoma.
moreDennis Martin http://www.fetzer.com VP Director of Winemaking | Fetzer Vineyards As Vice President, Director of Winemaking at Fetzer Vineyards, Dennis Martin cannot imagine a better working environment. “It’s perfect”, he says, “Because we work as a team in a relaxed atmosphere, which enables us to produce consistently high quality wine.” Martin earned an Agricultural Business degree in 1973 from California State University at Fresno and a master’s degree in Enology and Food Science there in 1975. He worked at United Vintners as a cellar supervisor, white and sparkling winemaker until 1982, when he moved to Scott Laboratories, a major winery supply company where he served as a sales enologist. In 1985, Fetzer Winemaster Paul Dolan selected Martin as his assistant. When Fetzer was acquired by Brown-Forman in 1992, Martin was named Director of Winemaking. In 1996, Martin ascended to the position of Vice President/Winemaking accountable for all winemaking at Fetzer Vineyards for their several brands. Martin and his winemaking staff are dedicated to working with individual grape growers and are committed to the concept that winemaking is an integrated team effort. Martin is involved in all major winemaking decisions, including grape selection, tasting, and blending. “I think one of our major successes as a winery is our ability to blend consistently, vintage after vintage,” Martin says. In creating all of the Fetzer Vineyard wines, from Fetzer Premium Varietals to the Luxury Wine Collection, Martin selects the finest varietal fruit available from prized vineyards throughout California. With the Luxury wines, production lots are kept relatively small to emphasize individual vineyard character in the wines, true expressions of the terroir they represent. “We strive to make the best possible wine we can from each vintage, emphasizing the true character of each varietal. Our goal is to offer our consumers quality wines that are stylistically pleasing and consistent from vintage to vintage.” Fetzer was acquired by the Chilean wine company Vina Concha y Toro in 2011 and Martin is excited about the future opportunities for investment, growth and improved quality for all of the brands. “It’s great to be owned by a wine company again,” Martin says. Martin is a member, former director and a past President of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture. He is married and has two children.
moreBrian Maurer Wine Buyer | Sonoma County Brian’s involvement with wine began in 1976 at the age of 18 as a waiter. In 1980, he was hired as a cellar master in Great Britain. He was responsible for keeping the wine cellar fully stocked at an upscale restaurant in New Castle. He also acted as a Sommelier assisting with wine selections and serving their awaiting customers. In 1980, after he completed his studies, he moved back to the United States where he was hired by Bill Traverso. He worked along side of Bill at Traverso’s for 12 years learning many aspects of the wine world through Bill. Brian then took a wine buying position at Molesberry Market, a chain of 5 grocery stores. In 1996 he went to work for Glenn Segale at The Wine Spectrum, as their international wine buyer. From this position, he built a bridge to Europe and purchased wine directly from distributors and wineries in Great Britain and France. In 2000, Brian started his own brokerage business called Vino Veritas, which evolved into B&R Wines and finally Cellar Searchers. Brian has recently been contracted to buy wine for Munchery.com and Undergroundcellar.com During his entire career, Brian kept up with the trade taking many classes ranging from sensory perception to the art of making wine. He has distributed wines for top wineries including Abreu, Rivers Marie, Morlet, Staglin, Aubert, Whetstone, Kesner, Native 9, Scherrer and many more. Dan Berger introduced him to wine judging where today Brain sits as a professional wine judge for Riverside, SF Chronicle, Cloverdale, Orange County, West Coast, Mendocino and The Grand Harvest Wine Competition.
moreDeb McCole www.missionfinewines.com Mission Fine Wines | Mission Fine Wines, New York City Deb, a native New Yorker, wears every hat at NYC-based Mission Fine Wines, a boutique online retailer offering fine and rare wines to the international community of collectors and investors. After serious work in the presence of other-worldly, highly sought-after crus of Bordeaux and Burgundy, Deb stays in close touch with the everyday wine buyer by moonlighting at a popular, local, woman-owned (!) retail walk-in shop. Here she can enthusiastically endorse honest wines that have “a sense of place” to the local community and encourage customers to stretch their palates. She also conducts “amusing and informative” wine tasting events through her own consulting business, WineGirl Tastings. In 2001, after a successful career conducting qualitative and quantitative consumer behavior research for both the not-for-profit and corporate sectors, her years of independently tasting and studying the grape rewarded her with her first job in the wine business - representing the premium quality fine wines in the import and distribution portfolios of Leonardo Locascio Selections/Winebow, Inc. in New York City. Deb holds the Intermediate Certificate, the Advanced Certificate with Distinction, and Diploma from the London-based Wine & Spirit Education Trust. She has also earned the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) certificate from the Society of Wine Educators. Her wine-related travels include the key regions of Chile, Argentina, Alsace, Germany, Bordeaux, Italy, the Loire Valley, California and New York.
moreTim McDonald Founder of Wine Spoken Here | Napa, CA Based in Napa Valley, Tim McDonald founded a full service marketing communications consulting company in 2006. As a 30 year wine industry veteran, Tim held positions with; E & J Gallo as Marketing Director Fine Wine Communications, Peak Wines as V.P. of Marketing & Communications, Director of Trade Relations with Trinchero Family Estates, Heublein Wines as Director of Trade & Public Relations and sales assignments with Seagram and IDV and McKesson. Tim has experience with all types of Media, National Accounts, Wholesale Distributors, Restaurant, and Retail segments. Tim has served as a Wine Judge at over 150 Wine Competitions here in North America and spoken frequently on assembled panels at many wine industry events. The Agency is small and nimble, offers quality personal service, & provides measurable-results. Wine Spoken Here is a source for Wine pros...seasoned experts with solutions and reputation engineering for wine brands.
moreWilliam McNabb www.piedmontposrtal.org Wine editor/Piedmont Post | Piedmont, CA Bill McNabb has served as Wine Editor for the Piedmont Post newspaper in the East Bay for the past 12 years. He is a judge at the San Francisco International Wine Competition and the North of the Gate Competition. He has traveled to and written about the major wine regions of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
moreTim McNally www.wistradio.com Host of The Wine Show, Wine Journalist | Metairie, LA Tim McNally is the host of The Wine Show, a weekly two-hour broadcast on WIST AM690 and streamed on www.wistradio.com, which features winemakers from all over the world. The station's signal reaches the entire middle Gulf South region, covering a four state area. He is also wine and spirits editor, and monthly features writer, for New Orleans Magazine; and wine and spirits editor, and weekly columnist, for www.myneworleans.com. Tim is a professional wine judge, a member of the Board of Directors of The Museum of the American Cocktail, is a frequent lecturer at civic and trade organizations' gatherings and conducts university courses about beverages and the hospitality industry. He is a graduate of Jesuit High School, Dallas, and the University of North Texas, School of Journalism.
moreLeslie Mead Renaud Director of Winemaking, Foley Wine Group | Sonoma County, CA Leslie joined the Foley Wine Group in August of 2010, assuming her current duties as Winemaker for both Lincourt Vineyards and Foley Estate in Santa Barbara County. In 2014, she ventured north to Sonoma County to take on the role of Director of Winemaking for Roth Estate. With an all new state-of-the art winery and cave, Leslie is excited to head up the winemaking at Roth Estate. Leslie has served as the Chairperson for the World of Pinot Noir, a Central Coast event. She is constantly seeking to expand her knowledge of wines and winemaking, which has led to her enrollment in the WSET Diploma Program. Leslie is a fan of the SF 49ers and Peter Gabriel, has sky dived (once), and loves to travel. She enjoys great food (both eating and cooking), extremely cold martinis, dogs (she has two at the moment), the outdoors, motorcycles, and convertibles. Leslie and her husband Tim currently live in Windsor.
morePeg Melnik www.pressdemocrat.com/personalia/PMelnik Wine Critic/Blogger & Writer, Press Democrat | Sonoma County, CA Peg Melnik is the wine critic, blogger and writer at the Press Democrat, where she has worked since 1999. Melnik is also the lead author of the Explorer’s Guide Napa & Sonoma published by W.W.Norton, now in its ninth edition. She has written for publications such as Savor magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle. Melnik has also traveled extensively through the wine regions of Europe.
moreMary Melton www.pfchangs.com Director of Beverage/P.F. Chang's | Scottsdale, AZ As Director of Beverage for P.F. Chang’s, Mary Melton brings more than 25 years of industry experience to her role. She is responsible for the overall strategy of the beverage program across 210 restaurants and manages the creation of beverage menus, the wine program, drink innovation and development, wine education and bartender training. Prior to joining P.F. Chang’s in 2005, Mary worked with the Henry Wine Group as a fine wine specialist and gained experience in wine sales with the Regal Wine Company. Mary’s first foray into the industry included restaurant and nightclub management in San Diego. Mary and P.F. Chang’s were awarded top National honors for Best Chain Restaurant Wine Program at the VIBE VISTA awards in 2010, Best Chain Wine Program in 2011 and Best Overall Beverage Program in 2012 both at the Cheers Beverage Conferences.
moreAnn Miller www.stjameswinery.com Marketing Manager Ann Miller is Marketing Manager for St. James Winery, a top producer of sweet, fruit and regional varietal wines in the Midwest. Ann has served as a wine judge for several national and international wine competitions including the Florida State Fair International Wine Competition, the New York Wine and Food Classic, and the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition.
moreErik Miller Winery Owner / Winemaker | Sonoma County, CA Originally from Kokomo, Indiana, Erik had always dreamed of moving west. After graduating from Purdue University in 1999, with a degree in Organizational, Leadership, and Supervision, he set his sights on Sonoma County in order to pursue his dreams. "I traded in the soybeans and cornfields for the brighter skies, rolling hills and vineyards", Erik said. "With my Midwestern values, I approached the new territory with a promise to always treat the farmers and business the same - with respect." Erik had his first opportunity to make an impression as a wine professional while working crush at Belvedere Winery in the Russian River Valley. Starting at ground level as a cellar worker, there was an immediate connection to the industry. After working that first harvest, Erik decided to enroll at U.C. Davis to study Oenology and learn from the best in the field. During the time he was attending classes, he met Rick Hutchinson, owner and winemaker of Amphora Winery, and was offered a full-time cellar worker position. While handling his duties in the cellar, Erik began Kokomo Winery with a 2004 single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Dry Creek Valley. In naming his new venture, the winemaker decided to pay homage to his Indiana hometown. In 2005 Erik brought on his best friend and college roommate, Josh Bartels, to assist with the new winery's second vintage. With Josh on board, the two upped production and increased the product line. After the 2006 harvest, Kokomo Winery moved into its own facility at Timber Crest Farms in Dry Creek Valley. In 2008 Erik brought on his partner in the winery, Randy Peters, who is a fourth generation farmer in Dry Creek Valley. "Having a partner who grows in three appellations in Sonoma County really completed the loop for us and ensures consistency in quality and terrior.
moreAlycia Mondavi www.darkmatterwines.com Marketing, Sales, Brand Manager/Dark Matter Wines | Napa, CA It is no exaggeration to say Alycia Mondavi and her three sisters were introduced to the wine industry at birth: they were born into one of Napa Valley’s prominent wine families that has owned and operated C. Mondavi & Family since 1943. Just like her father and her sisters, Alycia received her first paycheck at age 10, working for $0.25 an hour as an apprentice doing odd jobs at the winery, from the laboratory to the hospitality center. In 2007 she graduated from the University of San Diego with a business degree in marketing management and in 2008 she earned her paralegal certificate. For three years following her graduation, Alycia worked as a paralegal in a law firm located in the Napa Valley and also as an assistant marketing consultant for ultra-premium wines. Her experiences as a paralegal combined with life lessons in the wine business have enabled her to study various avenues in the wine industry, including but not limited to, viticulture practices, wine labeling and advertising laws, and grape contracts. She recently joined her sister, Riana, as a fourth generation family member working for C. Mondavi & Family as a marketing and sales associate. In addition to assisting in the everyday marketing decisions for the family, she also manages one of the family’s new brands, a high-end Cabernet Sauvignon called Aloft. Her recent endeavors include a joint-venture with her three sisters, called Dark Matter Wines. Alycia collaborates with her three sisters to manage Dark Matter Wines both in marketing and sales.
moreAngelina Mondavi www.darkmatterwines.com Winemaker & Co-Proprietor, Dark Matter Wines | Napa, CA Angelina Mondavi is at the forefront of a new generation of winemakers in Napa Valley. She began her career at the age of 10 assisting the lab manager at Charles Krug. After graduating from high school, she attended Villanova University and majored in chemistry with a minor in business to create a solid foundation for her future in the wine industry. Angelina's first job after graduation was with Hess Collection where she worked as a lab rat during harvest. She then took a harvest position at the Yalumba Wine Company in Barossa Valley where she continued to expand her knowledge. While in Australia, she earned a Master's Degree in Oenology from the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus. In 2007, Angelina joined Pine Ridge Vineyards as their assistant winemaker until 2010. Since then, she has embarked on new adventures; the first being assistant winemaker under the tutelage of Jayson Woodbridge for One True Vine, LLC. There she is responsible for Hundred Acre, Cherry Pie, Layer Cake and Charity Case. The second is a joint venture between Angelina and her cousin, Robert Mondavi Jr., called Fourth Leaf. Lastly, she is the winemaker and co-proprietor for Dark Matter Wines, a joint-venture with her three sisters. As a result of her hard work, Dark Matter Wines recently released their second vintage, a 2007 Howell Mountain Zinfandel.
moreCarolyn Mulas North Coast Wine Manager for Southern Wine and Spirits | Napa, CA Carolyn’s education and career have encompassed many aspects of the California Wine Industry for 31 years. Her education includes certificates for Viticulture and Enology from Napa College, UC Davis, Society of Wine Educators and the Wine and Spirit Education Trust. Carolyn is an active owner/partner for the Carneros based Alta Vista Vineyards, Mulas Family Wines and Mulas Family Farms. Her sales and marketing career began in 1982 working with a small Sonoma Valley winery. From there her experience led her to work with a number of smaller brokers and distributors. Currently and for the past 22 years, she has led the way as North Coast Wine Manager to one of the Country’s most respected distributors, Southern Wine and Spirits. As a professional wine judge, she has participated in Vineyard & Winery Management’s, International Women’s Wine Competition and the West Coast Wine Competition. She has also judged the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition for several years.
moreDrew Munro www.charliepalmer.com Wine Director, Dry Creek Kitchen | Healdsburg, CA I am currently the Wine Director at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, California. My interest in wine wasn’t immediate, but catalyzed by a moment of clarity after drinking a 1971 Brunello di Montalcino. I don’t remember who made it (possibly Banfi), but I immediately understood what made it so good and so much better than any wine that I had tasted before. Although I’m a Maryland native, I attended the University of Texas at Austin and received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas. So of course I did what is common for many English majors – pursued a career in something totally unrelated! After graduating, I decided to make a career in the wine business. I moved to Healdsburg to work as a cellar intern at Ramey Wine Cellars. After completing my internship, I obtained the position of Wine Director at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg and have been here since 2005. I truly feel blessed to live in one of the greatest wine regions in the world and to be surrounded by so many talented winemakers. I’m also honored to work for one of the greatest chef’s in the world and work alongside such a talented staff.
moreChris Munsell www.gallofamily.com Director Of Winemaking, E&J Gallo Winery | Sonoma County, CA When Chris Munsell arrived at Gallo to manage a group of winemakers in California’s North Coast, he already had more than 19 vintages behind him. After honing his craft at some of the industry’s top wineries, including Geyser Peak and Domaine Chandon, Chris discovered that life at Gallo is a little different. “It’s possible to do so much more here,” Chris explains. “The support for winemaking is tremendous. When I check in with an enologist, I could be talking to a PhD. You just don’t see that at other wineries. ” As Director of Winemaking for Gallo’s Premium Business Unit, Chris oversees the Winery’s Premium Wine programs across a range of California appellations. He has been instrumental in creating new wines for Gallo, leveraging the Winery’s premier vineyard properties in the Sonoma County and the Central Coast. “My job is to help our winemakers achieve their ultimate vision for each wine,” says Chris. “I really enjoy the depth of talent we have at Gallo. It allows us to marry traditional approaches with cutting edge winemaking.” Chris grew up in Southern California and spent his summers with his grandmother at the family vineyard in Solano County. Those formative years gave Chris a deep connection to viticulture. As a college student, he interned at wineries in California and France, before graduating from the University of California at Davis with a bachelor’s degree in Fermentation Science, specializing in Viticulture and Enology. Chris was an associate winemaker at Geyser Peak, before spending 13 years in various winemaking and operations roles at Beam Wine Estates. Most recently, Chris was Estate Director at Domaine Chandon and Newton Winery, both part of LVMH. “I am passionate about winemaking, and I truly enjoy the process, from vineyard to bottle,” says Chris. “At Gallo, I get tremendous satisfaction from working with so many talented people and being part of such an incredible collection of wines.”
moreMichael Muscardini Winemaker, Muscardini Cellars | Sonoma County, CA Michael Muscardini is a winemaking maverick whose award winning wines illustrate this rebel’s zealous approach to hand-crafted wine that captures the flavor and spirit of the land and the fruit he is so passionate about. “Bottled with love for the joy of living” can be found on every label. Through Muscardini Cellars, Michael’s family shares their zest for life and deep appreciation for the fruit of the vine. The mission of Muscardini Cellars is to culminate the knowledge, tradition and respect of more than a century of family experience in the industry with wines that artfully capture flavor and spirit. It has not been your typical career path – from studying fine arts to owning a general contracting business, to creating one of the most successful wineries in Northern California. But when you get to know Michael, with his boundless energy and curiosity, warm smile and loveable Golden Retriever, Beni, it just makes sense. Nothing in his professional past trained him to combine a Sangiovese, Syrah and Cabernet into a “Tesoro” (translation – Treasure)( that would win the Best in Class gold medal from limited production Super Tuscan blends at the Los Angeles International Wine Competition. That competition had 3,169 entries from 16 countries, and his 2008 Sonoma Valley Sangiovese from Monte Rosso vineyards was judged the best, limited production red wine. That is no small accomplishment for a relatively new winemaker. One of the biggest achievements in the short history of Muscardini Cellars is the double gold awarded in 2009 by the California State Fair for the 2007 Paul Ranch Sangiovese, which garnered 98 points and the accolade of the Best Micro Winery in the State. And it doesn’t stop there. His recent move to a more spacious tasting room with a patio facing the Mayacama Mountains has given Sonoma County a beautiful place to sip the award winning wines while enjoying the splendor of the land Michael loves so much. His fast growing popular wine club and fun filled events have made Muscardini Cellars a facility that is filled with laughter and good times for everyone. He can be heard saying to the crowds, “If you keep drinking it, I’ll keep making it!”
moreAli Nemo Handley Cellars | Mendocino County, CA I am an enthusiast for life and all the beautiful things it brings; good wine, food, friendships, nature and amusements! I was introduced to fine wine as a server at a marina in Sarasota, FL in 2006. I grew most fond after traveling with the Rotary Club to France in 2008. Then I worked for national and international wine distributors in the South Florida area until 2011 when I migrated across the country. Now I enjoy learning from some from the greatest winemakers the world since coming to California to work at Handley Cellars.
moreLaura Ness Wine Judge & Wine Writer Laura Ness, aka “Her VineNess,” is a wine journalist, wine critic and judge, who serves on the tasting panels of the Pinot, Cabernet and Rhone Shootouts yearly, as judges many local and international wine competitions. She was instrumental in helping define the unique sub-regions of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA as part of a Best of Appellation Terroir Exploratorium conducted by Appellation America. Laura writes extensively for many industry and consumer publications, including Wine Business Monthly and Vineyard and Winery Management, as well as consumer publications like Uncorked, Wine Country This Week and Edible: Monterey Silicon Valley. She also has a weekly wine column in several newspapers, writes regularly for Wine OhTV and winefoodexplorer.com.
