California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition Awards – Numerous commercial producers of California wine compete at the California State Fair, held annually at Cal Expo in Sacramento, hoping to win recognition and an award. If you are like me, you have a few favorite wines you know you can count on – but I also like to experiment and try new wines.
I was shopping at Trader Joe’s recently and I noticed a display of Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc touting its California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition Award – Double Gold. It was then that I remembered that I had intended to review the results of this year’s commercial wine competition.
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If you are interested in trying a new California wine you can easily become overwhelmed by the vast number of wines available to choose from. This is where the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition Award results come in handy and can give you a leg up in choosing which new wine to try.
Wine judges are selected from respected wine makers, wine merchants, writers who write about and review wines, and wine promoters and educators. The California State Fair has historically applied a qualifying test to help assure the astuteness of its judge’s palates. Want to refine your palate and join the competition circuit? The University of California, Davis, annually offers an Advanced Tasting Seminar. Persons who complete and pass the one-day examination will be added to the pool of potential judges for the California State Fair.
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For decades, the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition has been an important part of California’s wine industry. The friendly competition helps stimulate the improvement in the state’s wine industry at every level.
Something I was not aware of, until now, is that the competition puts an emphasis on place. Wines are categorized by where the grapes are grown – not the site of the winery. The competition also places a special emphasis on single vineyard wines.
The California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition partitions the state into 11 wine regions and recognizes the best wine in each region. It also designates best varietals and styles in California. I think that this breakdown is very helpful for the consumer. For example, if you know that you really like a particular type of wine from a particular region you can check out the competition winners from that region. You might just find another favorite wine to add to your tried and true list.
Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are given to winners within each varietal or style. Numeric scores are:
- Double Gold – 98-99 points
- Gold – 94-97 points
- Silver – 88-93 points
- Bronze – 85-87 points
The Double Gold award is reserved for wines receiving a unanimous vote for Gold by a panel of judges.
Some of the other awards given are:
- Best of Show Red Wine
- Best of Show White Wine
- Best of Show Sparkling Wine
- Best of Show Pink Wine
- Best of Show Dessert Wine
- Best of Show Micro Red Wine
- Best of Show Micro White Wine
- Best of Show Micro Other
- Best Value Wine
- Golden State Winery of the Year
Best of Show, determined by acclamation, is the highest award the State Fair Commercial Wine competition gives.
To win the Golden State Winery of the Year award the winery must, among other things, demonstrate consistent excellence based on the number, quality and percentage of winning wines.
So, there you have it. Look over the list of winners and the next time you are in the market to try a new wine you will be ahead of the game. That is what I plan to do.
Comments on the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition Awards?
Have you/do you use the California State Fair Commercial Wine Award results to help guide you when you are in the market to try a new California wine?
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