National Women’s Wine Competition

On March 13-15, 2007, the National Women’s Wine Competition was held in Santa Rosa, California with all proceeds of the event going to Women for Winesense. Over 1800 wines were judged, 523 wineries from 31 states participated. 389 wineries medaled and 816 total medals were awarded with California leading the way. All of the judges were women. The conclusions that were drawn were that women loved a wide variety of tastes and styles, but were primarily looking for balance and elegance. For further information: www.nwwc.info.

The list of Pinot Noir winners include the following:

Gold Medal 2005 Beaulieu Vineyards Napa Pinot Noir, 2004 Belle Vallee Grand Cuvee Oregon Pinot Noir, 2004 Ceja Vineyards Carneros Pinot Noir, 2005 Elke Vineyards Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, 2005 Kastania Vineyards Proprietor’s Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, and 2005 Leveroni Vineyards Pinot Noir.

Gold Medal and Best of Class 2006 Hagafen Rose of Pinot Noir and 2005 Toulouse Vineyards & Winery Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

Double Gold Medal 2001 Richard Grant Wines Wrotham Clone Napa Pinot Noir Sparkling Wine The Wrotham clone was discovered as a wild vine growing in the village of Wrotham in southeast England. The leaf color and appearance were unlike Pinot Noir of France, but the fruit clusters were similar. The vine had developed an immunity to powdery mildew. It is speculated that the Romans brought cuttings of this vine to England. California winemaker Dr. Richard Grant Peterson imported cuttings to California in 1980 and planted 2 acres in the Napa Valley. DNA studies show it is identical to Pinot Noir. There has been no need to spray the vines with sulfur to prevent powdery mildew. The wine is available ($50) on the Richard Grant Wines website (www.richardgrantwine.com).