My favorite moment in every wine competition comes during the “Sweepstakes.” That’s when all of the judges taste all of the wines that have been nominated for a prestigious Best of Show award, and the big winners of the competition emerge.
We had an excellent “Sweepstakes” round Sunday at the conclusion of the 15th annual Monterey Wine Competition, staged at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds in the heart of Monterey County.
The MWC has accepted international entries for at least 10 years, resulting in a number of the biggest trophies being taken by the imports. That was not to be the case this year, however, as domestic wineries swept all of the top prizes.
The most contentious battle came in the vote for Best of Show white wine, which was won by the 2006 Ventana Vineyards Riesling, from nearby Arroyo Seco. The Ventana entry narrowly defeated (by one vote) the 2006 Vionta Albarino from the Rias Baixas region of Spain.
Both are superb wines and either would have been a worthy winner. But it was the second huge triumph this year for the Ventana Riesling, following a “Double Gold” medal at the San Francisco Chronicle competition in January.
The other major MWC winners had a bit more breathing room. Gloria Ferrer’s 2000 Royal Cuvee Brut (Carneros) won Best of Show sparkling by acclamation; V. Sattui’s 2005 Vittorio’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) claimed Best of Show red wine; and the Navarro Vineyards 2006 Late Harvest Gewurztraminer (Anderson Valley) was an easy winner in the Best of Show dessert wine category,
(Editor’s note: Gloria Ferrer’s Eva Bertran and Ventana Vineyards winemaker Reggie Hammond will be my guests on the Whitley on Wine radio show Friday, 2 p.m. PT, 5 p.m. ET, to chat about their winning wines. You can listen live here or sign up for the podcast!)
Overall more than 600 medals were awarded from the more than 1200 entries that were evaluated by 24 wine professionals, plus Chief Judge Linda Murphy of Wine Review Online and Decanter Magazine.
PHOTOS: Judge Wilfred Wong of Beverages & More (top) makes copious tasting notes; the judging tables (bottom) are spread out to give the judges elbow room in the main tasting hall at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds.
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