moreKimberlee Nicholls Winemaker, Markham Vineyards | St. Helena, CA After graduating with a degree in biology from Willamette University, Kimberlee Nicholls moved from the small coastal town of Long Beach, Washington to California. Kimberlee's desire to use her biology degree led her to the position of Laboratory Technician at Napa Valley's Stag's Leap Wine Cellars in 1989. There she began to expand her understanding beyond the chemistry of winemaking. Eventually, attention to detail and strong analytical skills earned Kimberlee the position of Lab Director. John Gibson, former winemaker at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, saw in Kimberlee unusually adept tasting skills. Confident in her innate ability, he encouraged her to "always trust in your palate." In 1993, Kimberlee came to Markham Vineyards as Enologist to establish an extensive laboratory program and become an integral part of the winemaking team. After four years of hands-on experience in the vineyards and in the winery, she was promoted to Associate Winemaker in 1997. Kimberlee's interest in all facets of the industry, from grape growing to wine blending and lab work, as well as twelve years of experience in California wineries, led to her appointment as Winemaker at Markham Vineyards in November, 2001. As such, her scope of responsibility extends beyond a single winery. Throughout her career in the wine industry, Kimberlee has been inspired and encouraged by the winemakers, grape growers and other viticulturalists she has worked alongside. And true to the words of John Gibson long ago, her palate and tasting skills are acknowledged to be some of the finest in the industry.
moreRamona Nicholson http://www.nicholsonranch.com/ Proprietor and Vineyard Manager | Sonoma County, CA Born and raised on Nicholson Ranch in Sonoma County, Ramona Nicholson is now the Proprietor and Vineyard Manager and thus responsible for all aspects of their family-owned and operated vineyard and winery. She is held in high regard in the wine industry for her knowledge and expertise in all aspects of wine production and her volunteer work with the Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance.
moreEric Olsen www.cbrands.com Vice President/Chief Winemaker, Constellation Wines U.S | Healdsburg, CA Growing up in Davis, California put Erik Olsen squarely in the hotbed of winemaking activity at an early age. With such surroundings, it’s no surprise that he vinted his first wine in California as a teenager. And, though the wine did not receive any critical acclaim beyond that of his immediate family, it did strengthen his desire for a career in winemaking. Erik’s resolute focus on wine and winemaking is evident in his multi-disciplined dive into educating himself on the topic. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Fermentation Science from UC Davis; a Master of Science degree in Food Science from Cornell; and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington; it is clearly Olsen’s aim to understand and master both the technical and business aspect of wine. In addition to his varied degrees, for over two decades – with time out for a graduate research position at Cornell – he made wine at some of the most prominent wineries in California and Washington, including Clos du Bois, Simi and Chateau Ste. Michelle. As Chief Winemaker for Constellation Wines U.S., Erik is responsible for the development and implementation of quality and wine style goals to ensure winemaking processes support Constellation’s objectives to attain the highest quality of wine possible. Erik notes, “I am excited to be leading this talented team of winemakers, ensuring that we maintain the integrity and individual style of each wine while elevating quality across Constellation’s portfolio of distinctive wines.” Olsen lives in Healdsburg, California with his wife Deborah and their two children. When Erik’s not making wine, he enjoys exploring California’s mountains on foot and on skis – in addition to perfecting his grilling technique.
moreMatt Parish http://www.tweglobal.com/ VP & Chief Winemaker, Treasury Wine Estates | Napa, CA Matt has over 18 years of global winemaking and viticultural experience, the last 10 years in winemaking leadership roles with Treasury Wine Estates and Constellations Wines in the US. Based in St Helena, Matt is responsible for the design and specification of all wines in the Americas for Treasury Wine Estates as well as New Product Development, Research & Development and Sensory / Consumer Insights. Prior to moving to the US in 2003, Matt worked as a winemaker and consultant for a diverse range of companies in New Zealand, Australia, Italy and France. Originally from New Zealand, Matt now calls California home, where he lives with his wife Sam and children Oliver and Phoebe.
moreDeborah Parker-Wong, AIWS Northern California editor for The Tasting Panel magazine Parker-Wong reports on the global wine and spirits industries with an emphasis on domestic trends. In addition, she contributes regular features on production technology to Vineyard & Winery Management magazine. Deborah co-authored “1000 Great Everyday Wines” published by Dorling Kindersley in 2011. As a professional wine judge, Deborah juries a dozen regional, national and international wine competitions each year and will sit on the Languedoc-Roussillon panel at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2013. She conducts seminars and educational tastings for SOPEXA and presents consumer tastings for trade organizations including the producers of Ribera Del Duero. She holds the Wine and Spirits Education Trust Diploma (AIWS) and is a member of both the London-based Circle of Wine Writers and the Wine Media Guild of New York.
moreBen Pearson www.bottlebarn.com Buyer/Bottle Barn | Santa Rosa, CA Ben Pearson Bio: Retail wine buyer for over 20 years, the last 18 years at Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa. Professional wine judge for over 15 years at competitions including San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Sonoma County Harvest Fair, West Coast Wine Competition and North of the Gate Wine Competition. Co-host of “Wine Wednesday” on “The Drive with Steve Jaxson” on radio station KSRO, Santa Rosa.
moreJulie Pedroncelli St. John www.pedroncelli.com Vice President, Marketing and 3rd Generation Family Owner | Pedroncelli Winery Julie is a Dry Creek girl, growing up in the family home next to the winery in Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County. She attended Dominican University and, upon graduating with a degree in English, she returned home to work at the winery, first in the tasting room and then in the office. She received “on the job” market training as her father’s administrative assistant for two years. Julie later took on additional marketing communications responsibilities. She began by writing Pedroncelli’s first newsletter, and soon expanded her work to include development of materials promoting the line of wines. Since officially becoming vice president, marketing in 1997 she has expanded marketing outreach through winery trade events, market visits, targeted product material and the internet. “My job is to give wholesalers and retailers the tools they need to tell our story,” she explains. Travel as the ‘Brand Ambassador’ takes her from the northwest through the northeast of the United States as well as Canada. She is launching a blog in 2014, Vino in my Dino, which covers many subjects regarding the wine business from barrels to bottles, wine and food. In addition to her winery work, Julie is and has been involved with many wine industry groups, including her current role as a board member with Wine Institute, Sonoma County Wine Library Associates and the Geyserville Community Foundation. Past board positions were held with the Sonoma County Vintners, Sonoma County Wineries Foundation, Russian River Wine Road, Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, and Zinfandel Advocates & Producers. Married to Ed St. John since 1989, they reside in Healdsburg. Wine and food pairings are a passion for Julie who has her eye on producing a cookbook in 2015. Julie is also a member of Soroptimist International Cloverdale.
moreShauna Rosenblum http://www.rockwallwines.com/ Head Winemaker, Rock Wall Winery | Alameda, CA Shauna Rosenblum grew up a ‘cellar rat’ in Alameda on the site of what would come to be her father Kent Rosenblum’s Zinfandel empire namesake, Rosenblum Cellars. By the age of 2, she was demanding to smell tank samples from wineries her family visited. By the age of 3 , she was helping Kent taste and check brix (sugar) levels in the grapes at their vineyard. By the age of 10 she was working on the bottling line, and helping in the cellar, and by the age of 15, she was sitting in on blends done by Kent, and his assistant winemakers. She was always told she should do whatever she was passionate about, so she attended Undergraduate and Masters studies in Ceramics and Sculpture. During her Ceramics degree, she had to take several semesters of chemistry, which felt very familiar and natural to her because she had been doing it her whole life in the winery. This was the ‘light bulb’ that winemaking really was an amazing art, and that’s what she wanted to do. In 2008 her family sold Rosenblum Cellars, and started Rock Wall Wine Company. Her enthusiasm for winemaking was apparent through the dedicated hours and love she put into Rock Wall’s first harvest. By the end of harvest, it was evident that not only was she in love with what she was doing, but she was a natural at it from her life-long installation of winemaking experience. And thus, in 2008, the 25-year-old, with 23 years of winemaking experience under her belt, was named Winemaker. Since then, she has garnered many Gold Medals, Double Gold Medals, Best of Shows, “Best Female winemaker of a Sparkling Wine” and even the accolade of “Best Zinfandel in California.” It turns out, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the vine. She was the featured winemaker and spokesperson for barrel maker Seguin Moreau’s “Winemaker’s For Good Wood” campaign. She won the 2013 Girls’ Inc. “Women Who Dare “ Award in the category of “Bold Women.” Shauna was recognized by CA State Assembly woman Wilma Chan for the “Outstanding Women in Business” award for 2013
moreDavid Sandri Federal and California Alcohol Licensing Specialist at Compliance Connection | California David Sandri, CSW, WLS, WSET Certified – Advanced, has been in various parts of the wine industry for over 24 years. His experience ranges from retail wine buyer, broker, wholesaler, tasting room management, vineyard operations, winery operation, logistics, and regulatory issues. Over the past decade plus, he has focused on winery compliance and regulatory issues, as well as being an active wine judge throughout the United States and Internationally, and has been published in the US and Canada. Besides being the Federal and California alcohol licensing specialist at Compliance Connection and teaching with College of Marin, David regularly lectures through the Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute. He has given presentations on wine through CIA-Greystone, Lodi Wine Country, Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA), and the Southern Oregon Wine Institute. David is a board member for the Wine Library Associated of Sonoma County and the Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance, as well as works with other groups throughout northern California. He has previously been on the Public Policy Committee at Wine Institute, as well as served on the board for the Lodi Area Wineries Association.
moreChristopher Sawyer “The Sommelier to the Stars” | Sonoma County, CA A recipient of numerous industry awards and accolades, including 2009 Best Sommelier of Sonoma County, and official Sommelier Star Host of the 2011 Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, Christopher Sawyer is an internationally-renowned sommelier, consultant, critic, public speaker and elite wine competition judge who travels the world exploring and sharing the latest trends in wine. Sawyer has been a personal sommelier for an array of luminaries, from the Getty Family to the Gorbachevs, as well as for Pixar/Disney's John Lasseter. Since 2005, Sawyer has the sommelier and wine educator at Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar at The Lodge at Sonoma, a Renaissance Resort and Spa.
moreLeslie Sbrocco author/consultant/tv host/wine lover | CA Award-winning author, television host and speaker, Leslie Sbrocco's approach to wine, libations, food and travel is both entertaining and educational. Known for her humorous musings and energetic style, Sbrocco makes enjoying wine fun. Her PBS television show Check Please, has garnered three Emmy awards and a James Beard Award and her first book, Wine for Women, won the Georges DuBoeuf Best Wine Book of the year. Leslie is a regular guest on NBC's Today show and many other national programs and has been named as one of America’s top 100 most influential people in wine. Sbrocco has consulted for companies such as Kimpton Hotels, Harry & David, Virgin America Airlines and is a judge at numerous national and international wine competitions. As founder of the multimedia company, ThirstyGirl.com, Leslie reaches thousands and spreads her message, Life...Drink it Up!
moreMichael Scholz Winemaker, St. Supéry Vineyards & Winery | Napa Valley, CA Originally from Australia, Michael is the 6th generation to grow up on his family’s vineyard in the Barossa Valley. Michael comes to St. Supéry from Wattle Creek, a Sonoma property in Alexander Valley. Scholz is not a newcomer to the Napa Valley or St. Supéry. He was previously winemaker for the Napa Valley winery from 1996 to 2001. During his tenure, he created the distinctive style that has made St. Supéry the benchmark producer of Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. The Cabernet Sauvignons Michael created for St. Supéry also garnered critical acclaim with five Cabernets securing 90+ scores from the Wine Spectator. Oenologist and consultant, Michel Rolland says, “Michael Scholz is on my list of great winemakers from around the world.”
moreMick Schroeter www.sonomacutrer.com Director of Winemaking, Sonoma Cutrer | Sonoma, County Michael “Mick” Schroeter’s decorated and storied wine background made him superbly qualified to serve as only the third head winemaker in the history of Sonoma-Cutrer. It’s his expertise and globe-trotting wine background that eventually brought him to Sonoma-Cutrer in the role as Winemaking Director. Winemaking is often a trade passed down from generation to generation, and Mick Schroeter is no exception. Starting out on his own as an oenologist at Kaiser Stuhl winery in Australia, Mick wanted to blaze his own trail and had no intentions of following in his father and uncle’s footsteps at the Penfold Winery. Then in 1982, as fate would have it, Penfold bought Kaiser Stuhl and reunited Mick with his family in the business. Although Mick was already well-versed in winemaking, Penfold allowed him to continue his pursuit of total enlightenment, sponsoring his winemaking education at the famed Roseworthy College and providing him a scholarship to visit and study Chilean wine country. This was followed with a 6-month tour around the world with his wife and a stop in California to work the wine harvest. Mick rose rapidly through the Penfold system and had the privilege to be part of their red winemaking team, eventually working on Penfold’s legendary Grange Hermitage, the benchmark of Aussie Shiraz. From there, Mick accepted an invitation from Geyser Peak Winery in California to take over as Vice President of Winemaking and for 17 years was in charge of vineyard assessment, harvest scheduling, winemaking direction, budgeting and brand ambassadorship. It is his long track record of success and illustrious career in Australia and California, along with twice being named “Winemaker of the Year” at the London International Wine & Spirit Competition, that gave Mick the encompassing experience to take the reins at Sonoma-Cutrer. He considers it one of the industry’s true dream jobs. He is honored to carry on the brand’s storied legacy but also eager to take it to new heights. Schroeter now lives with his wife, Linda, in Sonoma County, California, along with their children, Matilda, Sadie, and Charlie.
moreCarol Shelton http://www.carolshelton.com/ Winemaker | Sonoma County, CA Carol Shelton is widely cited as the most awarded winemaker in the United States. She has won countless medals for her wines and has been honored as Winemaker of the Year numerous times. After years of working with some of the industry’s top winemakers and wineries, Carol continues to win awards and accolades for premium Zinfandels produced under her own brand, Carol Shelton Wines. Carol’s career got an early, and unusual, start. When Carol was six, her mom developed an “identify the scent” game using household herbs and spices. It was the beginning of Carol’s path into the wine industry. It quickly became apparent that Carol not only had a great sense of smell, but she was remarkably adept at figuring out the new smells as the game evolved. Entering UC Davis with a penchant for poetry, Carol stumbled upon her true calling when she first entered a wine cellar. The wonderful aroma of wine aging in oak barrels was so enticing that it drew Carol to her life’s work. Under the tutelage of Ann Noble, the author of the Aroma Wheel, Carol worked hard and threw herself into her enology studies at UC Davis. One of Carol’s projects on yeast strains proved that different strains produce different flavor characteristics in wine. This early knowledge of yeast strains reflects today in the delicious, full-flavored wine Carol produces. Carol Shelton is widely cited as the most awarded winemaker in the United States. She has won countless medals for her wines and has been honored as Winemaker of the Year numerous times. After years of working with some of the industry’s top winemakers and wineries, Carol continues to win awards and accolades for premium Zinfandels produced under her own brand, Carol Shelton Wines. Carol’s career got an early, and unusual, start. When Carol was six, her mom developed an “identify the scent” game using household herbs and spices. It was the beginning of Carol’s path into the wine industry. It quickly became apparent that Carol not only had a great sense of smell, but she was remarkably adept at figuring out the new smells as the game evolved. Entering UC Davis with a penchant for poetry, Carol stumbled upon her true calling when she first entered a wine cellar. The wonderful aroma of wine aging in oak barrels was so enticing that it drew Carol to her life’s work. Under the tutelage of Ann Noble, the author of the Aroma Wheel, Carol worked hard and threw herself into her enology studies at UC Davis. One of Carol’s projects on yeast strains proved that different strains produce different flavor characteristics in wine. This early knowledge of yeast strains reflects today in the delicious, full-flavored wine Carol produces.
moreBrian Smith www.clubw.com Chief Wine Officer/Club W.com | Brooklyn, NY Brian is an Advanced Sommelier who has developed beverage programs for Jackson Hole Wine Company and Aureole, Las Vegas where the wine team was awarded ‘Best Sommeliers’ by Food and Wine. More recently he was a Partner and Wine Director of Clo Wine Bar, an innovative wine bar at the Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle, Manhattan. Clo received wide international acclaim for it’s unique approach to the consumer wine experience by blending technology and hospitality. In 2008 Brian fulfilled his life long dream of making wine with his first vintage of Loca Linda. Brian’s first vintage was well received with an 89 point score from the Wine Advocate. Brian continues to look for quality vineyards and unique terroirs to express through wine. Brian recently released his first French wine, 2012 Jolie Folle Rose from Provence, France. In 2013 Brian joined CLUBW.COM, a direct to consumer wine service focusing on connecting winemakers and millennial consumers. As Chief Wine Officer he is responsible for selecting and curating wines and winemakers for Club W’s monthly offerings. Brian has participated as a guest lecturer in various events such as Taste of Vail, Aspen Food and Wine and Nantucket Wine Festival. Brian has been featured in various media outlets including: the Travel Channel, USA Today, Vogue, Today, LXTV, NBC, FOX News, Martha Stewart, Mashable, MSNBC, Fortune, Details, WSJ and Wine Spectator.
moreTheo Snyder Total Wine Professional and Wine Manager | Folsom, California Theo Snyder began her career in the wine and food industry with fine dining management, cumulating with the ownership of a Wine Spectator Award winning restaurant in New Hampshire for 10 years. In 2007 she joined the team at Total Wine & More as a Wine Manager. Theo is a certified Total Wine Professional and a member of the Court of Master Sommeliers. She has traveled extensively through the wine regions of Italy, France, Spain and now lives in California.
moreMonique Soltani Multimedia Reporter Monique Soltani is the Founder and Host of Wine Oh TV, the 2012 Wine Blog Award winning website for best original video. Monique has a certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers and has interviewed over one hundred winemakers and counting. Monique also works as a reporter for California Life and spent nearly two years working for AOL where she created and hosted the weekly series Wine Wednesdays, Foodie Fridays & Luscious Libations. In addition to being the Founder and Host of Wine Oh TV, Monique is a seasoned journalist with over ten years experience working in broadcasting. Monique has worked in newsrooms across the country including: KPIX-TV/CBS 5, KNTV-TV/NBC 11, KSEE-TV/NBC 24, KCBS-TV/CBS 2, KGTV-TV/ABC 10, and KPVI-TV/NBC 6. Monique is also a trained SAG/AFTRA actor and studied at The Groundlings, Warner Loughlin Studios and The Atlantic Theater Company and she can be seen on various films, television shows and commercials.
moreHilarie Spater www.winecountrygiftbaskets.com Director of Training/Wine Country Gift Baskets | Fullerton, CA Hilarie Spater- Director of Training for Wine Country Gift Baskets Although Hilarie’s career first began in sales, she soon moved into training and began working at Wine Country Gift Baskets. She quickly realized that her passion for wine made this an ideal position. She began a wine and food pairing event with her friends 10 years ago and they still meet quarterly to share new wines and see what they pair best with. In addition to frequent trips to Napa and Sonoma, she has honed her skills by taking classes through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust program and the CIA in Greystone. Her passion for wine and knowledge, has also brought her to many of the fascinating and delicious wine regions of the world including but not limited to the Loire Valley, Alsace, Mendoza and Italy. This allows her to ensure that all of the Gift Consultants who sell the gift baskets are knowledgeable regarding wine in general as well as the specific wines that they sell. Over the years, she has facilitated multiple wine classes as well as shared her knowledge at annual Expos. Wine Country gift Basket’s parent company, Houdini, also makes wine. She is part of the team that ensures the wines are quality and regularly pours these award winning wines at events throughout the West.
moreErica Stancliff www.trombettawines.com Assistant Winemaker/Trombetta Family Winery | Forestville, CA Erica Stancliff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Enology from California State University Fresno. Having grown up in Sonoma County, Erica has strong ties in the winemaking community. She is the assistant winemaker at her family’s winery Trombetta Family Winery located in Sebastopol, California. Erica has worked in wineries both in Mendoza, Argentina and Oakville, (Napa Valley) California. She is also an enologist at Enartis Vinquiry as well as technical specialist.
moreWendy Stuckey Winemaker, Chateau Ste. Michelle | Woodinville, WA Born and raised in Australia, Wendy left the Barossa Valley in October 2007 to join Chateau Ste. Michelle as its white winemaker, managing day-to-day operations at the winery’s white wine cellar in Woodinville, located outside of Seattle, Washington. Prior to joining Chateau Ste. Michelle from “down under,” Wendy was considered one of Australia’s best white winemakers and worked at the Wolf Blass Winery for 15 years. She was responsible for some of the company’s iconic white wines, most notably the highly regarded Wolf Blass Gold Label Riesling. Wendy’s strong interest in Riesling is what initially attracted her to Chateau Ste. Michelle, the leading North American Riesling producer with a 40 year history of Riesling winemaking. “Having worked with many different Riesling vineyards in Australia over a period of 15 years, I was keen to work in another part of the world known for producing outstanding Riesling. At Chateau Ste. Michelle, I have the opportunity to make a range of different Riesling styles, including botrytis styles and ice wine.
