Sticky Notes on the 2015 Wine Judging Season

As a wine writer (yes I know it seems to be a silly job, but wait…) I’m invited each year to also be a wine judge (…see, I told you). I’ve written about the ups and downs of wine judging before (go HERE). For 2015 I was at five wine judgings, all in California this time, and rather than detail why awards competition actually do matter as I’ve done previously I’m going to impress you with big ass numbers and witty comments. For example:

2,650 – Number of miles I drove to attend the competitions (I could have driven to my father-in-laws house in Pittsburgh instead…or not).

San Diego International Wine Competition

Run by veteran wine writer Robert Whitley this is one classy event.

70 – Number of volunteers who made this a seamless competition

150 – Number of wines I tasted in two days

32 – Number of years the event and its sister Wine & Roses Grand Tasting have raised boatloads of money for local charities

80 – Cost of the Best of Show Red: Benzinger 2012 Tribute

35 – Cost of the Best of Show White: Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay

San Francisco International Wine Competition

Run by Andy Blue and Tim McDonald, this is one of the largest wine competitions on Planet Earth.

301 – Number of wines I tasted over two days

91 - Wines tasted during the Sunday morning Sweepstakes round

4,902 – Number of wines entered into the competition

254 – Number of Double Gold Medals (a distinction given when a wine unanimously wins a gold medal by all the judges evaluating it)

-Best in Show Champagne: Collet 2004 Brut Millésime ($75)

-Best in Show Red: Jeff Rehnquist 2013 Paso Robles Syrah ($25)

Wilfred Wong in action

Critics Challenge Wine Competition, San Diego

Run by Robert Whitley (who runs the San Diego Competition), the cool thing about this smaller competition is that it is comprised only of wine writers and each time we award a medal we are required to write something about the wine and affix our name to it. I like this idea because there is no anonymity. You like a wine, you say exactly why. There is no “best of” as we individually award Platinum, Gold or Silver medals.

173 – Number of wines I tasted over a day and half

18 - Dollars to be exact, the cost of a Platinum Award I gave to Balletto Rose of Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley – incredible value!

18-Number of judges

Jonathan Mitchell of Ocean Prime in Beverly Hills and I hide from our scores.

Central Coast Wine Competition, Paso Robles

My backyard on the California Central Coast, this is a terrific intimate competition held as part of the California Mid State Fair. Best of Show wine was the Eberle Winery 2012 Barbera ($20)

1946 – The year the Fair first started

95 – Number of wines tasted in one day

9 – Time in the morning when I had to judge Zinfandel

666 – a numbered glass in my flight I called “Satan’s wine”

3,400 – Number of glasses of wine poured during the competition

1- Number of glasses that broke

At this competition the volunteers give out their own award!

El Dorado County Fair Wine Competition, Placerville

I absolutely adore the Sierra Foothills (the region is in several of my travel books) and what’s not to love about where gold was discovered!

62 – The number of wines I tasted and spit (sadly) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

7 – Hours it took me to drive to the competition

6.99 – Least expensive wine to win a Double Gold Award

75 – Most expensive wine to win a Double Gold Award

18 – Cost of the Best White: Oak Farm Vineyard 2014 Sauvignon Blanc       Mohr-Fry Ranches

18 – Also the cost of the Best Red: Terra d’ Oro Winery 2013 Petite Sirah

Doing my thang at San Francisco

Cruel & Unusual Comments

Many wines were exceptional (see the scores of these competition wines and seek them out), many were average and some were kinda awful. As always, I assembled a series of quotes from fellow judges (winemakers, sommeliers, wine writers, retailers, etc.) throughout the competitions about the worst of the worst…cause it’s fun.

“It’s like bottled Pierces disease.”

“It smells like a gerbil cage.”

“It’s like a punch in the face, then a punch in the stomach”

“This rose tastes like cherry Windex.”

A Pinot Noir flight of 12 wines was such a disappointment a wine writer said, “I’ve had better flights of fancy.”

One winemaker hated a wine so much he told me: “It’s a cross between Satan and apathy.”

A wickedly bad Sangiovese produced this comment: “It’s like I’m at my gym teacher’s house walking on his carpet in four day-old wet socks.”

Satan's Wine at the Central Coast Wine Competition

Why Mike Sinor is a Better Winemaker Than Me

As a wine writer for the last 15 years I have actually made wine. It’s a very important thing for a wine writer to do - to better understand the process of what winemakers go through and not write about wine from a vacuum. On a visit to Ancient Peaks Winery recently in Santa Margarita (San Luis Obispo County) I did a blending seminar with Mike Sinor, and took home a bottle of my creation - labeled Writer’s Blend. Mike is the talented Director of Winemaking of Ancient Peaks, and his own label Sinor-LaValle. On my visit to the property, a scant 14 miles from the coast, we not only looked at the vineyards, but also the soils which are replete with fossilized oyster shells and other old seabed materials, decomposed granite, and volcanic soils. Any winemaker will tell you that you cannot separate the quality of your grapes from the soil and climate they are grown in.
 

Mike holds a really, really old oyster shell

Blending Zinfandel, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon might seem to be an easy thing to do; simply get the percentages you want and you’ve got it made, right? Whereas I’ve had impressive experience drinking and writing about wine, I’ve only done a few wine blending trials over the years, including a rum blending in Puerto Rico, so to get the nuances just right is tricky and takes the sheer volume of experience that someone like Mike possesses. You want to balance the acidity with the various flavor characteristics; the softer aspects of subtle spice notes with the bold fruit; the tannins of one grape to compliment another. Don't get me wrong, I think my blend is quite good; it has very juicy black cherry, and bright acidic fruit, but Mike would do a much better job of assembling the parts. Of course he knows the grapes, how they react with other grapes, the ageing potential, chemistry and the understanding of balance and how all the components work together to create a stellar final product.

Mike Sinor, Yours Truly, and Christopher Weir of Mooncatcher PR at the Ancient Peaks vineyard

Having had many Ancient Peaks wines, I know what Mike is capable of. Ancient Peaks wines range from $15 to $50 and the Merlot is one of the better ones you’ll find on the Central Coast at around $17 (winning a gold medal at the Central Coast Wine Competition - which I judged at) which also shows that wine needn’t be expensive to be good. So if you have not tried Ancient Peaks wines - they are waiting for you, and while you sip them, remember this post; that people grow grapes, harvest them and spend time blending them into a bottle that is now on your table. Just like a farmer who grows your food, a winemaker crafts a food product, and nothing is as simple at it appears.