Press Releases

CE&SF – 046-09

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 9, 2009

STATE FAIR ANNOUNCES THE BEST CALIFORNIA WINES

Winners to be Honored at the State’s Premier Wine & Food Event

SACRAMENTO – The California State Fair will honor the best winemakers, vineyards and wineries in the state at the 14th annual California’s Grape & Gourmet, the state’s premier California wine event.

The California’s Grape & Gourmet was created to celebrate and acknowledge excellence in the California wine industry, as determined by the 2009 State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, the oldest and most prestigiously judged wine competition in North America.

A VIP awards ceremony will be held at the Grape & Gourmet event to honor top winners from the Wine Competition, including dozens of wineries and industry leaders.  Specialty awards include the Wine Lifetime Achievement Awards, the Winery of the Year, the Vineyard of the Year and the Best of Show Wines.

The Grape & Gourmet is scheduled for Thursday, July 9 from 3:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Sacramento Convention Center.  Starting at 5:30 p.m. the public will have the opportunity to taste from more than 800 award-winning wines and 90 restaurants, caterers, breweries and cheeses.  Admission to California’s Grape & Gourmet includes unlimited wine and food tasting, as well as a free commemorative wineglass, wine tote and plate. Wines will also be available for purchase by the case or bottle, and all proceeds from those sales will benefit the Friends of the California State Fair Scholarship Fund.

Wine Competition Results

At this year’s Wine Competition, more than 2,600 wine entries were received from more than 600 participating wineries. Sixty-eight professional wine judges awarded 1,895 medals, including 43 Double Gold, 220 Gold, 1,028 Silver and 604 Bronze awards. Award winners include:

GOLDEN STATE WINERY

South Coast Winery

BEST OF SHOW- RED

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Jeff Runquist Wines

2007 Amador County Barbera

BEST OF SHOW- WHITE

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

2005 Sonoma County Rosé Brut

BEST OF SHOW- DESSERT

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Quady Winery

2007 California Elysium Black Muscat

BEST VALUE

GOLD 94

ForestVille Vineyard

2006 California Zinfandel

BEST MICROWINERY- RED

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Muscardini Cellars

2007 Ukiah Valley Mendocino Sangiovese

BEST MICROWINERY- WHITE

GOLD 94

Sierra Star Vineyard & Winery

2008 Nevada County Sauvignon Blanc Solstice

VINEYARD OF THE YEAR

Monte Bello

BEST OF REGION AWARDS

Best of North Coast Red

DOUBLE GOLD 98

V. Sattui Winery

2008 North Coast Dry Rosato

Best of North Coast White

Gold 94

R&B Cellars

2007 North Coast Serenade in Blanc

Best of Sonoma Red

Gold 94

Armida Winery

2007 Dry Creek Valley Il Campo, Estate Field Blend

Best of Sonoma White

DOUBLE Gold 98

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

2005 Carneros (Sonoma) Brut Rose

Best of Napa Red

Double Gold 98

Used Automobile Parts

2005 Bordeaux Blend

Best of Napa White

Gold 94

V. Sattui Winery

2008 Napa Valley Semillon

Best of Greater Bay Red

Gold 94

Mitchell Katz Winery

2007 Livermore Valley Sangiovese

Best of Greater Bay White

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Bloomfield Vineyards

2008 Contra Costa County Viognier

Best of North-Central Coast Red

Gold 95

Kenneth Volk Vineyards

2006 Lime Kiln Valley Mourvedre

BEST OF NORTH-CENTRAL COAST WHITE

GOLD 94

Fallbrook Winery

2007 Monterey Chardonnay Special Selection

Best of South-Central Coast Red

Gold 95

Peloton Cellars

2006 Arroyo Grande Valley Syrah

Best of South-Central Coast White

Gold 95

Tangent Winery

2008 Edna Valley Riesling

Best of South Coast Red

Gold 94

Rosenthal-The Malibu Estate

2005 Malibu-Newton Canyon Surfrider Red Wine

Best of South Coast White

Gold 95

South Coast Winery

2007 Temecula Valley Roussane

Best of Sierra Foothills Red

double Gold 98

Jeff Runquist Wines

2007 Amador County Barbera

Best of Sierra Foothills White

Gold 94

Wilderotter Winery

2008 Sierra Foothills Sauvignon Blanc

Best of Lodi Red

DOUBLE Gold 97

Michael-David Winery

2007 Lodi Petite Sirah Petite Petit

Best of other California Red

Gold 94

Jeff Runquist Wines

2007 Clarksburg Petite Sirah

Best of California STATE Red

Gold 94

McManis Family Vineyards

2007 California Petite Sirah

Best of California State White

Gold 94

Dancing Bull

2008 California Sauvignon Blanc Winemaker’s Reserve

BEST OF CALIFORNIA

BEST BARBERA

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Nevada City Winery

2007 Sierra Foothills Barbera

BEST BARBERA

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Jeff Runquist Wines

2007 Amador County Barbera

Best BORDEAUX Varietal BLEND

DOUBLE Gold 98

Oakstone Winery

2006 Fair Play Meritage

Best Cabernet Franc

Gold 94

Irish Vineyards

2006 Calaveras County Cabernet Franc De Ireys

Best Cabernet Sauvignon

Gold 95

Bloomfield Vineyards

2007 San Francisco Bay Cabernet Sauvignon

Best Chardonnay

Double Gold 98

Buena Vista

2006 Los Carneros (Sonoma) Chardonnay

best Merlot

Gold 95

Bargetto Winery

2006 Santa Cruz Mountains Reserve Merlot

Best Muscat

GOLD 95

Barefoot Cellars

NV California Moscato

BEST OTHER WHITE VARIETAL

GOLD 94

Solis Winery

2008 Santa Clara Valley Fiano

BEST OTHER RED VARIETAL

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Terra Savia

2005 Mendocino Petit Verdot Reserve

Best Petite Sirah

Double Gold 98

Busby Cellars

2006 Fair Play Petite Sirah

Best Pinot Grigio

Double Gold 98

Big House

2008 Central Coast (North) Birdman Pinot Grigio

Best Pinot Noir

Gold 95

Armida Winery

2007 Sonoma Valley Pinot Noir

Best red generic

GOLD 94

Bixler Vineyards

2007 California Delta Union Island Red

Best Riesling

GOLD 95

Falkner Winery

2007 Temecula Valley Riesling

BEST RHONE VARIETAL BLEND

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Vina Robles

2006 Paso Robles Syreé

Best Sangiovese

Double Gold 98

Obscurity Cellars

2007 Amador County Sangiovese

Best Sauvignon Blanc

Gold 95

Saucelito Canyon Vineyard

2008 Central Coast (South) Sauvignon Blanc

Best SPARKLING WINE

Double Gold 98

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

NV Carneros (Sonoma) Brut Blanc de Noirs

Best SPARKLING WINE

Double Gold 98

Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

2005 Carneros (Sonoma) Brut Rosé

Best SPECIALTY RED VARIETAL BLEND

Gold 94

Trenza Winery

2007 San Luis Obispo County Tiuto

BEST SPECIALTY WHITE VARIETAL BLEND

GOLD 94

Folie `a Deux Winery

2008 California Ménage `a Trois

BEST SYRAH

DOUBLE GOLD 98

Volante Vineyards

2005 Sonoma County Syrah View of the Bay

BEST TEMPRANILLO

GOLD 95

St. Amant Winery

2006 Amador County Tempranillo The Road Less Traveled

Best Viognier

double Gold 98

Bloomfield Vineyards

2008 Contra Costa County Viognier

Best White Zinfandel

DOUBLE Gold 97

Carlo Rossi

NV California White Zinfandel Reserve

Best Zinfandel

Double Gold 98

Wildhurst Vineyards

2007 Lake County Zinfandel

The VIP awards ceremony honoring these wineries will take place at the Grape & Gourmet at 3:30 p.m.  In addition to the Best of Region and Best of California awards, the State Fair will also honor three Lifetime Achievement recipients, a Vineyard of the Year and a Golden State Winery of the Year.

The 2009 Wine Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Zelma Long, Peter Mondavi, Sr. and Vince Petrucci. The award recognizes individuals who have contributed extensively over a number of years to the promotion, advancement and growth of the wine industry.

All award-winners and complete results of the 2009 California State Fair commercial Wine Competition are available online at www.thebestcaliforniawine.com. Results will also be available in the 2009 edition of California Wine, the State Fair’s annual wine publication. Copies of the magazine will be available at the California State Fair Wine Garden, or can be ordered from the State Fair’s Wine competition web site www.thebestcaliforniawine.com.

The 2009 California State Fair will be held

from August 21 to September 7 at Cal Expo in Sacramento, CA.

MEDIA CONTACT ONLY

California State Fair Media Center

(916) 416-0796

media@calexpo.com