DEFINING GOOD TASTE VARIETALS ATTRACT ATTENTION OF EXPERTS AT LOS ANGELES COMPETITION AND YOUNG CONSUMERS IN MARKETPLACE.Byline: MARTIN S. GONZALEZ >STAFF WRITER Whatever happened to just having to choose between a glass of red or white wine? With hundreds of varietals pouring in from every corner of the globe, it's no longer just about merlots, cabs and chardonnays. Currently the most popular wines are tempranillos, roses, albarinos, zinfandels and sweet cream sherries. So say the 71 wine experts who tasted thousands of wines from 16 countries that were entered in this year's Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. International Wine Competition. After three days of slurping See pod slurping. , gurgling Gurgling is a characteristic sound made by unstable two-phase fluid flow, for example, as liquid is poured from a bottle, or during gargling. , spitting and undoubtedly drinking countless glasses of wine, the group deemed a 2004 Silver Stone Wines tempranillo from Paso Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
California vintners have been making wines using tempranillo grapes and other varietals from Spain for many years, noted Chuck Keagle, who has been judging the competition since 1980. The award shows that vintners are making world-class wines using varietals indigenous to countries other than France. "I don't think many of us were used to drinking domestic tempranillos," said Keagle, who is on the board of advisors at the Collins School of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Cal Poly may refer to:
"We are getting great wines from those varietals and Spanish wines are very hot right now," said Robert W. Small, wine competition chairman. "They are very accessible and ready to drink. You can hold them for a couple of years, but you can also enjoy them immediately." Although Italy and France are not far behind, Spain has more acreage on the vine than any country in the world. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Keagle, the Spanish wine industry has done a complete overhaul of many of its production facilities and techniques over the past decade and the quality of the product is finally starting to show in the marketplace. "If you went back 20 years, Spanish wines had a very poor reputation," Keagle said, "But now you are seeing some incredible improvements. And the wines are priced right. That's been another reason you see a lot more Spanish varietals. You can get a great bottle of red for 10 bucks." Although California wines were still strong in the competition, 30 percent of the winners came from 15 foreign countries. "I was quite happy to see that the judges were willing to vote outside their California/American palates for the more subtle European wines and wine styles," said judge Sammie Daniels, a wine consultant who spends her time between Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern and Tuscany. "I think the group as a whole is becoming more sophisticated with its taste and therefore more discriminating." Daniels noted the growing number of dessert wines at this year's competition. "We had an outstanding selection of dessert wines that were all very good," Daniels said. "This seems to be a trend, as I did not remember so many so good before." The Sheffield Cellars' sweet cream sherry of California took the honor of Best Dessert Wine. Both Keagle and Small credited younger wine consumers, who are growing in numbers in numbered parts; as, a book published in numbers. See also: Number and finally making their mark on the marketplace with an increased interest in more wine varietals. "There is a growing curiosity toward unusual wines, and it is encouraging," Keagle said. "There are more younger buyers out there, and they are not just buying cabs and merlots. They are trying unusual wines and enjoying them; that is why we are seeing more of them in the competition." "Younger consumers want more approachable, immediate wines, ones that you can drink now," Small said. "Another type of wine you see a lot more now are dry roses, which are very refreshing and accessible. You're starting to see more of them in supermarkets." "There's no question about it," added Keagle. "Who wants to buy a cab and wait five years to drink it? Today, more and more people want to buy a bottle of wine, take it home and drink it that