Purdue News
Purdue News
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August 11, 2004 Indy competition, like wine, gets better with ageWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Look out, California. The Indiana State Fair International Wine Competition is quickly closing in. This year, judges at the Indy International sampled 3,642 wines, 351 more than last year, and more than any other time in the competition's 12-year history, said Ellen Harkness, competition coordinator and wine analyst in the Purdue University Department of Food Science. "The whole wine industry is booming," Harkness said. "New wineries are popping up in every state across the country, and entering a competition like the Indy International is a great way for those new wineries to increase their visibility." And just because these wineries are new doesn't mean they can't compete against wines from older, more established wineries, Harkness said. "A brand-new winery from Colorado won the trophy for the best red wine in the competition," she said. "Their winning entry, a red zinfandel, is their first vintage. Just imagine the competition this little winery was up against - the old-vine zinfandels from California, the great Bordeaux of France - they're obviously making a fantastic product." A new Indiana winery also topped the charts this year, nearly winning the Governor's Cup for the most award-winning Indiana winery at the competition, Harkness said. "By our criteria, Satek Winery won a very, very close second place and nearly tied with the winner, Huber Winery," she said. "For such a new winery, Satek has proved its success in both sales and product quality." Harkness said international entries were up this year as well. "We reached out this year to the European wineries who are looking for new export markets. Winning a medal in a Midwestern wine competition opens up new markets by introducing more people to some of the European labels they might not otherwise be inclined to buy." First-time international entries this year included wines from Austria, the Republic of Georgia, Romania and South Africa. Sixteen countries and 40 states entered wines this year, and 25 of Indiana's 31 wineries entered the competition, together submitting 267 wines. All of Indiana's wineries won medals, bringing in a total of 180, Harkness said. The Indy International Wine Competition is the third-largest wine contest in the nation, and the largest outside of California, Harkness said. The San Francisco International Wine Competition and Los Angeles County Fair Wines of the World Competition are the nation's two largest, each having had approximately 4,000 entries for their 2004 competitions. This year's Indy International Wine Competition commercial winners include: • Governor's Cup for the top Indiana winery - Huber Winery of Borden, Ind. • American Airlines Grand Champion "Best in Show" - Geyser Peak Winery, Geyserville, Calif., for its 2003 Reserve Late Harvest Semillon from Lake County California. • American Airlines Sparkling Wine Champion - Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves in Sonoma, Calif., for its 1995 Royal Cuvee. • American Airlines Red Wine Champion - Spero Winery, Arvada, Colo., for its 1999 Vina e Buono Zinfandel. • American Airlines White Wine Champion - Wegeler-Erben, of Germany, for a 1997 Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling. • American Airlines Rose Wine Champion - Galena Cellars/Lawlor Family Winery in Galena, Ill., with a 2003 White Zinfandel. • American Airlines Dessert Wine Champion - Joseph's Estate Wines Inc., Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, with a 1999 Vidal Blanc Ice Wine. • Leisure Family Pacesetter Trophy for the winery with the most medals went to Galena Cellars/Lawlor Family Winery. Amateur winners included: • Indiana Winegrowers' Guild Indiana Wine Champion - Jack Mart, Indianapolis, for his 2002 Syrah/Mourvedre Limited Edition. • Fruit Winemaking Quarterly Magazine Fruit Wine Champion - Matthew Kipper, Indianapolis, for his 2000 Virgil's Vineyard Raspberry. • Indiana Beekeeper's Association Mead Champion - Brent Russell, West Lafayette, Ind., for his Elliana's Mead. • Lallemand Trophy for the National Wine Champion - Russell Becker, Spring Grove, Pa., for his 2003 Traminette. • The "Pit Cru" Award for Amateur Wine Label Champion - Rich and Barbara Jackson, Camino, Calif. The Indiana State Fair International Wine Competition is sponsored by the Indiana State Fair and is coordinated by the Indiana Wine Grape Council, which is located at Purdue University. Writer: Jennifer Cutraro, (765) 496-2050, jcutraro@purdue.edu Source: Ellen Harkness, (765) 494-6704, harkness@purdue.edu Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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