Wine 101 Wednesday—Sweepstakes Round: And the Winner(s) Is (Are) Part Deux... (uh, “Part Doux” again for the dessert vino…)

Yesterday I gave you a general rundown of the Sweepstakes winners at the recent San Francisco International Wine Competition. www.sfwinecomp.com Today I’m going to name names (and tomorrow I’ll fill in with some of my tasting notes.)

First, though, since this is our “Wine 101” day, I thought I’d explain another phase of the Sweepstakes judging. Earlier this week (see previous posts), I compared the nuts and bolts of two very different wine competitions that I’ve judged this month. One (um, this one) is the largest in North America, with wines from around the globe. The other is an amateur winemaking contest for my local county fair. (I tasted some fantastic wines at both, by the way. Also some real dogs—no offense to actual canines!)

At the Marin County Fair judging, our Sweepstakes round took place on a separate day, and we turned in our scoresheets and waited while the votes were counted to determine the winners. This is a simple and effective approach, especially with a fairly small pool of both wines and judges.

At the SF International, we retained our scoresheets and voted by a show of hands. Different, but just as valid. So far so good.

Now comes the twist that I haven’t described yet. As you’ll hear on the upcoming Sweepstakes podcast, Andy Blue www.bluelifestyle.com uses a modified version of the standard scoring system in the Sweepstakes round, one that works especially well with a large number of judges. (Andy credits this method to the highly precise and analytical wine guru Dan Berger, and the majority of us, including myself, prefer it.)

Instead of only raising our hands for our favorite wine (or top two or three favorites, or whatever), we each get to raise our hands for any wine that we “like” enough to vote for. Each judge decides how he or she will make the cut. Statistically, this gives a somewhat different, and arguably somewhat better picture of the overall quality of a wine (as perceived by a higher, therefore statistically more significant number of judges) than a simple “vote for your one-and-only favorite.”

How do I, personally, decide how to cast my vote(s)? (As you can see in yesterday’s pic, we have a daunting array of 50+ wineglasses in front of us.) My approach is simple and efficient, and it minimizes both palate fatigue and any unwelcome buzz. (Even though we don’t swallow, some alcohol always absorbs through the membranes of the mouth. And I do have to drive home afterwards!)

Answer: I just use the ol’ 100-point system. Although I find it rather dry and limiting for general use, it works great at a Sweepstakes. For any wine I smell/taste, I write down an objective numerical score (usually in the 85-97 range; these are, after all, Double Golds) along with my subjective descriptions. Then, when we have to compare, say, a Pinot vs. a Cab vs. a Syrah, etc., etc., for “Best Red,” I don’t have to retaste all of them. I just zero in on my top scores, and recheck any that seem close to my (arbitrary) 90-point cutoff. Done! And as a bonus, I can run around with my recorder and mic, scores in hand, while everybody else is still tasting, and catch up with Andy Blue just as he’s about to announce the winners. (See pic. Thanks, Gerald Weisl!)

Speaking of which, as promised, let’s open “the envelope, please...” (Thank you, Carol Seibert, for the master list www.sfwinecomp.com/pdf_07/07_results_medal.pdf )

And The Winners of the 2007 San Francisco International Wine Competition Are…



BEST ZINFANDEL Rosenblum Cellars 2005 Harris Kratka Vineyard Alexander Valley $35

BEST WHITE HYBRID Penguin Bay Winery NV Percussion Finger Lakes 2.25% rs $11

BEST TEMPRANILLO Cosentino Winery 2005 The Temp Crystal Valley Cellars Kirschenmann Vineyards Lodi $22

BEST SEYVAL BLANC Prairie Berry Winery 2006 American 0.18% rs $12

BEST SAUVIGNON BLANC Cairnbrae Vineyards 2006 The Stones Marlborough New Zealand

BEST ROSÉ Montes Wines 2006 Syrah Rosé Colchagua Valley Chile $16

BEST RIESLING Snoqualmie Vineyard 2006 Winemaker’s Select Columbia Valley 5.05% rs $7

BEST RED RHÔNE BLEND Kilikanoon Wines 2005 Shiraz Grenache Killerman’s Run South Australia $22

BEST PREMIUM RED Madroña Vineyards 2004 Quintet Estate, Reserve El Dorado $28

BEST PINOT NOIR La Crema Winery 2005 Los Carneros $34

BEST PINOT GRIS Kathy Lynskey Wines 2006 Single Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Gris New Zealand $25

BEST PETITE SIRAH Michael David Vineyards 2004 Earthquake Lodi $28

BEST OF SHOW - WHITE Chouinard Vineyards 2006 Chenin Blanc Monterey 1.85% rs $11

BEST OF SHOW - SPARKLING Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin 1988 Brut Rare Vintage Champagne France $90

BEST OF SHOW - RED Canihan Family Cellars 2004 Syrah Estate Sonoma Valley $30

BEST OF SHOW - DESSERT Stone Paddock 2006 Late Harvest Semillon Hawkes Bay New Zealand 10% rs

BEST NATIVE AMERICAN WHITE Goose Watch Winery NV Diamond Finger Lakes 5.5% rs $9

BEST MERLOT Columbia Crest Winery 2004 Grand Estates Columbia Valley $11

BEST GEWÜRZTRAMINER Spy Valley Wines 2006 Marlborough New Zealand 1% rs $20

BEST FORTIFIED WINE Mazuran's Vineyards 1948 Vintage Port New Zealand $1200

BEST CHARDONNAY Beringer Founders' Estate 2005 California $11

BEST CABERNET SAUVIGNON Stone Pine Estate 2004 Sagebrush Annies Santa Barbara $25

BEST BARBERA Vino Noceto 2004 Linsteadt Shenandoah Valley $28


Tomorrow we taste ‘em.

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