moreMark Stupich www.kenwoodvineyards.com Winemaker of Cellar Operations/Kenwood Vineyards | Sonoma, CA Mark was born and raised in Los Angeles. He moved north at the first opportunity. He discovered Central Coast Zinfandel (Rotta) while attending Questa College. He found himself living in Kenwood attending Sonoma State (then) College pursuing a psychology degree in 1975, but making wine at Kenwood Vineyards made more sense. He is currently Winemaker of Cellar operations at Kenwood.
moreJohn Sverko www.littleriverinn.com Wine Buyer, Little River Inn | Little River, CA For the last 14 years, John Sverko has been the wine-buyer for The Little River Inn, a 5th generation family owned resort with 65 rooms, restaurant and bar, 9 hole golf course, tennis courts and spa, located just outside the town of Mendocino in Little River, California. John places approximately 100 wines on the list for the dining room and an additional 20 wines for guests who prefer to sip wine-by-the-glass. Prior to approving any wine, John works closely with the resorts Executive Chef, Marc Dym. He also manages a special wine list for a number of private events that take place at the resort annually including the winemaker dinner program that is available to the public. An important role for John is to assist both the staff and resort guests, acting as a wine industry concierge and educator. John enjoys the opportunity and challenge that comes with his job, making sure that everyone receives the perfect wine for whatever the mood and also a delicious meal
moreEmma Swain CEO, St Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery | Napa Valley, CA Emma Swain is the CEO of St Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery. She received her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture and Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis and is a Certified Public Accountant. Emma has worked in the wine industry for more than 20 years. She began her career with Niebaum-Coppola Winery and served as the Chief Operating Officer at Sebastiani Vineyards prior to joining St. Supéry Estate. Emma currently serves as a board member for the Napa Valley Vintners, as well as serving on multiple sub-committees. Emma also volunteers locally with a number of environmental, educational and health-based charities. She is an avid runner and has several half marathons under her belt of accomplishments.
moreDr. Liz Thach http://lizthach.wordpress.com/ Wine Management and Wine Business Professor | Sonoma State University, Sonoma County, CA Dr. Liz Thach, MW (pronounced “tosh”) is a management and wine business professor at Sonoma State University in the Wine Business Institute where she teaches in both the undergraduate and Wine MBA programs. Liz’s passion is wine, and she has visited most of the major wine regions of the world and more than 35 countries. In addition, she is an award winning author who has published over 100 articles and 6 wine textbooks, including Wine – A Global Business and Wine Marketing & Sales. A fifth generation Californian, Liz finished her Ph.D. at Texas A&M and now lives on Sonoma Mountain where she tends a small hobby vineyard and makes pinot noir wine. She also works as a wine judge in various competitions, and has served on many non-profit wine boards. Liz obtained the distinction of Master of Wine (MW) in May of 2011.
moreMarguerite Thomas Wine Writer Marguerite Thomas is travel editor for The Wine News, and author of a monthly column, "The Intrepid Gastronome," for The Los Angeles Times International Syndicate. She is author of a cookbook and of two books about wines in the Eastern U.S., and is a frequent contributor to national wine magazines including Vineyard & Winery Management.
moreMark Thrift www.molliestones.com Director of Wine & Spirits/Mollie Stone's Markets | Marin, CA Mark is the Director of Wine, Spirits and Beer for Mollie Stone’s Market a nine store chain of independent supermarkets headquartered in Mill Valley. Mark is celebrating his 40th year in the wine business. He started his career by establishing a separate wine division for his family owned distributorship in 1973. After the sale of the business in 1983 he was the state wine manager for Coast Distributing in Portland, Oregon and later spent 21 years with Bronco Wine Co., in various positions. Most recently, he was chain sales manager for Coastal Wine and Spirits of Hawaii, a division of Southern Wine and Spirits of Hawaii; in 2011 he joined Mollie Stone’s Markets. Mark has a unique background that has allowed him to work in all three tiers of the wine business.
moreWilliam "Bill" Traverso Wine Retail Consultant-Wine Judge | Santa Rosa, CA William “Bill” Traverso is a wine retail consultant, and professional wine judge with over thirty-five years of experience. He has more than three decades of wine competition experience both as a judge and competition chairman, and was a past member of the Sonoma County Harvest Fair Board of Directors serving as President and as Chairman of the Professional Wine Judging Competition. He is also a Member of Santa Rosa Junior College’s Wine Studies Advisory Committee whose function is to oversee curriculum in the areas of wine marketing and a former board member of The Board of Visitors and Fellows at UC Davis. For over twenty five years, Traverso has been an adjunct faculty member at Santa Rosa Junior College teaching classes on the Wines of Italy, Professional Wine Judging and Wine Marketing and Sales. Traverso has lead food and wine tours throughout the major wine growing regions of Italy. A native of Sonoma County, Bill has a B.A. and teaching credential from the University of San Francisco.
moreJim Trezise . President, New York Wine & Grape Foundation | New York James (Jim) Trezise has been President of the New York Wine & Grape Foundation since its creation in 1985, and has been involved with the industry since 1982. The Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization which sponsors research and conducts promotion programs in support of New York grapes, grape juice and wine. The Foundation's research and promotion programs have received international recognition, as has its close and productive partnership with the State of New York. Most recently, largely due to the Foundation’s work over the years, New York State was named 2015 “Wine Region of the Year” by Wine Enthusiast magazine as part of its Wine Star Awards. Other contenders were Champagne, France; Chianti, Italy; Sonoma Coast, California; and Red Mountain, Washington. Jim is also widely recognized for his leadership in the broader American wine industry, having received six national awards or other recognition for his many contributions: The “Grand Award” of the Society of Wine Educators in 2014; one of “The 20 Most Admired People in the American Wine Industry” in 2013 based on a survey by Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine; the Wine Integrity Award in 2006 from the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission; the first-ever “Distinguished Service Award” in 2001 from the American Society for Enology and Viticulture (Eastern Section); the Perpetual Monteith Trophy (Thomas Jefferson Cup) in 1995 from the Vinifera Winegrowers Association; and recognition by "Wines & Vines" magazine as one of the “top 50 movers and shakers" in the United States wine industry. In addition, in 2014 he received the coveted “Chairman’s Award” of the New York Wine & Culinary Center. Jim is actively involved with several national and international organizations focusing on key issues affecting the grape and wine industry worldwide. He is Founder and President of the International Riesling Foundation, a coalition of top Riesling producers from around the world seeking to promote Riesling and educate consumers. He serves on the Presidential Council of FIVS (formerly Fédération Internationale des Vins et Spiritueux -- International Federation of Wines and Spirits) based in Paris. He also serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of WineAmerica, the national organization of American wineries; as a Board member of the National Grape and Wine Initiative; as a Board member of the Wine Market Council; and previously served as Director of Communications for the International Organization of Vines and Wines in Paris. He is a frequent speaker on major issues at conferences throughout the United States, as well as a professional wine judge at more than a dozen international competitions, and the author of articles which have appeared in The New York Times and other media. Prior to his appointment as the Foundation's President, Jim had been involved with the New York grape and wine industry for three years, first as Executive Director of the New York State Wine Grape Growers, and then as President of the New York Wine Council representing both growers and vintners. His career includes more than 30 years of communications consulting, public relations, advertising, public policy, and strategic planning. He holds a masters degree in International Communications from American University in Washington, DC, and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Allegheny College. A native New Yorker from Rochester, Jim lived in France for three years prior to his involvement with the New York grape and wine industry. He now lives on Keuka Lake in the Finger Lakes wine region.
moreDr. Valery Uhl Wine Judge Dr. Uhl is the Chief Judge and Director of the "North of the Gate" Wine Competition for the Sonoma-Marin Fair in Petaluma, California. She also judges the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the Grand Harvest Awards, the Mid-American Wine Competition, the El Dorado County Fair Wine Competition, the Japan Wine Challenge, the West Coast Wine Competition, the California State Fair Wine Competition, as well as multiple others. Valery has a degree in Viticulture Management, and graduated Cum Laude from U.C. Davis where she was a Taster for the U.C. Davis Enology and Food Science Departments. Her family owns Gold medal awarded Pinot Noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley AVA. She has written papers and given lectures across the country on the health benefits of wine, including at the 2009 Midwest Grape & Wine Conference in Missouri. She also educates various Bay Area clubs on wine and food pairings. She continues to collect and donate wine for many of her special causes such as the American Cancer Society of which she is a Board member, various Breast Cancer events, Stanley Middle School in Lafayette, CA where her 13 year old son is in the eighth grade, and Summit Medical Center in Oakland where she is also the Medical Director of Radiation Oncology Services at the AB Summit Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Department of Radiation Oncology.
moreLarry Van Aalst Sommelier and Radio Host | Sonoma County, CA Larry Van Aalst is a retired, twenty-five year sommelier and host of "The Sonoma County Wine Report", CRN Digital Talk Radio. Van Aalst has been a wine educator at both Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior College and enjoys a ten-year tenure on the Press Democrat Wine of the Week Panel. He has also judged the following wine competitions: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition North of the Gate Wine Competition West Coast Wine Competition Grand Harvest Wine Competition The Green Wine Competition Riverside Wine Competition Mendocino County Wine Competition ElDorado County Wine Competition Sonoma County Harvest Fair Wine Competition
moreAnne Vercelli http://winejudging.com/ Assistant Director | San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Anne Vercelli has worked with the Cloverdale Citrus Fair now called the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, since 1987, most recently as its Assistant Director. Anne is responsible for assisting in overall planning, organizing and implementing of all aspects of the competition with primary responsibility for receiving, coding, and presenting the over 5,000 wines received each year. She is responsible for a staff of 100 volunteers. She is a Professional Wine Judge having served on a judging panel for the International Women’s Wine Competition in Santa Rosa, California. Vercelli has worked as the Coordinator of the Professional Food Competitions of the Sonoma County Harvest Fair since 1981. She has elevated the food competitions from 2 judgings to 10 judgings with entries increasing each year. She is responsible for 12 chef demonstrations during the Harvest Fair week-end. Ms. Vercelli has been an instructor since 1981 at Santa Rosa Junior College where she currently teaches 6 classes in Italian Cuisine in the Culinary Department. She also assists in the College’s Agricultural Department where she teaches Wine Service and Hospitality and Sonoma County Wine Appellations classes. Anne has been a sales staff assistant at Costeaux Bakery in Healdsburg from 1998 to the present. She has been responsible for making sales calls in the Sonoma County region and in training the sales staff for the bakery. Prior to 1987, Anne had a career in restaurant management. She worked at Charley Browns’s Restaurant, a high-volume restaurant in Burlingame, California from 1980-1984. In addition to her managerial responsibilities, she served on the training team and would travel to other Charley Brown Restaurants when they were remodeled. Her concentration was dining-room service and wine training. Anne worked at the Clarion Hotel at the San Francisco International Airport as Assistant Food and Beverage Director from 1984-1987. She dealt with all aspects of food and beverage service for a 450 room hotel. Vercelli was the cook for Geyser Peak Winery in the early 1990’s. She is a 1979 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America (C.I.A.) with an A.O.S degree. Upon graduation she received the Richard Keating award “Most Likely To Succeed”. She was also awarded the coveted position of “Fellowship” in the Escoffier Room at the C.I.A. In addition, Anne worked in the catering office of the school. Later in the year, Anne represented the C.I.A. as the principle cook for Mr. Edgar Bronfman, Chairman of the Board of Seagram’s in New York City. Anne received her B.A. in Food and Nutrition from California State University, Sacramento in 1977.
moreCathleen Vicini Co-Proprietor and Operations/ Sales Manager at Trecini Winery | Sonoma County, CA Cathleen grew up making ‘club houses’ inside the old big huge wood barrels in the old Fountain Grove Winery. Her father would make the opening on the side larger so she could go in and out of it with chairs and tables. She can still remember the deep rich aromas left in the old barrels. Cathleen began her professional business career by establishing a chain of retail stores, then years later followed her passion into the world of counseling psychology, earning a doctorate, and after 20 years still maintains her counseling practice. In addition, Cathleen is the Co-Proprietor and Operations/Sales Manager at the family winery during the day. Never content to run a business she didn’t understand, Cathleen attended the wine program at the CIA in Greystone to learn about wine making and the nuances of the various wines. It has been her goal to understand what goes into winemaking, and learn the subtleness in the various wines. The Vicini family (John, David and Cathleen), grape growers since 1996, began Trecini Winery in 1999. Diversified in wine varieties, Trecini has grown into an established multiple Best of Class, Gold Medal winning winery specializing in Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Zinfandel.
moreNancy Walker www.trustwine.com Owner/Winemaker - Stephen & Walker | Healdsburg, CA As the owner, winemaker and managing partner at Stephen & Walker, there is never a dull moment for Nancy. Her entrepreneurial attitude and way of thinking has given her the skills which lead to her success and deserved recognition. When Nancy is not at Stephen & Walker, she can be spotted as the general manager and winemaker at Grove Street Winery. Nancy also enjoys public speaking and participates as a speaker at UC Davis OIV Wine Business Course each summer. Her topic covers the Negociant within the wine industry. She is also a professional wine judge and has judged the Orange County and California State Fairs. The dream of becoming a world renowned winemaking began for Nancy shortly after she earned her Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.), Bacteriology from UC Davis. Cellar work was her first winery job for harvest at McDowell Valley Vineyards in 1984. She worked at Geyser Peak Winery as a lab technician and bottling line quality assurance. Her hands on experience also includes winemaking at Brutocao Cellars, Fetzer Vineyards and the Winery Exhange. Gardening, mushroom foraging, knitting, sewing, ceramics, bird watching, scuba and abalone diving, hiking, skiing, home brewing, science fiction and taking a run with her dogs are her favorite ways to spend personal time.
moreHans Walter-Peterson http://flg.cce.cornell.edu/ Viticulture Extension Specialist | Finger Lakes, NY Hans Walter-Peterson is the Viticulture Extension Specialist for Cornell University in the Finger Lakes region of New York. While trying to keep up with the typical Extension role of being a jack of all trades, his work generally focuses on vineyard nutrition, canopy and crop load management, vineyard floor management and helping growers to adapt to the curve balls that Mother Nature throws at them every year. Prior to arriving in the Finger Lakes in 2007, he worked for Cornell in the Lake Erie region of western New York for six years. Hans received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN in 1990, and his Masters degree in Viticulture from the University of California – Davis in 2001. Hans is an active member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture’s Eastern Section, and recently completed his term as the Chair of the Section’s Board of Directors.
moreEric White Associate Winemaker, Heitz Wine Cellars | Napa, CA Eric chose his career path at an early age, inspired by his mother who is the winemaker for their family’s Illinois winery. When he was 21 years old, she presented him with a bottle of 1987 Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet, and he decided then, “I wanted to find out how to make a wine that amazing.” By that time, Eric was nearing graduation from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a B.S. in wine and viticulture and a concentration in enology. He had already successfully completed a harvest internship in Paso Robles; but he took the unusual step of applying for a second internship at Heitz Wine Cellars. After Eric completed his studies, we officially welcomed him to our team in 2011. Eric’s expertise and tenacity about enhancing the quality of our wines resulted in a promotion to Associate Winemaker, and his skill as a team leader is one of the things that keeps our day-to-day operation running smoothly. Eric has continued to broaden his experience, including an educational tour of France that focused on the Burgundy, Bordeaux and Champagne regions. He also visited the wine regions of New Zealand in 2014. Besides his lifelong passion for wine, Eric is a talented skier and golfer.
moreRosina Wilson http://www.RosinaWilson.com Founding Editor | Wine X Magazine Rosina Tinari Wilson has been professionally involved with food and wine ever since winning the 1982 Gilroy Garlic Festival recipe contest. The founding editor of Wine X Magazine, Rosina has written widely on food, wine, entertaining, travel, and more. For ten years, Rosina taught the course on "Wine and Food Pairing" (her specialty) to chefs-in-training at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She also authored Seafood, Pasta and Noodles ~ The New Classics (Ten Speed Press), with wine suggestions for each of her recipes. A certified wine judge, Rosina has judged such events as the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the Grand Harvest Awards, and the first-ever Sake' Shootout in New York. In her “edutaining” RosinaWilson.com blog, Rosina writes about “Wine, Food and Fun in the San Francisco Bay Area (and beyond…). She recently spearheaded the “Drink Wine With Dinner” Day (and Month) movement, in honor of Julia Child’s birthday. Currently, Rosina is also working on a series of eBooks.
moreVictoria Wilson Sonoma County, CA Victoria grew up in the Wilson winemaking family as it literally started with the roots, when her father Ken farmed their first vines, and her mother, Diane, crafted the wines. In her childhood, Victoria learned the variables of terroir and the nuances that the earth and soils impart to the vines. Her respect for the responsible stewardship of the vineyards extended to her Environmental Sciences study at UCLA. When she returned from Los Angeles, she worked alongside her mother for back-to-back harvests, experiencing every aspect of crush and production. Wanting to understand the breadth of the wine business as completely as possible, she spent several years as Tasting Room Manager at one of her family’s eight wineries, Soda Rock. With a wealth of knowledge under her belt, Victoria has returned once again to her true passion of Winemaking, where she will pursue a career focused on producing Pinot Noir for the Wilson family.
moreWilfred Wong www.wine.com Chief Story Teller | Wine.com Wilfred Wong is Chief Story Teller for Wine.com and is a wine industry veteran of more than 40 years. He currently tastes between 6,000 to 8,000 wines annually and judges in a dozen major wine competitions each year. He writes for the Tasting Panel Magazine as well as other publications. Active in the social networks, he has over 4,000 facebook friends and 1,500 Twitter followers. Wilfred, a native of San Francisco, California, still resides there with his wife, Alice and dog Cody. He graduated from Lowell High School in San Francisco and studied psychology at the University of California at Berkeley.
moreJessica Yadegaran Food & Wine Writer | Bay Area News Group Jessica Yadegaran is an award-winning food and wine writer for the Bay Area News Group, Northern California's largest news organization with a combined weekly readership of 2.7 million online, in print and mobile. In addition to the San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune and Contra Costa Times, Jessica's articles run in papers and websites across the country, from the Chicago Tribune and Seattle Times to Slate.com. She has contributed to Vinography.com and judged in numerous wine competitions including the San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition.
morePaul Young www.wine-force.com Founder and senior partner | WineForce Consulting, Petaluma, CA WineForce Consuting is a sales and marketing company that assists small and medium-sized family vintners to grow their distribution throughout the domestic market and in the international trade sphere as well. His family started Summa Vineyard on the Sonoma Coast in the 1970’s. His professional career included wine buyer duties with Liquor Barn and Safeway Stares in the 1980’s and sales and marketing management at Kenwood Vineyards and Valley of the Moon wineries from 1988 to 2010.
moreZack Zimmerman http://sonomafb.org/ Business Membership Relations Coordinator, Sonoma County Farm Bureau | Sonoma County, CA Zack Zimmerman was born and raised in Sonoma County, tracing his families agricultural roots back to the mid 1850’s. Zack is currently working as the Business Membership Relations Coordinator with the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, under the California Farm Bureau Federation. For the past eleven years Zack has worked his way through the wine industry from enology to wine marketing, most recently focusing on inventory organization, management and appraisals of fine and rare wines. Zack has also worked his way through a few wineries as sales manager and hospitality lead, most recently with Arista Winery, a boutique Pinot Noir house in the Russian River Valley. Zack graduated from Sonoma State University Cum Laude with two Bachelors of Science degrees in Wine Business Strategies, and Marketing Management. During his time at SSU he was Vice President of the Wine Club as well as VP of the Marketing Club. Zack received his AA in enology and viticulture from the Santa Rosa Junior College. Zack has continued his education through accredited wine program WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) and currently is studying towards the completion of the WSET diploma, with an ultimate goal in becoming an MW.

