Tuesday Travels—Sweepstakes Round: And the Winner(s) Is (Are)…

Yesterday I ran the concept of “Sweepstakes Round” by you. (This is the “comparing apples and oranges” approach to choosing the “Best in Show” winner(s) at a wine judging.) Today, as we return to San Francisco, I’ll fill in more details about how Sweepstakes works, and we’ll peek into “the envelope, please,” for a glimpse at some of the big winners in last week’s San Francisco International Wine Competition. www.sfwinecomp.com

“International” is indeed the key word here. Scanning the list of “Double Gold” medal winners (wines that were unanimously rated “Gold” by every member of their panel), and “Best of Class” awards, I notice a “Best Rosé” from Chile, a “Best Red Blend” from Australia, and not just a “Best Sauvignon Blanc” from New Zealand (no surprise there—see last Thursday’s post) but also a “Best Gewurztraminer” and “Best Fortified Wine”—an amazing 1948(!!!) Port.

If you’ve ever watched a dog show (I’m addicted to ‘em, even though I’m more of a “cat person”), you’ll recognize the format. Just as the “Best Terrier,” “Best Hound,” Best Working Dog” and the rest of the seven “group winners” square off in the “Best in Show” finals, to be judged by a top-ranking expert, the top examples of each wine category come to the table in the Sweepstakes.

This neat pic shows the array of 50 or so wine glasses that awaited each of us 40-odd judges in this final round. (Thanks, Gerald Weisl, www.weimax.com for filling in after my camera opted for a permanent nap!) In addition to all the stemware, each of us had a scoresheet indicating the type and code number for each wine.

Anthony Dias (“Andy”) Blue www.bluelifestyle.com moderated the proceedings (full audio on an upcoming Welcome to Wine Country podcast), while Carol Siebert (see last weekend’s post) and two veteran volunteers tabulated the results.

In some categories (such as Barbera and Tempranillo) there was just one Double Gold-winning finalist. In others (Chardonnay, Cabernet and other more popular and therefore better-represented wines), we first had to select our favorites among a small number of Double Golds in that category. At this point, we were comparing “apples and apples”: namely Chardonnay vs. Chardonnay (vs. Chardonnay, etc., if there were more than two.)

That narrowed the field, so that we now had only one of each type of wine in front of us. (I say “type,” rather than “varietal” here because some categories were broader, as in “Best Dessert Wine” or “Best Premium Red.”)

Now came the “apples and oranges” stage, comparable to the dog show finals. First up: Best Sparkling Wine, with only two to compare. By a show of hands, the favorite won by a decent margin. Next, the “Best Of Show—White,” with everything from a Seyval Blanc to a Pinot Gris (another New Zealander) to a Chardonnay, Riesling and several others. The winner was a huge surprise: an elegant Chenin Blanc made from Monterey County grapes.

In the Best of Show—Red round, we had even more wines to choose among. A Syrah from Sonoma Valley took that one, with very strong competition. On to dessert, where a luscious late-harvest Semillon, also from New Zealand, scored top honors.

Tomorrow, I’ll name names. Meanwhile, you can check out the complete list of winning wines at your leisure—this link sorts them by medal. www.sfwinecomp.com/pdf_07/07_results_medal.pdf


Until then,
Cheers,
Rosina
gilded fork, wine, wine writing, Welcome to Wine Country, Rosina Tinari Wilson