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August 2000

Indiana wines among the best at Indy International

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A record 2,505 wines competed for top honors during the recent Indy International Wine Competition, held July 27 to 29 in Indianapolis. Among the gold medal winners were 20 Hoosier wines. The awards were presented Thursday (8/3) at the Taste of Indiana reception held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

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The contest, now among the top three in the United States based on entries, is expanding Indiana's reputation as a wine state. Facing competition from some of the best wineries in the world, Hoosier vintners received 142 awards. Out of 191 Indiana wines entered, the wineries came home with 20 gold medals, 49 silver and 73 bronze.

"I think this bodes well for the quality reputation we are building for Indianapolis as a center where American, European and Southern Hemisphere vintners go head to head with each other," said Richard Vine, competition chairman and Purdue University enologist.

The best of show American Airlines trophy was awarded to the 1997 Haywood Winery Rocky Terrace Zinfandel from Sonoma Valley, Calif. Best red honors also went to a California vintner, Concannon Vineyard, for its 1997 Livermore Valley Syrah. The British Columbia winery Wild Goose Vineyards earned the best white wine with its 1999 Gewurztraminer.

Huber Orchards and Winery in Starlight, Ind., entered both the Indiana Commercial Fruit Wine Champion, an apple and blackberry wine, and the Hoosier Grown Fruit Wine Champion, an apple and cherry wine. The Hoosier Grown Red Wine Champion came from the Kauffman Winery in Evansville, Ind., and the Hoosier Grown White Wine Champion was Huber's Estate Lakeside White.

All entries are judged individually and are eligible to earn a bronze, silver or gold medal. In total, 265 gold medals were awarded, as well as 888 silver medals and 896 bronze medals.

The Indy International has grown from 484 entries to 2,500 entries in only eight years. Among those entries are amateur-made wines, which earned 485 medals at this year's competition.

Sources: Richard Vine, (765) 494-6500

Sally Linton, Indiana Wine Grape Council, (765) 496-3842

Writer: Beth Forbes, (765) 494-2722; bforbes@aes.purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:
Michael Pascal is one of 50 judges who spent two days sampling the 2,500 wines in the 2000 Indy International Wine Competition, held July 27 to 29 in Indianapolis. Facing competition from some of the best wineries in the world, 20 Hoosier wines received gold medals at an awards ceremony Thursday (8/3) at the State Fairgrounds. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo by Tom Campbell)

A publication-quality photograph is available at the News Service Web site and at the ftp site. Photo ID: Linton.winners


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