Comments on Importance of Wine Competitions

Here's the opinion of California wine journalist Dan Berger, who organizes several wine competitions and judges in many more; this is from the latest edition of his Vintage Experiences newsletter (www.VintageExperiences.com):

"Wineries that regularly enter wine competitions probably do so because they have seen the benefit of using medals won as a marketing tool.

The reasons are obvious.  First of all, I view wine competition results as a lot more valid than the 'see the label, know the price, rank the wine' concept employed by most critics who score wines by number.

Wine competitions use blind evaluation, which makes the entire idea more competitive.  Moreover, instead of a judge ranking a wine in a vacuum, the medals typically are achieved by both discussion with other judges and by comparing various wines of a similar type, none of which is known to any of the panelists.

But there is an additional benefit that accrues to wineries as a result of entering wine competitions: getting their wines in front of gatekeepers.

Simply getting an appointment with the wine buyer for a major retail chain, upscale restaurant, or high-end wine shop is a near impossibility thse days.  Such people are typically so busy that many have unlisted phone numbers and do not take appointments to try new wines.

I was a judge at the recent Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge.  Also judging was the wine buyer for one restaurant chain that has more than 200 restaurants.  She said competitions can be a good way of trying 100 or more wines without knowing the price or label--which she said was a valid way to purchase wine.  That is, 'If quality is your goal, not just a label with an image.'

I discover more interesting wines at competitions than I do anywhere else.

In short, it's clear: If you don't enter, you can't win."

Testimonials

“The wine competitions are managed by professionals, judged by professionals, with both groups operating from the viewpoint to reward good work from the winemaker. The wines are presented in their best light, and judged in surroundings conducive to objective analysis. The support teams are the best in the business." - Tim McNally, Host, The Wine and Spirits Show, 1350 AM, New Orleans and heard in South Louisiana and Southern Mississippi on www.espn1350.net

“Wine Competitions are a great way to understand where your wines fall with a broad panel of judges and it can validate or contradict what you believe about the quality of a particular wine you produce.  It can really be used to help ensure that you don’t become complacent or develop too much of a ‘house pallet’.  Especially when entering multiple competitions throughout the year, you really get a sense of how a wine is being received by a pretty large group of qualified tasters.  I think consumers also value competition awards.  The market place is so saturated that they sometimes appreciate some guidance; when they see a wine has received a gold medal or best of class, it can help some consumers to have confidence in their purchase.” – Dennis Martin, VP Director of Winemaking, Fetzer Vineyards

“I have been involved in V&WM wine competitions for many years. As a winemaker I entered a large number of my wines and realized the huge value in winning awards, especially gold. Our credibility and sales were enhanced at retail and with our wholesalers. As a winemaker I looked forward to the results from each competition as it gave me an unbiased second opinion with respect to quality from my peers.  Most recently I have participated as a judge and now get to see first hand how the competition is run. I am most impressed. The quality of judges is always high. The judging conditions are the best there is. I love the fact that many of the judging panels are made up of winemakers, media and trade, so if a wine wins an award you know it has been evaluated from all perspectives. I am a strong believer in wine competitions.” – Daryl Groom, Owner/Winemaker, Groom Wines

“The competition was wonderful…. I’ve been judging for almost a decade and have come to realize it is the dynamic panel that makes the day produce medals.” -William S. Bloxsom-Carter, Executive Chef/Food & Beverage Director, Playboy

“Thank you so much for the opportunity to judge.  It was a great experience and I appreciate the chance to taste alongside such talented people in the business.  I realize that to participate in such competitions is a special opportunity and one that I learn greatly from.”  -Jamie Arevalo, Product Development, E. & J. Gallo Winery

GENERAL ENTRY RULES

Questions?  Contact Debra Del Fiorentino, 800.535.5670 x109, ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com.

1. An official entry consists of four (4) 750 ml bottles or six (6) 375 ml bottles.
2. Paper entry fee, to be submitted with the entry form, is $75 per wine. See specific wine competition page on this site to download an entry form.  An online discount of $65 per wine applies if you enter your wines online at winecompetitions.com. EnofileOnline customers may enter directly through their EnofileOnline account and enjoy the same online savings. Entry forms must be received online, by mail, or by fax by published deadline date.
3. Entrants who received a special promotional code or must enter by mail or fax. Please indicate the promo or discount code on the entry form checklist.
4. A one-time fee of $55 links your award results to your winery's website homepage. Link fees may be purchased at any time; however, link fees purchased in advance will not be refunded, should no award be given.
5. All entered wines must be available to the general public.
6. Entrants must specify residual sweetness accurately as a percentage.
7. Certain classes will be subdivided by price, at the discretion of the Chief Judge.
8. Entrants must specify the winery suggested retail price (SRP) for each wine entered.

HOW/WHERE TO ENTER
Entries may be made by mail, fax, or online. Mail: (Name of) Wine Competition, c/o Vineyard & Winery Management, P.O. Box 14459, Santa Rosa, CA 95402. Fax: 707-577-7705. Online: winecompetitions.com or enofileonline.com

DEADLINES
Completed entry forms and fees must arrive by the stated deadline date. No refunds for cancellations can be made after the close of registration date. See each wine competition page for specific deadlines.

INSTRUCTIONS
If submitting a paper entry, write the class number on the entry form, along with the vintage, wine name/type, appellation or other significant information, varietal composition by percentage, vineyard designation (if any), production, price and residual sweetness. State residual sweetness correctly, as judges may reject a wine with a sweetness level that does not correspond to the entry form. Entrants should specify class number of entry, or a class will be selected at the discretion of the Chief Judge. A wine can be entered in a single class only.

WINE SHIPMENTS
Wine shipments must arrive at Wine Country Shipping by the stated date. Clearly mark boxes on all sides for "(Name of) Wine Competition Entry". Indicate box 1 of 2, 2 of 2, etc. to ensure entire shipment is received.  Please ship four (4) 750 ml bottles or six (6) 375 ml bottles per wine type entered.  For your convenience, you may download pre-addressed shipping labels.  See the specific wine competition page on this website.

WINE DELIVERY LOCATION - NEW WAREHOUSE!
Please ship all wines c/o Wine Country Shipping, 7686 Bell Road, Windsor CA, 95492.

JUDGING METHODOLOGY
Panels will be comprised of qualified members of wine media, wine/vineyard research, winemaking, wine education and wine marketing. Majority will rule in reaching a consensus. New bottles will be opened for medal-round tasting. Judges may ask for a new bottle to be poured if they believe a wine to be "corked." Medals awarded will be Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Double Gold is only awarded when all judges on the panel agree on a gold on the first round, without any discussion of moving one (or more) judge's Silver up to a Gold. Best of Show is determined from the following categories: Best White, Best Red, Best Rosé/Blush, Best Dessert/Late Harvest (including Ice Wine), Best Sparkling Wine, Best Fruit Wine. In order to progress a Best of Class to Sweepstakes, there must be a minimum of five (5) wines in that class.

With exception: 

• International Women's Wine Competition offers a special award for Best Woman Winemaker.
• International East Meets West Wine Challenge conducts a conducts a Riesling Championship for the Eastern Division and also conducts a "face-off" for best of the Eastern vs. Western Divisions.
• In North Coast Wine Challenge there does not need to be a mininum of five (5) wines in "said" class.
• The International Wine Channel TV Awards conducts a special Rising Star Winemaker Award.

NOTIFICATION
Award recipients will be notified within 10 working days of the last day of the competition.

MEDALS
Medals are approximately 2 inches in diameter and weigh about 1.5 ounces. They are produced in gold, silver and bronze medal and are attractively engraved with the wine competition logo and award designation and are not year-specific. Medals typically take six weeks to produce and are mailed as soon as available. If your wine wins a bronze medal and you prefer not to receive an actual medal, please indicate when you enter.  Medal winners will also be posted at on this website and at EnofileOnline.com within ten (10) working days of the final judging day.

DISCLOSURES
Any wine remaining at the conclusion of the judging becomes the property of Vineyard & Winery Management.

PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Entrants may link their results to their websites for a one-time fee of $55. The link will be active for the duration that results remain online. The fee covers each winning wine per winery. Link fees may be purchased at any time; however, link fees purchased in advance will not be refunded, should no award be given. Winners will also be entitled to display the trademarked competition logo on their websites and in marketing materials in compliance with the event owner's policies. Logos will be available for download under the "promotion" tab on this website at the conclusion of the competition.  All winners will receive an official press release after the competition once results are official and winners have been notified.  You may tailor it to your winery's needs.

Categories

Blush and Rose Wines

300  White Zinfandel

301  Varietal Roses

302  Rose Blends

303  Other

Cider

999  Cider

Distilled Beverages

900  Brandy

901  Grappa

902  Eau de Vie

903  Other distilled grape and fruit spirits

999  Cider

Fortified Wines

800  Sherry

801  Port

802  Fortified Fruit Wines

803  Other

Fruit Wines, Vermouth and Other Wine Types

700  White Vermouth

701  Red Vermouth

702  White Fruit Wines

703  Red Fruit Wines

704  Meads

705  Other

Late Harvest and Dessert Wines

500  LH White Varietals

501  Muscat Varietals >5.1% rs

502  LH Zinfandel

503  Other LH Red Varietals

504  Ice Wine

505  Other

Native American and Hybrid Wines

600  Native American White Varietals

601  Native American White Blends

602  White Hybrid Varietals

603  White Hybrid Blends

604  White Hybrid Vinifera Blends

605  Native American Red Varietals

606  Native American Red Blends

607  Red Hybrid Varietals

608  Red Hybrid Blends

609  Red Hybrid Vinifera Blends

610  Native American Vinifera Blends

611  Other

Red Wines

400  Pinot Noir < $20.00

401  Pinot Noir > $20.00

402  Pinot Noir > $40.00

402.5  Pinot Noir > $75.00

403  Sangiovese

404  Barbera

405  Italian Type Red Blends

406  Tempranillo

407  Other Red Varietals

408  Other Red Blends

409  Syrah/ Shiraz <$20.00

410  Syrah/ Shiraz >$20.01

411  Grenache

412  Petite Sirah

413  Rhone Type Red Blends

414  Zinfandel <$20.00

415  Zinfandel >$20.01

416  Malbec

418  Merlot < $20.00

419  Merlot > $20.00

420  Cabernet Franc

421  Cabernet Sauvignon < $20.00

422  Cabernet Sauvignon > $20.00

423  Cabernet Sauvignon > $40.00

423.5  Cabernet Sauvignon > $75.00

424  Other Red Bordeaux Type Varietals < $20.00

424.5  Other Red Bordeaux Type Varietals > $20.00

425  Red Bordeaux Type Blends < $20.00

426  Red Bordeaux Type Blends > $20.00

427  Red Bordeaux Type Blends > $40.00

427.5  Red Bordeaux Type Blends > $75.00

428  Proprietary (House) Red

429  Other

Sparkling Wines

100  Sparkling White <2.5% rs

101  Sparkling White >2.5% rs

102  Sparkling Rose <2.5% rs

103  Sparkling Rose >2.5% rs

104  Sparkling Red <2.5% rs

105  Sparkling Red >2.5% rs

106  Sparkling Fruit < 2.5% rs

107  Sparkling Fruit > 2.5% rs

108  Flavored Sparkling

109  Other

White Wines

200  Chenin Blanc

201  Riesling dry 0.0 - 0.9% rs

202  Riesling semi-dry 0.91 - 2.0% rs

203  Riesling semi-sweet 2.1 - 4.0% rs

204  Riesling sweet >4.1% rs

205  Gewurztraminer <3.0% rs

206  Gewurtztraminer >3.1% rs

207  Semillon

208  Muscat Varietals 0.0 - 5.0% rs

209  Other White Varietals

210  Other White Blends

211  White Bordeaux Type Blends

212  Sauvignon Blanc < $20.00

213  Sauvignon Blanc > $20.00

214  Pinot Gris/ Grigio

215  Pinot Blanc

216  Viognier

217  Chardonnay < $20.00

218  Chardonnay > $20.00

219  Chardonnay > $40.00

220  Chardonnay > $75.00

221  Unoaked Chardonnay

222  Other

Scroll Down for all Wine Competition Press Releases

Award Promotion:

Here are FIVE promotional outlets for your award-winning wines!

1. WEB LINK

   Gain immediate access to your wines from our results page. Link your wine to your homepage or a purchase page on your web site. Link fee: $55. Option time of entry or call 707.577.7700 x109 to purchase.

2. BRANDING

   Use our official event logo in your marketing and promotional materials. Scroll down to choose logo format to download.

3. PRESS RELEASE

   An official press release will be sent to our media list and emailed to award-winners to use in your own award promotion.

4. SOCIAL MEDIA

   We will promote results on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets.

5. WEB AND MAGAZINE EXPOSURE

   "Best of" award-winners will be featured in an exclusive web article on Vineyard & Winery Management's website at vwmmedia.com and in a wrap-up article in Vineyard & Winery Management magazine.

Logos

To download a high-res version, click an image then right-click and hit Save Picture As.

