Announcing the 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Sweepstake Winners

After receiving 5,825 entries from more than 25 states, the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, hailed as the largest competition of American wines in the world and presented by BevMo!, has once again successfully narrowed thousands of wines down to an exclusive few.

Over 65 professional wine judges, from a myriad of fields that included trade, education, media, retail, and hospitality, traveled to the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in Sonoma County to contribute their expertise.

Utilizing an extensive process that divided the varietals into several categories and subcategories, the event gave the panels the chance to rate entries as Bronze, Silver, Gold, and “Double Gold” (equivalent to a unanimous rating by all panel members). Only eight entries were honored with the prestigious Sweepstake Award in the categories of Sparkling, White, Pink, Red, and Dessert/Specialty wines.

And the 2014 Sweepstake Award winners are:

 
Sparkling Sweepstake (tie)
Domaine Carneros by Taittinger 2009 Brut Carneros Domaine Carneros $32.00
Korbel Champagne Cellars Brut Rosé California  $11.00
 

White Sweepstake

Baldacci Family Vineyards 2012 Chardonnay Carneros-Napa Sorelle $38.00

Pink Sweepstake

Barnard Griffin 2013 Rose of Sangiovese Columbia Valley  $12.00

Red Sweepstake (tie)

3 Steves Winery 2011 Zinfandel Cienega Valley  $31.00
Calcareous Vineyard 2010 Syrah Paso Robles  $40.00

Dessert Sweepstake

Ferrante Winery 2012 Vidal Ice Wine Grand River Valley  $28.99

Label Sweepstake

Predator 2012 Zinfandel Lodi,

 

Also recognized for extraordinary quality was an extensive list of American award-winning wines, all of which were honored with the Best of Class Awards. Each of the 75 winners were categorized to provide consumers with an easy reference guide to delicious and affordable wines based on insights from industry specialists.  A complete listing of winners in each category can be found under the "Medal Winners" section at www.winejudging.com.

 

The public will have a chance to taste many of these award winning wines at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting, happening February 15 from 1:30-5pm at Fort Mason Center’s Festival Pavilion. The event will give wine and food lovers have the opportunity to taste the best of what has been evaluated during the judging process.

 

The event is typically a sell out, so guests are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time.

 

WHAT:           San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting
WHEN:           Saturday, February 15, 2014
WHERE:         Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco
TIME:              1:30pm – 5pm
COST:            $65 Advance Purchase; $80 at the door
INFO:              For tickets and information, visit www.winejudging.com