night." martin.gonzalez(at)sgvn.com, (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2734 try them> The 2007 Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition drew an astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, 3,789 entries from 16 counties. Judging was done in May. >Tasting: All of the winning wines will be available for tasting, while supplies last, at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Marketplace during the 2007 L.A. County Fair, which runs Sept. 7-30. Ralphs, the official sponsor of this year's competition, will also run a summer promotion offering selected winners from the competition in 50 of its supermarkets. >other top winners >BEST WINE OF THE COMPETITION, LIMITED PRODUCTION Paradise Ridge Winery Zinfandel Hoenselaars Vineyard, Russian River, 2005 >BEST OF DIVISION AWARDS, BEST SPARKLING WINE Carpene Malvolti, Prosecco di Conegliano di Valdobbiadene DOC, 2006 >BEST SPARKLING WINE, LIMITED PRODUCTION Borgo Maragliano, Moscato d'Asti, La Caliera, 2005 >BEST WHITE WINE, LIMITED PRODUCTION Hart Winery, Sauvignon Blanc, Temecula Valley, 2006 >BEST ROSE WINE Folie a Deux fo·lie á deux n. A condition in which symptoms of a mental disorder occur simultaneously in two individuals who share a close relationship or association. , Menage a Trois ménage à trois n. A relationship in which three people, such as a married couple and a lover, live together and have sexual relations. [French : ménage, household + à, for , California, 2005 >BEST LATE HARVEST WINE Late harvest is a term applied to wines made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual. Late harvest is usually an indication of a sweet dessert wine, such as late harvest Riesling. See Ya Later Ranch, Ice Wine, Okanagan Valley, VQA VQA Vintners Quality Alliance (Canadian wine makers standards organization) VQA Voice Quality Assurance (Ditech Communications) VQA Volunteer Quality Alert (US IRS) , 2005 >BEST NATURAL FRUIT WINE Alba Vineyard, Raspberry, American >BEST DESSERT WINE Sheffield Cellars, Sweet Cream Sherry, California >BEST DESSERT WINE, LIMITED PRODUCTION Ferrante Winery, Ice Wine, Vidal Blanc, Grand River Valley Grand River Valley is a valley surrounding various rivers of that name in North America. One is in Canada:
>BEST DISTILLED PRODUCT Capovilla, Eau-de-Vie, Raspberry, Rosa, Italy >best of varietal awards >BEST CHARDONNAY Windsor Vineyards, Sonoma County, 2005 >BEST RIESLING See Ya Later Ranch, Okanagan Valley, VQA, 2006 >BEST PINOT GRIGIO Talus talus (tā`ləs), deposit of rock fragments detached from cliffs or mountain slopes by weathering and piled up at their bases. A talus is a common geologic feature in regions of high cliffs. Collection, Lodi Lodi, city, Italy Lodi (lô`dē), city (1991 pop. 42,250), Lombardy, N Italy, on the Adda River, near Milan. It is an important dairy and light industrial center. , 2005 >BEST SAUVIGNON BLANC Wildhurst Vineyards, Reserve, Lake County, 2005 >BEST PINOT NOIR Navarro Vineyards, Deep End Blend, Anderson Valley, 2005 >BEST MERLOT Raymond Vineyards, R Collection, California, 2004 >BEST CABERNET SAUVIGNON Trinchero Vineyard, Lewelling Vineyard, Napa Valley, 2003 >BEST MERITAGE Kendall-Jackson Winery, Grand Reserve, Sonoma County, 2004 >BEST ZINFANDEL Mia's Playground, Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, 2005 >BEST SYRAH Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards, San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. County, 2004
>M.S.G. CAPTION(S): 4 photos, 4 boxes Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Tempranillo. Albarino. Sherry. Rose. Zinfandel. Uncorking the winners (2 -- color) no caption (wine judging) (3 -- color) no caption (wine) (4 -- color) Wines are poured for judging during the Los Angeles County Fair's annual competition at Fairplex in Pomona. Below left, judge Sammie Daniels of Larkspur Larkspur, city, United States Larkspur, city (1990 pop. 11,070), Marin co., W Calif., a prestigious residential suburb of San Francisco near Mt. Tamalpais; inc. 1908. The region's scenic beauty and excellent beaches attract many visitors. , Calif., samples one of the contenders. WALTER RICHARD WEIS>STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Box: (1) try them > (see text) (2) > other top winners (see text) (3) > best of varietal awards (see text) (4) > judges' comments |
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