[June 29, 2021 - Murphys, CA] Winners have been announced for both the Sierra Foothills Wine Competition and the Orange County Fair Competition! 15 Calaveras County Wineries entered the "40th Annual Sierra Foothills Wine Show" that took place on Friday, June 25th at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds. This year, 18 esteemed judges thoughtfully evaluated 211 wines in the day-long event. Professional wine reviewers, judges, and writers from across California included: Tom Bender, Dan Berger, Mark Chandler, Tana Cole, Patrick Dodd, Mike Dunne, Jim Gordon, Michael Kelly, Mike Kerrigan, Ellen Landis, Curtis Mann, Martin Maxwell, Dale Pollard, Susan Reiner-Lyon, Jackson Starr, Jim Twiford, Paul Wagner, and Evan Williams.
Tom Bender, competition manager, oversaw the teams of judges and a group of esteemed volunteers as each wine was thoughtfully evaluated. The annual wine show is hosted by Laurie Giannini, CEO and Fair Manager at the 39th District Agricultural Association, Calaveras County Fair. Laurie and Gay Callan, Calaveras Winegrape Alliance Board Member, Calaveras County Fair Board Member, and Grower, worked together to provide keepsake wine glasses for this year's show.
Of the 211 wines entered, 194 vintners took home medals. Find the complete list of 2021 Sierra Foothills Wine Show winners by wine type below. Enjoy these award-winning wines at tasting rooms throughout Calaveras Wine Country this summer and view our Winery Member Page HERE for visitor information.
Number of medals awarded by type:
Double Golds: 22
Golds: 28
Silver: 88
Bronze: 56
Some of our winery families and vintners shared their thoughts about the recognition received....
Kirsten Locke, Director of Operations, Locke Vineyards, remarks, “Locke Rosé has become a quick popular wine in our line up at The Barn and we are thrilled to hear the results from the Sierra Foothills Wine Show. The 2020 release showcases a field blend of two different varietals from both of our Calaveras vineyards. Thank you for the recognition and loving Locke Rosé!”
Ron Pieretti, Founder and Managing Partner, Prospect 772 Wines shares, "Once again we are very fortunate to receive this recognition. As our vineyard matures, it is becoming more and more expressive and that expression is showing up in the wines. The Sierra Foothills AVA in my opinion is still underrated. There are many remarkable vineyard sites in our wine region and we are just some of the lucky ones who get to Live, Work and Play here.”
Rob and Sheri Hendriks, Proprietors and Vineyard Owners, Aloria Vineyards are ecstatic. "Our family is honored to be recognized with seven medals for our Aloria Estate grown wines. Our vineyard, established in 1996, has given our life meaning and purpose since we began to take it into our hands and hearts. Our 2018 red wines entered this year, were the first harvested as Aloria Vineyards. We set out to express our unique high elevation viticulture and sustainable growing and winemaking practices in our wines. It’s our intention to establish harmony and excellence in our growing region and proudly display Calaveras County on our labels. We also feel especially honored to be awarded a Double Gold for our 2018 Syrah, produced with devotion to the exquisite French and Australian clones for ourselves and clients in the Sierra Foothills, Napa, and beyond. In addition, what we felt was always the star of the vineyard, our Malbec, also received a double gold for our 2018 vintage, and was a confirmation that we weren’t simply biased by loving this wine and sharing it with our guests. We want to especially thank our Calaveras Winegrape Alliance for supporting us over the years, especially through the past year, and we look forward to many more extraordinary vintages to come."
Scott Klann, Newsome Harlow Winemaker, and Proprietor received several medals and commented, "I am very pleased about this wine and the accolades it has garnered. This was a labor of love project between Steve Collum and myself. It was a goal to begin to bring Chenin Blanc back to Calaveras. It had been gone since the mid 80’s when the last block in the county was grafted over to Chardonnay. Steve and I discussed this for many years before deciding to plant this with Joe Grant and his family’s vineyard. Originally we were co-fermenting it with Viognier from the same vineyard but in 2018 we grafted the Vio over to Chenin as well. In 2019 we released it as 100% Chenin Blanc".
In addition to the medals awarded at our regional wine show, many Calaveras Wineries also took home medals at the 48th Annual Orange County Fair Wine Competition that took place on June 5th-6th. Our local winners include Aloria Vineyards, Ironstone Vineyards, Jazz Cellars, Milliaire Winery, and Mineral Wines. Find the complete list of Orange County Fair Wine Competition winners and results HERE.