MORGAN HILL —The Wineries of Santa Clara Valley are ramping up to compete in multiple competitions after their best year yet.
Santa Clara wineries were recognized for their collection of quality wines in 2018, participating in the SF Chronicle Wine Competition, Orange County’s Commercial Wine Competition, the California State Fair, Tasters Guild, Beverage Tasting Institute, the Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition, the Monterey International Wine Competition, the Sunset International Wine Competition and Rose Today’s competition.
The valley walked away from 2018 with more awards to add to its repertoire. The highlights for the year included Alara Cellars, who took home Best of Show, Best White Wine, Best of Class and a Double Gold for their 2017 Grenache Blanc. Sarah’s Vineyard received Top Pinot of 2018 by Wine Spectacular for its Pinot Noir.
Collectively, the wineries racked up 12 Double Gold Medals, 33 Gold Medals, 57 Silver Medals and 44 Bronze Medals.
As for Wine Enthusiast ratings, there were more than 25 entries that scored over 90 points and two entries that scored 95 points or more.
“All 32 wineries, big or small, have proven to other wine regions statewide and internationally that the Santa Clara Valley is one to watch. We saw 2018 finish strong, which sets the bar high for 2019 and with the medals announced for the recent SF Chronicle Wine Competition, 2019 is starting off right.” says Stacy Giannini, Director of Marketing for the Wineries of Santa Clara Valley. “The wineries took home 3 Double Gold Medals, 10 Gold Medals, 47 Silver Medals and 14 Bronze Medals.”
The Wineries of Santa Clara Valley is an association representing member wineries that grow and produce wines in one of the oldest wine producing regions of California.
With the first plantings at the Santa Clara Mission in 1798, the region of Santa Clara Valley represents one of the oldest growing traditions in the country. The Santa Clara Valley is now home to over three dozen wineries, of every size and shape, from long-established family operations to relatively small newcomers. On March 28, 1989, the Santa Clara Valley received AVA status; prior to this the region’s wines were typically labeled ‘Central Coast’ or ‘Santa Clara County’.
The International Whisky Competition just released its results for this year’s most respected blind tasting judging event. The top recognition, Whisky of the Year, was awarded to Aberlour A’Bunadh (60.5% ABV) which scored 97.4 points, the highest scoring whisky of the competition.
2013 Mystic Hills Vineyard Monterey County Rosé
AVV is one of an elite group of wineries recognized as a Bay Area Green Business. They became a member of the California Sustainable Winegrowing Program in 2006 and achieved vineyard certification in 2014. AVV bottled their first wine produced from organic certified grapes in 2008, today the family organically farms over 30 acres and offers two wines from 100% California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) grapes. A second family vineyard will receive CCOF certification in June 2018. Other AVV sustainable initiatives include solar arrays that supply about half of the winery’s power; cover crop plantings to minimize pesticide use and control erosion; drip irrigation for precise water management; 25,000 square feet of underground, naturally cooled caves that reduce the winery’s carbon footprint; and installation of variable speed drives on all winery equipment to decrease energy waste.
For the third year in a row, Les Dauphins has been named Rhône Winery of the Year, at the 7th Annual New York International Wine Competition. Les Dauphins’ wines were among the 1,300 submitted to the competition from over 23 countries around the world.
Not one to turn down a bottle, err, I mean an opportunity to try a new bottle of wine, I readily agreed to the tasting. (If you want to try them they have a tasting room open to the public Thursday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6 p.m.: 3045 90th Street West, Rosamond, CA, 93560, 661-256-6203.)