Wine Competition News and PR

For Immediate Release

February 17, 2015

Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino
Vineyard & Winery Management
Phone: 707.577.7700 x109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

The International “East Meets West” Wine Challenge Reveals Top Awards
 International Eastern Wine Competition vs. West Coast Wine Competition

Santa Rosa, CA – For the second year, Vineyard & Winery Management combined two of its oldest and most established wine competitions into one by creating the International “East Meets West” Wine Challenge.  The judging was held Feb. 10-11, 2015 in Sonoma County, California. A total of 1164 wines were awarded medals. 

Since 1982, the West Coast Wine Competition has annually recognized wines produced and bottled in the West. The International Eastern Wine Competition, started in 1975, is one of the oldest and longest-running wine competitions in the nation. 

This year, the competitions merged into one large event.  Wines were simultaneously judged in two established regional divisions: International Eastern Wine Competition and the West Coast Wine Competition. Traditional awards were given in each division. Best of Show winners moved on to compete in the East Meets West Taste Off to see which wine was best overall. This afforded each entrant two chances to win medals: one in its own division and one in the Taste Off.  A Riesling Championship was also held.

“This challenge allows eastern and western wines to compete in their own right while allowing each to contend on a national scale,” said event producer and Vineyard & Winery Management magazine publisher Robert Merletti.

According to Director of Wine Competitions and Chief Judge Debra Del Fiorentino, “This format worked well for us last year and has gained momentum this year.  Keeping these established brands intact and adding a twist like the East Meets West Taste Off put an exciting spin on the challenge.” 

The International Eastern division garnered 22 best of class, 23 double gold, and 76 gold medals.  The West Coast division collected 25 best of class, 12 double gold, and 68  gold medals.

Top East Meets West awards are as follows:

Best of Show:  Graton Ridge Cellars, 2012 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

Best Sparkling:  Gloria Ferrer, 2006 Royal Cuvée

Best White:  Sister Creek Vineyards, 2014 Muscat Canelli

Best Red:  Graton Ridge Cellars, 2012 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley

Best Dessert:   Stephen & Walker Winery, 2012 Late Harvest, Red Raspberry

Best Fruit:   21 Brix, NV, Red Raspberry

Riesling Champion:  Dr. Konstantin Frank, 2013 Semi-Sweet

Best Rosé:  Johnson Estate Winery, NV, Pink Catawba

Best Sake: Kooksoohdang Brewery Company, Ltd., ICING Sake, Daiginjo, Grapefruit

See www.winecompetitions.com for a complete list of all of the winning Eastern and West Coast wines.  

About Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently-owned and-operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM’s conferences and trade shows include Craft Beverages Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine + Craft Brew Conference. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and the International Women’s Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

###

For Immediate Release
November 25, 2014
Contact: Debra Fiorentino
Phone: 707-577-7700 x109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com       

Grand Harvest Awards Announces 2014 Results
Miro Cellars 2012 Petite Sirah, Dry Creek Valley, takes Best of Show

Santa Rosa, Calif. – Vineyard & Winery Management’s 24th Annual Grand Harvest Awards has revealed the results of this year’s competition.  From a pool of nearly 1100 entries, awards included 82 Best of Class, 39 Double Gold, 161 Gold, and 450 Silver medals.

Established in 1990, GHA seeks to uncover the distinctions of terroir by grouping wines for evaluation by appellation and variety. Wines are judged in the context of their viticultural regions in order to recognize the complexities and nuances of regional wines, and also to observe the influence of regional soil and climate characteristics on the taste and quality of individual wines.

The following wines took best their categories:

Best of Show and Best Red Wine:  Miro Cellars, 2012 Petite Sirah, Dry Creek Valley

Best White Wine:  Hunt Country Vineyards, 2013 Seyval Blanc, Finger Lakes

Best Rose Wine:  Truett Hurst Winery, 2013 Salmon Run Rose, Dry Creek Valley

Best Sparkling Wine:  Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyard, 2006 Royal Cuvee, Carneros

Best Spirit from Grapes:  Petroni Vineyards, Grappa di Lorenzo, Sonoma Valley 

Best Fruit Wine:  Heritage Vineyards, Jersey Blueberry, Outer Coastal Plain

Best Late Harvest/Dessert Wine:  Stephen & Walker Winery, 2012 Chardonnay Botrytis, Mendocino Ridge

“Judges included winemakers, wine buyers, distributors, media personnel and other wine industry professionals who not only recognized the best wine submissions but possessed the level of knowledge and expertise needed to assess the wine’s terroir,” said VWM’s Director of Wine Competitions, Debra Del Fiorentino.

Says GHA spokesperson, Christopher Sawyer, a sommelier and wine educator based in Sonoma County, “For decades we have been trying to interpret the styles of wines made in America. Now, thanks to the use of new technology and fruit from more mature vines, the unique flavor profiles are becoming more defined. For those reasons, it’s exciting to see that the diverse list of winners at the Grand Harvest Awards 2014 really demonstrate how terroir makes a difference in the flavor profiles of grapes planted in special regions across the nation.”

“This unique wine competition showcases the diversity of terroir and we are pleased to be part of the research and promotion of all its regions in the U.S. and beyond,” said Robert Merletti, President and Publisher of Vineyard & Winery Management magazine. 

Full results for the competition are posted on winecompetitions.com, a website developed by EnofileOnline for Vineyard & Winery Management to house all six of its wine competitions, and on enofileonline.com.

Official sponsors of the competition included Hilton Sonoma Wine Country, Penta Ultra-Purified Water, Graber Olives, Wine Country Shipping, Alsco, Costeaux French Bakery, Lagunitas Brewing Company and Sonoma Cider.

 About Vineyard & Winery Management

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Craft Beverages Unlimited (formerly Wineries Unlimited) and the Midwest Grape & Wine + Craft Brew. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, East Meets West Wine Challenge, International Women's Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

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For Immediate Release
Date: September 24, 2014
Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino
Phone: 707-577-7700 x109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

Results Are In for International Wine Channel TV Awards
Dr. Konstantin Frank’s 2012 Finger Lakes Riesling takes Best of Show

 Santa Rosa, Calif.  – Vineyard & Winery Management (V&WM) has announced the results of the 2014 International Wine Channel TV awards (IWC-TV), including the overall Best of Show award, which went to the Dr. Konstantin Frank 2012 Finger Lakes Riesling.

Judging for the competition took place September 16-17 in Sonoma County, Calif.

Judges awarded a total of 21 Best of Class, six double gold, 34 gold and 154 silver medals. They also named six wines as Best of Show in their respective categories: 

Best of Show Red:  Baker-Bird 2013 Black Barrel Cabernet Franc, Kentucky $35/bottle

Best of Show White:  Dr. Konstantin Frank 2012 Riesling,Finger Lakes,  $24.99/bottle

Best of Show Rosé:  Muscardini Cellars 2013  Rosato di Sangiovese, Sonoma Valley, $26/bottle

Best of Show Sparkling:  Gloria Ferrer NV  Blanc de Noirs, Carneros, $22/bottle

Best of Show Fruit:  Calico Skies Vineyard & Winer, NV Cranberry, American AVA, $17/bottle

Best of Show Cider:  Crimson Ridge NV  Vat #1,Virginia, $10/bottle

In an effort to recognize up-and-coming young winemaking talent, winemakers under 35 years old were invited to submit their best wines for the Rising Star Winemaker Award. For the second year in a row, Eric Harris of Two-EE's Winery in Indiana was honored with this title, earning a bronze for his Indiana, Primitivo ($20);  a silver for his 2013 Indiana Traminette ($17); and  double gold and Best of Class awards for his Barreja NV ($22), thus achieving the highest collective scoring points awarded by the judges.

The face of Wine Channel TV is Jessica Altieri, professional wine judge and media personality, who served as the spokesperson and a judge for the competition. Altieri's international reputation as a knowledgeable wine professional helped draw consumer attention from the under-40 crowd.

According to V&WM president and competition owner Robert Merletti, "Our mission is to help producers better understand the tastes and wine preferences of the Millennial generation by having Millennial wine experts judge the wines.   Joining forces with Wine Channel TV aids in our strategy to reach a Millennial customer base and assures award-winners that their wines are being seen and promoted to this target market."

Wine Channel TV will feature select winners at a live consumer wine event, to be broadcast from The Underground in Chicago on Oct. 16. For more details, contact Peter Altieri, Wine Channel TV Network, petea@wctvnetwork.com, 847-224-0600.

Full results for the competition are posted at www.enofileonline.com and www.winecompetitions.com.

About Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Craft Beverages Unlimited (formerly Wineries Unlimited) and the Midwest Grape & Wine + Craft Brew Conference. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, East Meets West (formerly International Eastern Wine Competition and West Coast Wine Competition), International Women's Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information. 

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For Immediate Release
Date: July 1, 2014
Contact:  Debra Del Fiorentino
Phone: 707-577-7700 x109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

 Results Are In for the 2014 International Women's Wine Competition
Matrix Winery 2012 Pinot Noir, Bacigalupi Reserve wins best of show

Santa Rosa, Calif. – Vineyard & Winery Management has announced the results of the 2014 International Women's Wine Competition (IWWC), including the competition’s  top award- winner –Matrix Winery 2012 Pinot Noir, Bacigalupi Reserve.

More than 975 wines were entered in the competition. Judges awarded a total of five Best of Show awards, 43 Best of Class designations, 38 double gold and 125 gold medals. 

Best of Show winners include:

Dessert Wine:  Galen Glen 2013 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, Estate Grown, Pennsylvania

Red Wine:  Matrix Winery 2012 Pinot Noir, Bacigalupi Reserve , Russian River Valley

Rosé Wine: Nichelini Family Winery 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, Napa

Sparkling Wine:  Gloria Ferrer 2010 Blanc de Blancs, Carneros

White Wine:  Roku 2013 Estate Riesling, Monterey County         

The Honey Wine Company’s Bee d’Vine 2013 Honey Wine took best in category for Mead and Sonoma Cider’s “The Pitchfork” received best Specialty Cider.

Sarah Troxell, winemaker and co-owner of Galen Glen Winery in Andreas, Penn., received special accolades as the Best Woman Winemaker for her Galen Glen 2013 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, Estate Grown.

Chief Judge Debra Del Fiorentino, Sommelier, CWP, CSW, points out that the International Women's Wine Competition is judged entirely by leading women in the wine industry. The judges recognize not only the best wines submitted, but also the wines they feel would appeal most to women wine buyers and consumers.  According to Del Fiorentino, "We had excellent, top notch judges, including Shauna Rosenblum, Head Winemaker, Rock Wall Winery, Tami Collins, Winemaker, De La Montanya Estate Vineyards & Winery, Cathy Vicini, Co-Proprietor, Trecini Winery, Kathleen Inman, Co-Owner and Winemaker, Inman Family, Susan Doyle, Director of Winemaking, Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Georgetta Dame, Lead Winemaker, Chloe Wine Collection just to list a few."

The judging was held in Sonoma County, Calif., on June 25. All medal winners are posted at winecompetitions.com , vwmmedia.com and EnofileOnline.com.

Competition sponsors included Penta Water, Wine Country Shipping, Alsco, Graber Olives, Costeaux French Bakery  and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

About Vineyard & Winery Management

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries + Breweries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape & Wine + Craft Brew Conference. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, East Meets West (formerly International Eastern Wine Competition and West Coast Wine Competition), International Women's Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

###

For Immediate Release

May 12, 2014

Competition Inquiries

Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino, Director of Wine Competitions

Vineyard & Winery Management

Phone: 707.577.7700 x109

Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

To Reach The Press Democrat

Contact: Cindy Butner, Marketing Director

Phone: 707.526.8577

Email: cindy.butner@pressdemocrat.com

Results Are In for the 2014 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge

W.H. Smith Wines, Pinot Noir, 2010, Proprietor’s Reserve, California, Sonoma Coast takes “Best of the Best of the Best”

Santa Rosa, Calif. – From the heart of North Coast wine country, Vineyard & Winery Management magazine (V&WM) and The Press Democrat have concluded the second North Coast Wine Challenge, a wine competition focused exclusively on wines produced in this prestigious region. A total of 167 gold medals were awarded medals from a field of nearly 900 eligible entries.

In the good nature of competitive spirit and ultimate bragging rights, this challenge rated wines produced and bottled by wineries only in North Coast AVAs. The challenge was created to highlight the best of each county and ultimately, the entire region. The North Coast served as its own jury in the decision-making, with competition judges representing only the best North Coast sommeliers, winemakers, retail buyers and media.

"Wines were designated the ranking of Best of Class by Category, Best of County, and ultimately the Best of the Best as top award” explained Debra Del Fiorentino, Director of Wine Competitions for V&WM. “Judging was rigorous and not all counties achieved highest marks.  Only wines rating 90+ points were awarded gold medals and were eligible to the ‘Best Of’ Category.”

Top winners include:

BEST OF THE BEST

W.H. Smith Wines, Pinot Noir, 2010, Proprietor's Reserve, California, Sonoma Coast, 98 points.  Tasting notes include “rare to find, the Best- Best- Best! Flavors of Intense Black Raspberry”.

BEST OF COUNTIES

BEST OF NAPA COUNTY:  Don Sebastiani & Sons, B Side, Red Blend, 2010, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23%Merlot, 16% Syrah, 11% Petit Verdot,1% Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley (AVA), 98 points

BEST OF SONOMA COUNTY:  W.H. Smith Wines, Pinot Noir, 2010, Proprietor's Reserve, California, Sonoma Coast, 98 points

BEST OF MENDOCINO COUNTY:  Husch Vineyards, Gewurztraminer, 2013, Late Harvest, Estate Bottled, Anderson Valley, 96 points

BEST OF LAKE COUNTY:  Shannon Ridge Family of Wines, Dalliance, Red Wine, 2011, 41% Zinfandel, 24% Syrah, 12% Barbera, 11% Tempranillo, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Grenache, Lake County, 97 points

BEST OF CLASS

BEST SPARKLING WINE:  Domaine Carneros by Taittinger, Brut Rose, 2010, Brut Rose, 100% Organic and Estate Grown 74% Pinot Noir, 26% Chardonnay, Carneros, 96 points

BEST WHITE WINE:  Charles Creek Vineyard, Chardonnay, 2010, Russian River Valley, 98 points

BEST ROSE:   Kokomo Winery, Grenache Rose, 2013, Pauline's Vineyard, Estate, Dry Creek Valley, 95 points

BEST RED:   W.H. Smith Wines, Pinot Noir, 2010, Proprietor’s Reserve, California, Sonoma Coast, 98 points

BEST DESSERT/LATE HARVEST:  Husch Vineyards, Gewurztraminer, 2013, Late Harvest, Estate Bottled, Anderson Valley, 96 points

Daryl Groom led the exclusive event for its second year. “The success and prestige of this challenge continues to grow and personally delight me. The 2014 judging was fantastic. I am proud to be associated with it as chief judge,” said Groom.  Groom's expertise includes serving as wine judge in more than 150 wine shows across the United States, and he has made many award-winning wines in California's North Coast and his native Australia. He was named Winemaker of the Year by eight publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times.

Added Groom, “Judges were very, very impressed with the extremely high quality of the wines. 167 gold medals were given, representing 19% of the wines entered. I don’t believe any other competition in the USA can boast this quality level. It’s a testament to our talented North Coast winemakers and a reflection of the world class grape growing conditions we are blessed with.”

Winners will be announced in the Food and Wine section of The Press Democrat on Wednesday, May 14.  "The PD is the Redwood Empire’s leading newspaper and continues to serve as the ideal media partner for this North Coast judging.  We share a similar vision and through this ongoing partnership we are able to ensure consumer exposure for award-winning wines through local media,” said Robert Merletti, CEO and President of V&WM.

The Press Democrat will host an invitational tasting on June 15 at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, which will feature a selection of medal-winning wines from the North Coast Wine Challenge.  "This competition is about quality.  No matter if a wine sells for under $20 per bottle or over $75, the winners are all superior and will be available to taste at our event ,” said Steve Falk, CEO of Sonoma Media Investments, owners of The Press Democrat.  For more details about the tasting, contact Cindy Butner, Marketing Director for The Press Democrat (see contact information above) or visit NorthCoastWineEvent.com for full details.

Award winners will be posted at NorthCoastWineChallenge.com, NorthCoastWineEvent.com, winecompetitions.com, vwmmedia.com, and pressdemocrat.com.

Judging event sponsors include Penta Water, Wine Country Shipping, Alsco, Graber Olives, Sonoma Wine Country Hilton, Costeaux French Bakery, Sjaak’s Organic Chocolates, Big River Coffee Company, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, Pasta Sonoma, Old Chatham Ranch, Russian River Fine Foods, Revive, Sift, Chris’s Stuff, Trader Joe’s, Bottle Barn, Vino Chapeau, Sonoma Syrup Company, and Sonoma Gourmet.

About Vineyard & Winery Management

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries + Breweries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape & Wine + Craft Brew Conference. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, East Meets West (formerly International Eastern Wine Competition and West Coast Wine Competition), International Women's Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

About The Press Democrat

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif. , The Press Democrat is the North Bay's most-read provider of up-to-the-minute local news. It is a recognized leader in the development of highly effective integrated media solutions for its business clients. The Press Democrat is owned by the recently formed Sonoma Media Investments LLC, a multimedia company that provides world-class local news, information and entertainment to audiences throughout San Francisco's North Bay. See PDmediaSource.com and pressdemocrat.com for more information.

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For Immediate Release

November 26, 2013

Contact: Debra Fiorentino
Phone: 707-577-7700 x109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com       

Grand Harvest Awards Announces 2013 Results

Santa Rosa, Calif. – Vineyard & Winery Management’s 23rd Annual Grand Harvest Awards has revealed the results of this year’s competition with 53 Best of Class awards including 139 Double Gold, 25 Gold, and 432 Silver medals. Established in 1990, the wine competition is based on terroir and the awards indicate the individuality of each of the various regions/appellations. 

“This unique wine competition that was started by my family in 1990 showcases the diverse terriors from around the United States,” said Robert Merletti, President and Publisher of Vineyard & Winery Management.  “We are proud to be working with the entire American wine industry and helping in the research and promotion of all its regions.”

The Grand Harvest Awards are based on the concept of terroir as judges recognize this influence while tasting wines with others of the same appellation. With cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen without the influences that sometimes eclipse even a wine of very high quality. Wines are judged in the context of their viticultural region in order to accomplish two things: to recognize the complexities and nuances of regional wines, and also to measure the influence of regional soil and weather characteristics on the taste and quality of individual wines.

With the support of some of the entering wineries, soil samples were collected for a new soil display at the competition, which enhanced terroir discussion among the judges.  Soils were represented from New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, Colorado and California wine regions.

“This year the caliber of judges increased, enhancing the level of knowledge and expertise needed to assess the wine’s terroir. We had a strong set of sommeliers, buyers, winery owners, writers and winemakers, including Renata Franzia, owner of Bronco Wine Estates, Gina Gallo, chief winemaker for E&J Gallo, and Cory Lester, sommelier for Truett Hurst as well as the seasoned veterans, many of whom have been around from the competition’s inception,” said VWM’s Director of Wine Competitions, Debra Del Fiorentino.

During judging, wines were grouped by AVA and varietal.  Judges were told what regions the wines were from while they were tasting.  According to GHA spokesperson, Christopher Sawyer, “On behalf of the 25 wine judges who participated at this year’s event, we are thrilled that the impact of the awards handed out at the Grand Harvest Awards 2013 will build momentum for the vineyard owners growing the grapes, the winemakers who craft the wines, the sommeliers and wine buyers who follow the results of the competition and, ultimately, the consumers who get to enjoy the aromas and flavors of the finished wines produced in the famous regions of America and around the globe.”

Results are posted on winecompetitions.com, a website developed by EnofileOnline for Vineyard & Winery Management to house all six of its wine competitions, and on enofileonline.com.

Official sponsors of the competition included Hilton Sonoma Wine Country, Penta Ultra-Purified Water, Graber Olives, Wine Country Shipping, Alsco, Costeaux French Bakery, and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

About Vineyard & Winery Management

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries + Breweries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape & Wine + Craft Brew. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, East Meets West Wine Challenge, International Women's Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

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For Immediate Release

November 6, 2013

Contact: Suzanne Webb, Marketing Director Vineyard & Winery Management
Phone: 800.535.5670 x108
Email: swebb@vwmmedia.com 

To Reach The Press Democrat
Contact: Cindy Butner, Marketing Director The Press Democrat
Phone: 707.526.8577
Email: cindy.butner@pressdemocrat.com 

The 2014 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge is Open for Entries

Santa Rosa, Calif. – From the heart of North Coast wine country, Vineyard & Winery Management will produce the second Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, focused on wines produced in California's premier wine growing region. Entries are being accepted now through April 10, 2014.  Judging will take place April 29-30, 2014.

"I am very excited about this challenge. We had an absolutely fantastic judging last year and look forward making it even more impressive next time. The 1,000 wines we judged in 2013 thrilled our judges, who awarded 14% gold medals or 90+ point scores. Our pool of experienced judges includes top-name retail and restaurant buyers, sommeliers, winemakers and wine writers," according to Chief Judge and spokesperson Daryl Groom. Groom is the owner and winemaker of Groom Wines, and a recipient of eight Winemaker-of-the-Year awards. He has judged in more than 100 wine competitions across the United States.

"The judging in this contest is rigorous. Only wines from select California North Coast AVAs are eligible to enter. Those that merit 90 points and higher will achieve the coveted gold medal status," said Debra Del Fiorentino, Vineyard & Winery Management Director of Wine Competitions.

Additional accolades will be given to the gold medalists that earn Best of Category and Best of County awards, and only one wine will earn the Best of the Best award.

The award-winning wines will be publicized in The Press Democrat, its affiliates and Vineyard & Winery Management magazine – in print, online and through social media channels. Wineries will also receive a quote from the judging notes describing their award-winning wines.

Groom adds, "We make world class wines here on California's North Coast. This competition celebrates the BEST of the BEST, and I can't wait to see who will come out on top in 2014."

The Press Democrat will continue as valued media partner and naming sponsor for the competition. Robert Merletti, President and Publisher of Vineyard & Winery Management, explained that, "A key element to the success of this wine challenge is through our relationship with The Press Democrat and its influence as a major publication in wine country. Winning wineries want more consumer exposure. They'll get it through The Press Democrat." 

"The level of participation that the folks at Vineyard & Winery Management brought to the table this year was impressive. After receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from the wineries who participated in 2013, we expect that even more will enter next year's competition," said Steve Falk, CEO of Sonoma Media Investments, LLC, owners of The Press Democrat.

On June 15, 2014, The Press Democrat will host an invitational tasting for the North Coast Wine Challenge in Napa Valley. The event will feature gold medal wines scoring 90+ points, including the Best of the Best winner. "We look forward to bringing wine enthusiasts to the region to share these exceptional wines presented in an exceptional tasting experience," said Falk. 

For more information or to enter the competition, please visit www.NorthCoastWineChallenge.com.  Visit www.NorthCoastWineTasting.com for invitational tasting details.

About Vineyard & Winery Management

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International "East Meets West" Wine Challenge (International Eastern Wine Competition/West Coast Wine Competition), International Women's Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

About The Press Democrat

Based in Santa Rosa, California, The Press Democrat is the North Bay's most-read provider of up-to-the-minute local news. It is a recognized leader in the development of highly effective integrated media solutions for its business clients. The Press Democrat is owned by the recently-formed Sonoma Media Investments, LLC, a multimedia company that provides world-class local news, information and entertainment to audiences throughout San Francisco's North Bay. See PDmediaSource.com and pressdemocrat.com for more information.

###

For Immediate Release

Date: September 10, 2013

Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino

Phone: 707-577-7700 x109

Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

Results Are In for International Wine Channel TV Awards

Navarro Vineyards Late Harvest Gewurztraminer Wins Best of Show

Santa Rosa, Calif.  – Vineyard & Winery Management (V&WM) has announced the results of the 2013 International Wine Channel TV awards (IWC-TV), including the overall Best of Show award, which went to Navarro Vineyards for its 2012 Late Harvest Gewürztraminer.

Judging for the competition took place September 4-5in Sonoma County, Calif.

More than 850 wines were entered in the competition. Judges awarded a total of 26 Best of Class, 16 Double Gold, 65 Gold and 230 Silver medals. They also named five wines as Best of Show in their respective categories: 

Best of Show Red:  Handley Cellars, 2010 Pinot Noir, RSM Vineyard, Anderson Valley, $52/bottle

Best of Show White:  Burntshirt Vineyards, 2012 Sunset Sippin', North Carolina, Estate Grown, Family Owned, $14/bottle

Best of Show Rosé:  Castoro Cellars, 2012 Rosato di Zinfandel, California, Paso Robles, Estate Grown and Produced, $19/bottle

Best of Show Sparkling:  Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards, NV, Blanc de Noirs, Carneros, Methode Champenoise, $22/bottle

Best of Show Fruit:  Keg Springs Winery, NV, M'Lady's Strawberry, Tennessee, $12/bottle

Best of Show Dessert:  Navarro Vineyards, 2012 Gewurztraminer, Anderson Valley, Late Harvest, $29/bottle

In an effort to recognize up-and-coming young winemaking talent, winemakers under 35 were invited to submit their best wines for the first Rising Star Winemaker Award. Eric Harris of Two-EE's Winery was honored with this title, earning two Best of Class awards and thus achieving the highest collective scoring points awarded by the judges.

The face of Wine Channel TV is Jessica Altieri, professional wine judge and media personality, who served as the spokesperson and judge for the competition. Altieri's international reputation as a knowledgeable wine enthusiast helped increase entries and draw consumer attention from the under-40 crowd. "One of the unique aspects that was key to the success of the event was the creative, passionate DNA of the team of judges," said Altieri. "Highly driven and successful, the judging panels were the perfect combination of wine professionals from different backgrounds – a 'perfect storm' for wine judging."

Wine Channel TV is one of the world's fastest-growing wine lifestyle communities, connecting leading wine lifestyle brands and Millennials through its worldwide presence. Wine Channel TV Network will promote the event and award-winning wines with original video segments for its engaging Facebook community (32K fans and a friend-of-fan reach of more than 15 million), its Hotel Channel (U.S.-based hotels including Hyatt and Marriott), and in Singapore on the Sunrise Lifestyle IPTV Channel (reaching more than 50,000 subscribers and more than 2 million mobile subscribers by July 2013.)

According to V&WM President and competition owner Rob Merletti, "Our mission with our competitions is to help producers promote their award-winning wines, and one way to do this is to align with a business with consumer outreach and influence. Joining forces with Wine Channel TV has proven a tremendous success. The company's ability to reach a high-end Millennial customer base assures the wineries that their wines are being seen and promoted to this target market."

Wine Channel TV will host the world's first Live Wine Consumer Award Event, to be broadcast from The Underground in Chicago on October 17, with award-winning wines and a celebrity wine lifestyle tasting audience with fashion, music, art, and start-up technology influencers in attendance. Award-winning wines will be featured in original content programming for the all-important holiday season, November through December, on the Wine Channel TV Network. "An international audience, including consumers and winemakers, will be able to see and hear  the excitement and real conversation taking place, with award-winning wines being served," commented Altieri. For more details, contact Peter Altieri, Wine Channel TV Network, petea@wctvnetwork.com, 847-224-0600.

About Wine Channel TV Network

WCTV Network LLC (www.wctvmedia.com) is a leader in building online, cable and media marketing brands in selected vertical markets. Wine Channel TV (www.winechanneltv.com) produces and delivers original wine lifestyle content through a converged network of online, mobile and TV programming. WCTV Network works with leading wine lifestyle brands, trade associations and governments around the world. WCTV is headquartered in Chicago, Ill., and has offices in Sonoma and New York City.

About Vineyard & Winery Management

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces wine industry trade publications, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference. Its wine competitions include the International Wine Channel TV Awards, the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, International Women's Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

###

For Immediate Release

Date:  July 11, 2013

Contact:  Debra Del Fiorentino

Phone: 707-577-7700 x109

Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

Results Are In for International Women's Wine Competition

Harris Kratka 2010 Zinfandel from Alexander Valley Wins Best of Show

Santa Rosa, CA – Vineyard & Winery Management has announced the results of the 2013 International Women's Wine Competition (IWWC), including the overall Best of Show winner – Rock Wall Wine Company's Harris Kratka 2010 Zinfandel from Alexander Valley.

More than 900 wines were entered in the competition. Judges awarded a total of 26 Double Gold medals, 100 Gold medals, 311 Silver medals, 225 Bronze medals, and a total of 37 Best of Class awards.

Judges also named five wines as Best of Show in their respective categories: 

Best of Show Dessert Wine: Galer Estate Vineyard and Winery – 2011 Late Harvest Cabernet Franc – Chester County, Pennsylvania

Best of Show Fruit Wine: Galena Cellars 2012 Red Raspberry Wine

Best of Show Red Wine: ROCK WALL – AGAIN – 3 AWARDS!

Best of Show Rosé Wine: Mey Icki Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S. Kayra Vintage 2012 Blush, Turkey

Best of Show Sparkling Wine: Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards – 2005 Royal Cuvee, Carneros

Best of Show White Wine: Inman Family Wines – 2011 Russian River Valley Chardonnay

Best Wine By A Woman Winemaker went to Shauna Rosenblum, Rock Wall Wine Company, for the Harris Kratka 2010 Zinfandel. The panelists gave this combined comment on the wine: "Friggin' Gold! Spice, apple, perfectly picked grape."

Chief Judge Debra Del Fiorentino, Sommelier, CWP, CSW, points out that the International Women's Wine Competition is judged entirely by leading women in the wine industry. The judges recognize not only the best wines submitted, but also the wines they feel would appeal most to women wine buyers and consumers.

According to Del Fiorentino, "We had excellent, top notch judges including Liz Thach, MW, Professor of Wine Business & Management, SSU Wine Business Institute; Theo Snyder, wine buyer for Total Wine & More; Traci Dutton, Sommelier, The Culinary Institute of America; Jessica Alteri, Sommelier, CEO Wine Channel TV Network; and Shauna Rosenblum, Head Winemaker, Rock Wall Winery."

Vineyard & Winery Management welcomed its media partnership with Women for WineSense for its 2013 International Women's Wine Competition to help raise awareness and increase entries in the competition. "This media alliance is the logical fit," says Del Fiorentino. "Their goals and objectives are perfectly in sync with ours for this niche judging."

"Our organization is all about offering wine education to empower women, both in their wine careers and through the development of their palates in order to make more informed purchasing decisions," enthused Women for WineSense National President Rebecca Moore. "We were thrilled to provide our members with this opportunity."

Additional sponsors include Penta Water, Riedel Glassware, Wine Country Shipping, Alsco, Graber Olives, Sonoma Wine Country Hilton, Costeaux French Bakery, and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

The judging was held in Sonoma County, California July 9-10, 2013. Winners are now posted on www.winecompetitions.com and EnofileOnline.com.

About Vineyard & Winery Management

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, International Women's Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

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For Immediate Release

June 5, 2013

Inquiries About Competition

Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino

Vineyard & Winery Management

Phone: 707.577.7700 x109

Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

To Reach The Press Democrat

Contact: Cindy Butner, Marketing Director The Press Democrat

Phone: 707.526.8577

Email: cindy.butner@pressdemocrat.com

Results Are In for The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge

Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve Napa Valley 2009 Red Bordeaux Blend Takes Best of the Best

Santa Rosa, CA – From the heart of North Coast wine country, Vineyard & Winery Management magazine and The Press Democrat have concluded the first North Coast Wine Challenge, a new wine competition focused exclusively on wines produced in this prestigious region. A total of 132 wines were awarded medals from a field of nearly 1,000 entries.

In the good nature of competitive spirit and ultimate bragging rights, this challenge rated wines produced and bottled only in North Coast AVAs. The challenge was created to highlight the best of each county and ultimately, the entire region. The North Coast served as its own jury in the decision-making by including only the best North Coast sommeliers and winemakers to judge.

The Wine Challenge introduced a new approach to award designations, according to Debra Del Fiorentino, Director of Wine Competitions for V&WM. "Wines were designated the ranking of Best of Class by Category, Best of County, and ultimately the Best of the Best as top award. The competition also introduced a new Luxury Class, for wines retailing at $75 or more."

Top winners include:

BEST OF THE BEST: Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve, Napa Valley, 2009, Red Bordeaux Blend, Gold Medal, 98 points

BEST OF COUNTIES:

BEST OF NAPA COUNTY: Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve, Napa Valley, 2009 Red Bordeaux Blend, Gold Medal, 98 points

BEST OF SONOMA COUNTY: (3-way tie)

•             Sivas-Sonoma, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma, 2011, Gold Medal, 98 points

•             Kokomo, Grenache Rosé, Pauline's Vineyard Estate, Dry Creek Valley, 2012, Gold Medal, 98 points

•             Trombetta Family Wines, Pinot Noir, Gap's Crown Vineyard, Vineyard Selection, Sonoma Coast, 2011,  Gold Medal, 98 points

BEST OF MENDOCINO COUNTY: Navarro Vineyards, Gewürztraminer Late Harvest, Cluster Select, Anderson Valley, 2012, Gold Medal, 97 points

BEST OF LAKE COUNTY: Shed Horn Cellars, Red Blend, Lake County, 2010, Gold Medal, 96 points

BEST OF MARIN COUNTY: DeLoach Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Marin County, 2010, 89 points

BEST OF SOLANO COUNTY: Grape Heart Vineyards, The Beat, Proprietary Red, Estate Grown, 2010, 89 points

BEST OF THE CLASS:

BEST SPARKLING WINE: Breathless Wines, Brut, North Coast, NV, Gold Medal, 98 points

BEST WHITE WINE: Sivas-Sonoma, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma, 2011, Gold Medal, 98 points

BEST ROSE: Kokomo, Grenache Rosé, Pauline's Vineyard Estate, Dry Creek Valley, 2012, Gold Medal, 98 points

BEST RED: Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry Reserve, Napa Valley, 2009 Red Bordeaux Blend, Gold Medal, 98 points

BEST DESSERT: Navarro Vineyards, Gewürztraminer Late Harvest, Cluster Select, Anderson Valley, 2012, Gold Medal, 97 points

Chief judge Daryl Groom led the exclusive event for its inaugural year. Daryl's expertise includes serving as wine judge in over 150 wine shows across the United States, and he has made many award-winning wines in California's North Coast and his native Australia. He was named Winemaker of the Year by eight publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times. Said Groom, "We had a fantastic first event and I could not be happier with the judging and the results. I felt the expertise of our judging panels was the best any competition could possibly have. It was a grueling task to critique over 100 wines each per day, but all the judges had big smiles. Why? Where else in the world do you get to taste that many absolutely top notch wines of such diversity but on the North Coast of California? It's a credit to the winemaking talent and the great climate we have. Picking the ultimate winners was tough, but some really stunning wines shone through."

"A key element to the success of this event was in joining forces with The Press Democrat as our media partner," said Robert Merletti, CEO and President of V&WM. "We shared a similar vision about the contest and were able to ensure consumer exposure for award-winning wines through local media."

"We live and work in the heart of the leading quality wine region in the country and The Press Democrat is committed to bringing new focus and attention to our great wines," said Steve Falk, CEO of Sonoma Media Investments, owners of The Press Democrat. "Together with our partners at Vineyard and Winery Management, we expect this new North Coast Wine Challenge will grow into one of the most important events in the North Bay region." In his former role as publisher at the San Francisco Chronicle, Falk transformed the Cloverdale Citrus Festival's Wine Competition into the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Winners were exclusively announced in the June 5th edition of the Food and Wine section of The Press Democrat. The paper will host a public tasting on Sunday, July 14th featuring a selection of medal-winning wines from this event. For more details about the public tasting, contact Cindy Butner, Marketing Director for The Press Democrat (see contact information above).

Award winners are also posted at NorthCoastWineChallenge.com and EnofileOnline.com.

Judging event sponsors include Wine Industry Network, Penta Water, Wine Country Organics, Wine Country Shipping, Alsco, Graber Olives, Sonoma Wine Country Hilton, Costeaux French Bakery, Vino Chapeau, Corks Restaurant, Big River Coffee Company, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Sonoma Chocolatiers, Oliver's, Clover Stornetta Farms, Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, Top Nest Designs, Screamin' Mimi's, and Montgomery Village Shopping Center.

About Vineyard & Winery Management

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces an international wine trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, International Women's Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

About The Press Democrat

Based in Santa Rosa, California, The Press Democrat is the North Bay's most-read provider of up-to-the-minute local news. It is a recognized leader in the development of highly effective integrated media solutions for its business clients. The Press Democrat is owned by the recently-formed Sonoma Media Investments, LLC, a multimedia company that provides world-class local news, information and entertainment to audiences throughout San Francisco's North Bay. See PDmediaSource.com and pressdemocrat.com for more information.

###

For Immediate Release
Date: May 20, 2013
Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino
Phone: 707-577-7700 X 109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwm-online.com

2013 International Women's Wine Competition Welcomes Media Partner Women for WineSense

Santa Rosa, CA – Vineyard & Winery Management announces a media partnership with Women for WineSense for its 2013 International Women's Wine Competition. 

Chief Judge Debra Del Fiorentino, Sommelier, CWP, CSW, points out that the International Women's Wine Competition is judged entirely by leading women in the wine industry. The judges recognize not only the best wines submitted, but also the wines they feel would appeal most to women wine buyers and consumers.

"This media alliance is the logical fit," says Del Fiorentino. "Their goals and objectives are perfectly in sync with ours for this niche judging."

"Our organization is all about offering wine education to empower women, both in their wine careers and through the development of their palates in order to make more informed purchasing decisions," enthused Women for WineSense National President Rebecca Moore. "We are thrilled to provide our members with this opportunity."

Women for WineSense members will be offered a $5 per wine discount for every entry as a benefit to WWS members and to help drive entries.

According to Del Fiorentino, "We have excellent, top notch judges including Liz Thach, MW, Professor of Wine Business & Management, SSU Wine Business Institute; Theo Snyder, wine buyer for Total Wine & More; Traci Dutton, Sommelier, The Culinary Institute of America; Jessica Alteri, Sommelier, CEO Wine Channel TV Network; and Shauna Rosenblum, Head Winemaker, Rock Wall Winery. I invite you to go online to see a complete list of judges with their bios."

The judging will be held in Sonoma County, California July 9-10, 2013. Deadline for entries is June 20.

Entries may be made through the event website at winecompetitions.com or through EnofileOnline.com. See winecompetitions.com for complete details.

About Women for WineSense
Women for WineSense (WWS), soon to be in its 25th year, is a national organization with multiple chapters and over 800 members across the United States. The membership ranges from wine enthusiasts to those actively employed in, or seeking to enter, the wine industry, and boasts some of the most famous, and soon-to-be-famous, names in the wine world. With a mission focused on education, networking and the promotion of women in the wine industry, WWS is able to offer a wide array of programs and events to tempt and educate palates ranging from aficionados to professional members. For more information and to join this amazing organization, please visit womenforwinesense.org.

About Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, California, Vineyard & Winery Management is an independent family-owned and -operated multimedia company that produces a wine industry trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. It publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited, Midwest Grape and Wine, and Winery DIY. Its wine competitions include the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, International Women's Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

###

For Immediate Release
Date: March 14, 2013
Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino
Phone: 707-577-7700 x109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

Announcing The First International Wine Channel TV Awards

 Live Consumer Tasting Event and Award-Winning Wines to be Promoted Worldwide on Wine Channel TV

Santa Rosa, CA – Vineyard & Winery Management (VWM) has just expanded its wine competitions to include the inaugural International Wine Channel TV Awards. Judging for the competition will occur September 4-5, 2013 in Sonoma County, California.

The face of Wine Channel TV is Jessica Altieri, professional wine judge and media personality, who will step into the position as spokesperson and judge for the International Wine Channel TV Awards. Wine Channel TV (WCTV) is a visionary wine lifestyle media company that drives conversation on how people talk, drink and interact with wine. 

Altieri’s international reputation as a media personality and knowledgeable wine enthusiast is sure to draw consumer attention from the under-40 crowd. Wine Channel TV is one of the world’s fastest-growing wine lifestyle communities, connecting leading wine lifestyle brands and millennials through its worldwide presence. Wine Channel TV Network will be promoting the event and award-winning wines with featured original content video segments on its engaging Facebook community (32K fans and a friend of fan reach of over 15 million), its Hotel Channel (US-based hotels including Hyatt and Marriott), and in Singapore on the Sunrise Lifestyle IPTV Channel (reaching over 50,000 subscribers and over 2 million mobile subscribers by July 2013).

The event will feature the world’s first Live Wine Consumer Award Event, to be broadcast from Chicago in October 2013 and featuring award-winning wines and a celebrity wine lifestyle tasting audience with fashion, music, art, and start-up technology influencers in attendance. Award-winning wines will be featured in original content programming for the all-important holiday season, November through December, on the Wine Channel TV Network.

The realization of this new competition is due to the combined efforts of George Christie, CEO of Vineyard & Winery Management, and Jessica Altieri, CEO of Wine Channel TV. 

“This kind of marketing presence is likely to draw a higher number of entries into competition, and the winners will receive the extra media exposure Altieri and her team can deliver,” said Christie.

“An international audience, including consumers and winemakers, will be able to see and hear  the excitement and real conversation taking place with award-winning wines being served,” commented Jessica Altieri.

“The objective for any wine producer is to sell more wine. With six different wine competitions, we are providing many avenues to get good wine noticed through a variety of niche competitions. A medal in any of our wine judgings can put a wine a notch above the rest,” according to VWM’s Wine Competition Director, Debra Del Fiorentino.

The Wine Channel TV Awards is now accepting entries through event website winecompetitions.com or at EnofileOnline.com. The deadline for entry is August 15, 2013.  Judging will occur September 4-5, 2013 in Sonoma County, California.

About Wine Channel TV Network
WCTV Network LLC (www.wctvmedia.com) is a leader in building online, cable and media marketing brands in selected vertical markets. Wine Channel TV (www.winechanneltv.com) produces and delivers original wine lifestyle content through a converged network of online, mobile and TV programming. WCTV Network works with leading wine lifestyle brands, trade associations and governments around the world. WCTV is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices in Sonoma and New York City.

About Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces wine industry trade publications, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. VWM’s conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference. Its wine competitions include the International Wine Channel TV Awards, the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, International Women's Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

###

For Immediate Release
Date: April 15, 2013
Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino
Phone: 707-577-7700 x109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

Results Are In for Second U.S. National Wine Competition

Dr. Konstantin Frank 2012 Dry Riesling Wins Best of Show

Santa Rosa, CA – Vineyard & Winery Management has announced the results of the second U.S. National Wine Competition (USNWC), including the overall Best of Show winner – Dr. Konstantin Frank 2012 Dry Riesling from Finger Lakes, New York.

The competition celebrates all grape varieties unique to the U.S. today (native, hybrid, and vinifera). "The U.S. National Wine Competition represents the wide range of our wine growing regions, and ties in with the diversity of the nation's ethnic food and wine pairings," said Debra Del Fiorentino, Director of Wine Competitions for Vineyard & Winery Management.

"The key to a successful competition is the caliber of wine judges," said Del Fiorentino. An outstanding panel of judges awarded a total of 9 Double Gold medals, 65 Gold medals, 226 Silver medals, 184 Bronze medals and 22 Best of Class. Judges also named four wines as Best of Show in their respective categories:

Best of Show Red: Haywood Winery 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Los Chamizal, Sonoma, California
Best of Show Rosé: Detour Winery 2011 Meadow Breeze, Detour, Maryland
Best of Show Sparkling: Sparkling Pointe 2008 Brut Seduction, Long Island, New York
Best of Show White: Dr. Konstantin Frank 2012 Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York

According to Robert Merletti, President and Publisher of Vineyard & Winery Management, "Our mission is to provide the North American wine industry with the necessary tools to achieve success and sustainability through multiple pathways. One path is by awarding excellence with wine competition medals to help wineries boost sales and increase their exposure in today's competitive wine marketplace."

Full results are posted on EnofileOnline.com and Vineyard & Winery Management's wine competition website at winecompetitions.com.

About Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, California, Vineyard & Winery Management is an independent family-owned and operated multimedia company that produces a wine industry trade publication, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. It publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited, Midwest Grape and Wine, and Winery DIY. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, International Wine Channel TV Awards, International Women's Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

###

For Immediate Release

February 26, 2013

Inquiries About Contest Details
Contact: Suzanne Webb, Marketing Director
Vineyard & Winery Management
Phone: 800.535.5670 x108
Email: swebb@vwmmedia.com

To Reach The Press Democrat
Contact: Cindy Butner, Marketing Director
The Press Democrat
Phone: 707.526.8577
Email: cindy.butner@pressdemocrat.com

The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge

Santa Rosa, CA – From the heart of North Coast wine country, Vineyard & Winery Management and The Press Democrat announce the first North Coast Wine Challenge, a new wine competition focused exclusively on wines produced in this prestigious region.

“Wines produced in the North Coast are arguably the best in North America, if not the world,” says Wine Industry Network and Vineyard & Winery Management CEO George Christie. “This competition is meant to highlight the best of each county and ultimately, the entire region. The event will target both established and new producers and position itself as the most competitive and challenging wine competition in North America.”

The competition will open for entries on February 26, 2013, with a deadline of May 10. The judging will take place May 29-30, 2013. For more information or to enter the competition please visit NorthCoastWineChallenge.com.

In the good nature of competitive spirit and ultimate bragging rights, this challenge will rate wines produced only in North Coast AVAs. And the North Coast will be their own jury in the decision-making, by including only the best North Coast sommeliers and winemakers to judge.

“We live and work in the heart of the leading quality wine region in the country and The Press Democrat is committed to bringing new focus and attention to our great wines,” said Steve Falk, CEO of Sonoma Media Investments, owners of The Press Democrat. “Going forward, the event will officially be called The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge.” In his former role as publisher at the San Francisco Chronicle, Steve transformed the Cloverdale Citrus Festival’s Wine Competition into the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Introducing Best of Class Wines
The Wine Challenge will be introducing a new approach to award designations, according to Debra Del Fiorentino, Director of Wine Competitions for VWM. “Wines will be designated the ranking of Best of Class by Category, Best of County, and ultimately the Best of the Best as top award.” She said the competition will also introduce a new Luxury Class, for wines retailing at $75 or more.

“We wanted a new structure to simply recognize wines that stood out as exceptional, and from that group, to determine this year’s Best of the Best,” Del Fiorentino said.

Daryl Groom has been recruited as chief judge to lead the exclusive event for its inaugural year. Daryl comes with incredible expertise. He has judged over 150 wine shows across the United States and has made many award-winning wines

in California’s North Coast and his native Australia. He has been named Winemaker of the Year by eight publications including the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times. “Daryl is not only one of the most talented and respected

winemakers in the region, he’s one of the best on the planet,” said Christie. “We are honored to have him as a part of the North Coast Wine Challenge.”

The Press Democrat joins as Partner
Now under new local ownership, The Press Democrat has enthusiastically partnered with VWM to promote competition awareness and spotlight the winning wines. Falk said the newspaper’s new ownership is committed to increasing its support and coverage of the region’s wine industry. “Having The Press Democrat as a part of this is incredible,” said Christie. “They’re the perfect media partner and the exposure that winning wineries will experience as a result will make an impact on their business.”

About Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces wine industry trade publications, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM’s conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference. Its wine competitions include The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, International Women’s Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

About The Press Democrat
Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., The Press Democrat is the North Bay’s most-read provider of up-to-the-minute local news. It is a recognized leader in the development of highly effective integrated media solutions for its business clients. The Press Democrat is owned by the recently-formed Sonoma Media Investments, LLC a multimedia company that provides world-class local news, information and entertainment to audiences throughout San Francisco’s North Bay. See PDmediaSource.com and pressdemocrat.com for more information.

About Wine Industry Network
The Wine Industry Network (WIN) is a comprehensive Internet marketplace and resource site specifically created to help wine industry professionals more effectively and efficiently locate and connect with suppliers. WIN is dedicated to the business of wine and to providing information crucial to the success of the entire wine industry. www.WineIndustryNetwork.com.

###

For Immediate Release
Date: February 21, 2013
Contact: Debra Del Fiorentino
Phone: 707-577-7700 x109
Email: ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com
  
  

Results Are In for International Eastern Wine Competition & Riesling Challenge
21 Brix Winery 2011 Vidal Ice Wine Wins Best of Show
  

Santa Rosa, CA – The Vineyard & Winery Management Group has announced the results of the 37th Annual International Eastern Wine Competition and Riesling Championship (IEWC), including the overall Best of Show winner – 21 Brix Winery 2011 Vidal Ice Wine from Lake Erie.
  
More than 1,150 wines were entered in the competition. Although the spotlight is on wines from the Eastern and Midwestern regions of the United States and Eastern Canada, due to overwhelming demand from wineries outside the defined IEWC regions, this year the competition was opened to all international wine producing regions. The gold and double-gold wines were judged separately by region: Eastern US and Canada, or all other regions. Medals for each of these two separate regions were awarded for Best of Class and Best Riesling. Also, as in the past, a taste-off was held to determine the Best Riesling.
  
"The wines in this year's competition were simply stunning," said Debra Del Fiorentino, Director of Wine Competitions for Vineyard & Winery Management Group. "Our panel of judges, a diverse collection of wine media, educators, and vintners from both the east and west coasts, noted that the winning wines were elegant, exemplary examples of the varietals. We couldn't have been happier with the results."
  
Judges awarded a total of 15 Double Gold medals, 104 Gold medals, 298 Silver medals, 308 Bronze medals and 35 Best of Class. Judges also named five wines as Best of Show in their respective categories:
  
Best of Show Fruit: St. James Winery NV Strawberry Wine
Best of Show Red: Sunset Hills Vineyard 2010 Cabernet Franc
Best of Show Rosé: Wollersheim Winery 2012 Prairie Blush
Best of Show Sparkling: Sparkling Point 2008 Blanc de Noirs
Best of Show White: CAB Cellars/Laurentide Winery 2011 Riesling
  
The winner of the Riesling Challenge/Best Riesling was CAB Cellars/Laurentide Winery 2011 Riesling.
  
Full results are now posted on EnofileOnline.com or you may also visit the Vineyard & Winery Management website at vwm-online.com.
  
Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, California, Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces wine industry trade publications, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication, and the Winedex (Wine Industry Index) buyer's guide. V&WM's conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited, the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference, and Winery DIY (formerly Wine Sales Summit). Its wine competitions include the Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, NextGen Wine Competition for Millennial Wine Drinkers, International Women's Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.
  
  ###

See article in iSante magazine about the U.S. National Wine Competition

For Immediate Release:

Date: December 12, 2012

Contact: Bill Traverso

Phone: 707-577-7700 x109

Email:  btraverso@vwm-online.com

2^nd Annual U.S. National Wine Competition Accepting Entries

Santa Rosa, CA – The Vineyard & Winery Management Group has announced that entries are now being accepted for the 2^nd Annual U.S. National Wine Competition. The competition focuses on excellence in wines produced in any U.S. state, welcoming all native, hybrid, and vinifera varietals grown. 

“The essence of this competition is ‘National’ in every sense of the word,” said Bill Traverso, Director of Wine Competitions. “The entries represent the multitude of grape varieties, grown in any of the 50 states, that are unique to our nation’s historical footprint. It also represents the diversity of our wine growing regions and wine varieties, and ties in with the diversity of all our nation’s ethnic food and wine pairings.”

Founding father Thomas Jefferson had a vision for America’s potential in viticulture. “We could, in the United States, make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kinds, but doubtless as good,” said Jefferson. Today, his vision is realized through our nation’s growth and continued success in wine production and winemaking.

Each wine will be judged on its own merits by qualified, experienced judges from around the country, each an expert in their respective fields: wine industry leaders, wine journalists, wine retailers and restaurateurs.

An official entry consists of four (4) 750 ml bottles or six (6) 375 ml bottles plus a $65 per wine online entry fee. Paper entries are $75 per wine. The deadline for entry forms and wine shipments is March 21, 2013. Judging will take place April 9 and 10, 2013. For complete rules, necessary forms, and a list of judges, please visit www.winecompetitions.com

Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces wine industry trade publications, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM’s conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference. Its wine competitions include the Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, NextGen Wine Competition for Millennial Wine Drinkers, International Women's Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

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Awards

Award recipients will be notified within 10 working days of the last day of the competition.

Medals are approximately 2 inches in diameter and weigh about 1.5 ounces. They are produced in gold, silver and bronze medal and are attractively engraved with the wine competition logo and award designation and are not year-specific.

Medals typically take six weeks to produce and are mailed as soon as available. If your wine wins a bronze medal and you prefer not to receive an actual medal, please indicate when you enter.

Results

2015 International Eastern Wine Competition  (East Meets West) Awards:

Click Here for Award by Company

Click Here for Award by Category

Click Here for  Best of Awards

See the Overall Winners of the East Meets West Taste-Off

2015 West Coast Wine Competition (East Meets West) Awards:

Click Here for Award by Company

Click Here for Award by Category

Click Here for  Best of Awards

See the Overall Winners of the East Meets West Taste-Off

2014 Grand Harvest Awards

GHA 2014 by company

GHA 2014 by category

GHA 2014 by award

2014 International Wine Channel TV Awards

IWC-TV 2014 by company

IWC-TV 2014 by category

IWC-TV 2014 by award

2014 International Women's Wine Competition

IWWC 2014 by company

IWWC 2014 by category

IWWC 2014 by award

2014 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge

Click Here to View Results

2014 East Meets West Wine Challenge

East Meets West 2014 Taste Off Top Awards

Eastern Division 2014 by company

Eastern Division 2014 by category

Eastern Division 2014 by award

Western Division 2014 by company

Western Division 2014 by category

Western Division 2014 by award

2013 Grand Harvest Awards 

GHA 2013 by company

GHA 2013 by category

GHA 2013 by award

2013 International Wine Channel TV Awards

IWC-TV 2013 by company

IWC-TV 2013 by category

IWC-TV 2013 by award

2013 International Eastern Wine Competition 

IEWC 2013 by company

IEWC 2013 by category

IEWC 2013 by award

2013 U.S. National Wine Competition 

USNWC 2013 by company

USNWC 2013 by category

USNWC 2013 by award

2013 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge 

PDNCWC 2013 by company

PDNCWC 2013 by category

PDNCWC 2013 by award

2013 International Women's Wine Competition 

IWWC 2013 by company

IWWC 2013 by category

IWWC 2013 by award

Thanks to Our Current Sponsors

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About

Vineyard & Winery Management

NEARLY 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Vineyard & Winery Management is a company with a broad-ranging portfolio serving the North American wine industry for nearly 40 years. VWM prides itself on its grassroots background. What started as a labor of love in upstate New York in 1975, the business has grown and nurtured into a thriving second-generation family owned and independent endeavor.

Because of the diversity of its portfolio, VWM is able to reach segments of the wine industry other companies simply can't touch.

The business publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. In addition it produces and hosts two regional trade shows and conferences and five unique wine competitions.

VWM is dedicated to delivering its customers the quality, service and value needed to make its business thrive in today’s competitive wine marketplace.

Contact Us

Debra Del Fiorentino
Director of Wine Competitions
T: 707.577.7700 x109
ddelfiorentino@vwmmedia.com

General inquiries: Jil Child
T: 707.577.7700 x116
winecompetitions@vwmmedia.com

Corporate Office:
421 E Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404

Mailing Address:
PO Box 14459, Santa Rosa, CA 95402
T: 707.577.7700
F: 707.577.7705

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2015 Grand Harvest Awards
Registration: 11/25/2014 to 11/13/2015

2015 International Wine Channel TV Awards
Registration: 11/25/2014 to 9/4/2015

2015 International Women's Wine Competition
Registration: 11/25/2014 to 6/19/2015

2015 Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge
Registration: 11/25/2014 to 4/10/2015

2013 U.S. National Wine Competition - Results are in!

Congratulations to the 2013 Award Winners!
See results three ways...

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Proudly celebrating wines produced in the 50 united states.

The National Measure of Success
“National” is the very essence of this wine competition.  It represents the multitude and diversity of grape varieties (native, hybrid, vinifera) and growing regions that exist from shore-to-shore that are unique to our nation’s historical footprint. 

Its focus?  To recognize excellence in winemaking by awarding medals to wines produced in any of the 50 United States. 

The U.S. National Wine Competition also provides a yardstick for successes in U.S. winemaking. Each wine will be judged on its own merits by qualified, experienced judges from the wine industry, wine journalism, wine trade and restaurants.

Exploring American Heritage through Wine
Founding father Thomas Jefferson had a vision for America’s potential in viticulture. According to Jefferson, “We could, in the United States, make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kinds, but doubtless as good.”

Today, the vision is realized.  The U.S. National Wine Competition embodies these concepts to recognize excellence in winemaking through our nation’s growth and continued success in wine production and winemaking.  Each wine will be judged on its own merits by qualified, experienced judges from the wine industry, wine journalism, wine trade and restaurants  This competition celebrates the best examples of our nation’s heritage - something our forefathers would surely raise a glass to!

Entry Fees
$75 by paper entry form, $65 online

Judging
April 9-10, 2013

See article in iSante magazine

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

Date: December 12, 2012

Contact: Bill Traverso

Phone: 707-577-7700 x109

Email:  btraverso@vwm-online.com

2^nd Annual U.S. National Wine Competition Accepting Entries

Santa Rosa, CA – The Vineyard & Winery Management Group has announced that entries are now being accepted for the 2^nd Annual U.S. National Wine Competition. The competition focuses on excellence in wines produced in any U.S. state, welcoming all native, hybrid, and vinifera varietals grown. 

“The essence of this competition is ‘National’ in every sense of the word,” said Bill Traverso, Director of Wine Competitions. “The entries represent the multitude of grape varieties, grown in any of the 50 states, that are unique to our nation’s historical footprint. It also represents the diversity of our wine growing regions and wine varieties, and ties in with the diversity of all our nation’s ethnic food and wine pairings.”

Founding father Thomas Jefferson had a vision for America’s potential in viticulture. “We could, in the United States, make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kinds, but doubtless as good,” said Jefferson. Today, his vision is realized through our nation’s growth and continued success in wine production and winemaking.

Each wine will be judged on its own merits by qualified, experienced judges from around the country, each an expert in their respective fields: wine industry leaders, wine journalists, wine retailers and restaurateurs.

An official entry consists of four (4) 750 ml bottles or six (6) 375 ml bottles plus a $65 per wine online entry fee. Paper entries are $75 per wine. The deadline for entry forms and wine shipments is March 21, 2013. Judging will take place April 9 and 10, 2013. For complete rules, necessary forms, and a list of judges, please visit www.winecompetitions.com

Vineyard & Winery Management
Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., Vineyard & Winery Management is an independently owned and operated multimedia company that produces wine industry trade publications, conferences, trade shows and wine competitions. The family-owned company publishes Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, which has the highest circulation of any North American wine trade publication. V&WM’s conferences and trade shows include Wineries Unlimited and the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference. Its wine competitions include the Grand Harvest Awards, International Eastern Wine Competition, NextGen Wine Competition for Millennial Wine Drinkers, International Women's Wine Competition, West Coast Wine Competition, and U.S. National Wine Competition. See vwmmedia.com for more information.

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2015 International Wine Channel TV Awards

Judging:  September 9-10, 2015
Entry Deadline:  September 4, 2015

Entry Fees:
$75 by paper entry form, $65 online
Early Birds: Enter before July 24, 2015 and save!

Click here to enter online now

Download paper entry form

Download pre-addressed shipping labels

Why have a millennial-based wine competition?

Millennials embody the next generation of wine drinkers and wine buyers.  They want to share their experiences virtually about the wines they like. 

That’s why we created the Int’l Wine Channel TV Awards - designed to influence Millennial wine drinkers and wine buyers. In fact, its spokesperson and judge is Jessica Altieri, Millennial, CS and CEO of the Wine Channel TV Network (www.wctvmedia.com) which reaches over 125K millennial wine enthusiasts around the world each day and will feature competition award-winners.

It's also important to recognize up-and-coming young winemakers as today's rising stars.  If your winemaker is 35 or younger, make sure to note it on your entry to be considered for the Rising Star Winemaker Award. The winner will be asked to judge the 2016 Wine Channel TV Awards!

Open to all internationally produced wines (formerly known as the NextGen Wine Competition).

Discover how your best wines rank with a Millennial audience.  Enter today then let the texting begin!

2014 Judges included:

Chief Judge: Debra Del Fiorentino (fourth row, left), Wine Competitions Director, Vineyard & Winery Management
Spokesperson: Jessica Altieri (bottom left), CS, CEO WineChannelTV

Judges (pictured left to right, top to bottom):

Emma Swain, Chief Executive Officer, St Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery
Courtney Humiston, Wine Director, Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen
Andre Hueston Mack, Proprietor & Winemaker, Mouton
Janet Pouchot, Certified Sommelier
Aeron Lancero, Chief Operating Officer, Intrestco Group
Joel Green, General Manager & Winemaker, Safe Harbor Wines
Alycia Mondavi, Marketing, Sales, Brand Manager, Dark Matter
Theo Snyder, Wine Manager, Total Wine & More & member, Court of Master Sommeliers
Victoria Wilson, Winemaker, Wilson Family Wines
Wesley Box, Founder, Source Marketing Group 
Peter Lopez Jr., Partner, Healdsburg Emporium & Beer Blogger
Traci Dutton, Beverage Manager, Sommelier, Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
Ali Nemo, Handley Cellars 
Zack Zimmerman, Business Membership Relations Coordinator, Sonoma County Farm Bureau
Nicole Bacigalupi, Certified Sommelier, Grower Relations, Bacigalupi Vineyards
Cory Lester, Certified Sommelier, sales at Trusty Hurst Winery
Jessica Altieri, CS, CEO WineChannelTV
Salvatore Curreri, Sommelier, Canneti Roadhouse
Christopher Sawyer, “The Sommelier to the Stars”
Erik Miller, Owner & Winemaker, Kokomo Winery
Erica Stancliff, Assistant Winemaker, Trombetta Family Winery
Jessica Yadegaran, Food & Wine Writer, Bay Area News Group (not pictured)
Eric Harris, Winemaker, Two-EE’s Winery & 2013 Rising Star Winemaker Award Winner (not pictured)
Kelly Conrad, Public Relations Manager, E. & J. Gallo Winery

From Peter Altieri, President of Wine Channel TV Media ( www.wctvmedia.com):

Millennials are the next generation of coveted wine consumers, and they enjoy overturning conventions and expectations. More importantly, they want to share their experiences virtually. If you want to tap into this lucrative market, you will need to embrace new platforms and opportunities. The International Wine Channel TV Award Competition was designed to target this exploding group of consumers. The 2014 IWCTV Awards Gala (www.winetvgala.com), held at “Americas Sexiest” nightclub, The Underground, in Chicago, drew over 280 wine lovers last year to taste and experience some of the award winning wines from the competition.

Wine Channel TV Network currently reaches more than 150K followers daily through social media, and provides videos that are engaging and easy to share. Our audience is growing at a rate of over 60% annually with consumers watching and learning about wine thru video on mobile devices.

Here are some things you may not know about this savvy group of wine enthusiasts:

• This BuzzFeed generation has a short attention span and wants to contribute to conversations by sharing content through social media.
• These 25- to 35-year olds have grown up online and live on their smartphones, depending on apps, such as Delectable and Vivino, to choose wines
• Tend to trust a virtual friend’s wine recommendation over a recommendation made by a retailer
• Don’t read extensive wine reviews in print
• Wants to have an authentic relationship with their wine; therefore, millennials are more likely to choose a higher-end wine with a story behind it
• Seek out less pretentious experiences for fun, irreverent and adventurous one

We’re excited for this year’s International Wine Channel TV Award Competition, and look forward to another great competition with wine brands and consumers.

The face of Wine Channel TV is Jessica Altieri, professional wine judge and media personality, spokesperson and judge for the International Wine Channel TV Awards.  Altieri’s international reputation as a media personality and knowledgeable wine enthusiast is sure to draw consumer attention from this youthful target market. “An international audience, including consumers and winemakers, will be able to see and hear  the excitement and real conversation taking place with award-winning wines being served,” commented Jessica Altieri.

The winners will receive the extra media exposure which will ultimately help sell more wine.

About Wine Channel TV Network:  WCTV Network LLC (www.wctvmedia.com) is a leader in building online, cable and media marketing brands in selected vertical markets. Wine Channel TV (www.winechanneltv.com) produces and delivers original wine lifestyle content through a converged network of online, mobile and TV programming. WCTV Network works with leading wine lifestyle brands, trade associations and governments around the world. WCTV is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices in Sonoma and New York City.

 
Congratulations to the 2014 award winners!

IWC-TV 2014 by company

IWC-TV 2014 by category

IWC-TV 2014 by award

IWC-TV 2013 by company

IWC-TV 2013 by category

IWC-TV 2013 by award

2015 International Women's Wine Competition

Judging: June 23-24, 2015
Entry Deadline: June 19, 2015

Entry Fees:
$75 by paper entry form, $65 online
Early Birds: Enter before May 22, 2015 and save!

Click here to enter online

Download paper entry form

Download pre-addressed shipping labels

Congratulations to the 2014 IWWC Award Winners!
See results three ways...

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Click here to read the Press Release

So, who does the nightly wine shopping in your family...him or her?

You may find it interesting that most of the wine consumed at home is primarily purchased by women.  But as a winemaker, how do you know which wine she will choose?

One way is to enter your wine in the International Women’s Wine Competition, judged entirely by wine industry professional women.  Its mission?  To uniquely identify specific wines that women will enjoy and ultimately purchase.

3 ways medal winners will benefit:

1. You'll find out what women like. Expert opinions can boost sales and judges’ decisions may directly influence female wine buyers. 
2. Winners get extra exposure. Judges include wine-based traditional media and social media experts who know how to get the word out about the wines they like.
3. PR and bragging rights.

Award for Best Woman Winemaker

If your winery has a woman winemaker, be sure to note it at time of entry.  Aside from judging wines on their own merit made by both men and women, a special award will be given to the Best Woman Winemaker based on wines made just by women.

About our Women Judges
They include a list of top-notch highly trained professional women in the wine industry and wine media who take their task very seriously! Their influence can have far-reaching effects on your wine consumers and their purchases. Find out which wines suit their pallets.

Meet our 2014 Judges

Thrace Bromberger, Proprietor - Gustavo Thrace Winery/General Manager - Villa San-Juliette

Jil E. Child, Vice President and co-owner of Wine Tours of the World

Georgetta Dane, Lead Winemaker, Chloe Wine Collection

Susan Doyle, Director of Winemaking, Innovation & Technical Services, Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines

Traci Dutton, Beverage Manager/Sommelier, Culinary Institute of America at Greystone

Janet Dyer, Independent Contractor and Broker

Sherrie Holzer, Assistant Winemaker, Castoro Cellars

Ellen Landis, CS, CSW, www.ellenonwine.com

Ann Littlefield, Professional International Wine and Spirits Judge

Susan Lueker, Director of Winemaking, Simi Winery

Ramona Nicholson, Proprietor and Vineyard Manager

Shauna Rosenblum, Head Winemaker, Rock Wall Winery

Theo Snyder, Total Wine Professional and Wine Manager

Monique Soltani, Multimedia Reporter

Hilarie Spater, Director of Training, Wine Country Gift Baskets

Dr. Valery Uhl, Wine Judge

Anne Vercelli, Assistant Director, www.winejudging.com

Cathleen Vicini, Co-Proprietor and Operations/Sales Manager, Trecini Winery

Rosina Wilson, Founding Editor, Wine X Magazine

Congratulations to the 2014 IWWC Award Winners!
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Two Wine Competitions in One!

2015 International Eastern Wine Competition

The International Eastern Wine Competition (IEWC), established in 1975, is one of the oldest and largest professional wine competitions in the United States.  Entries are available to wineries produced in the East, making it a truly regional affair.

International Eastern Wine Competition Awards:

Click Here for Award by Company

Click Here for Award by Category

Click Here for  Best of Awards

See the Overall Winners of the East Meets West Taste-Off

2015 West Coast Wine Competition

Established in 1982, the WCWC regional wine competition celebrates the West and all it has to offer in the way of great wines and winemaking.

West Coast Wine Competition Awards:

Click Here for Award by Company

Click Here for Award by Category

Click Here for  Best of Awards

See the Overall Winners of the East Meets West Taste-Off

Judging:  February 10-11, 2015

 

We have combined two of our oldest and most established brands into the International East Meets West Wine Challenge: to see exactly where East Meets West.

Wines will simultaneously be judged in two divisions: International Eastern Wine Competition and the West Coast Wine Competition. Traditional awards will be given in each division.

Best of Show winners will move on to compete in the East Meets West Taste Off to see which wine reigns overall. This affords your wine two chances to win!

And we will continue with the Riesling Championship as  Rieslings will be judged in both competitions to award a best Eastern Riesling and a best Western Riesling.

The challenge is on!  It’s time to see where East Meets West.

Open to all domestic and internationally produced wines according to regional designations.

Be sure to enter your correct division by clicking the button below:

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Congratulations to the 2014 East Meets West Award Winners!

East Meets West 2014 Taste Off Top Awards

Eastern Division 2014 by company

Eastern Division 2014 by category

Eastern Division 2014 by award

Western Division 2014 by company

Western Division 2014 by category

Western Division 2014 by award

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2014 Grand Harvest Awards

A wine judging based on Terroir. 

2014 Grand Harvest Awards - See Results

GHA 2014 by company

GHA 2014 by category

GHA 2014 by award

Mark Your 2015 Calendar!

2015 Grand Harvest Awards Deadline: November 13, 2015
Judging: November 17-18, 2015

Entry Fees:
$75 by paper entry form, $65 online
Early Birds: Enter before October 2, 2015 and save!

Click here to enter now

Download 2015 paper entry form
Download 2015 pre-addressed shipping labels

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Established in 1990, it is the only wine-judging event in North America that is based on Terroir - a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.

In other competitions, this factor is ignored. At the Grand Harvest, judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen without the influences that sometimes eclipse even a wine of very high quality.

Beyond the determination of medals, the Grand Harvest Awards affords its winners a unique selling proposition-its Terroir ranked against its competitors. A medal in this wine competition not only gives your wine prestige and selling power, it adds talking points in your retail room. Favorable awards support increased local and regional sales. A win in Grand Harvest can put your wine into a whole new sales category. 

According to 2014 GHA spokesperson, Christopher Sawyer, "The Grand Harvest Awards is a judge’s dream come true. Beyond varietal category and price point, this one-of-a-kind competition is based on appellation instead of mass-production. The end result is more definition of the wines made with grapes inside the boundaries of a specific viticultural area and distinct flavors that have helped wines rise to the top of the scale in the global marketplace."

“Thank you (V&WM) for all of the ways you help winemakers connect to consumers!  It is my honor to join you in connecting quality wines to thirsty people with each publication and judging event.”   - Ali Nemo, Wine Club Curator, Handley Cellars

Meet the 2014 GHA Judges

Spokesperson: Christopher Sawyer, “The Sommelier to the Stars” 
Chief Judge: Debra Del Fiorentino, Wine Competitions Director, Vineyard & Winery Management

(Pictured left to right, top to bottom) Dan Barwick (Winemaker, Paradise Ridge Winery), Ellen Landis (CS, CSW), Jil E. Child (Partner at Wine Tours of the World and Wine Competition Coordinator, V&WM), Julie Pedroncelli St. John (Vice President, Marketing, Pedroncelli Winery), Ken Landis (Chef and co-owner, Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn), Laura Ness (Wine Judge and Wine Writer), Leslie Mead Renaud (Director of Winemaking, Foley Wine Group), Michael Muscardini (Winemaker, Muscardini Cellars), Renata Franzia-Price (Sales Account Manager, Classic Wines of California), Larry Van Aalst (Sommelier and Radio Host), Sherrie Holzer (Assistant Winemaker, Castoro Cellars), Thrace Bromberger (Proprietor, Gustavo Thrace Winery and General Manager , Villa San-Juliette), Traci Dutton (Beverage Manager/Sommelier, Culinary Institute of America at Greystone), William Bloxsom-Carter (Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage, Playboy Mansion), Roxanne Langer (Founder Wine FUNdamentals, Sommelier, Educator), Dr. Liz Thach (Wine Management and Wine Business Professor, Sonoma State University), Rich Cook (Director, San Diego County Fair Wine Competition and Wine Writer), William McNabb (Wine Editor, Piedmont Post), William "Bill" Traverso (Wine Retail Consultant and Wine Judge), Ali Nemo (Handley Cellars)

Mark Your 2015 Calendar!

2015 Grand Harvest Awards Deadline: November 13, 2015
Judging: November 17-18, 2015

Entry Fees
$75 by paper entry form, $65 online

Click to enter online

Download 2015 paper entry form
Download 2015 pre-addressed shipping labels

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Congratulations to the 2013 Grand Harvest Award Winners:

GHA 2013 by company

GHA 2013 by category

GHA 2013 by award