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c/o Minnesota Grape Growers Association, 433 W. 3rd Street, Suite 1, Red Wing, MN 55066 www.mngrapes.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: |
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Monday, August 16 at 4:30 PM is the deadline for commercial wineries producing wines from cold hardy grape cultivars to submit their entries in the "2010 International Cold Climate Wine Competition" to be held in St. Paul, Minnesota on August 24, 2010. While there are dozens of wine competitions around the United States, this is the only competition devoted to the promotion of quality wines made exclusively from cold hardy grape cultivars. Evidence of the increasing quality of cold climate grapes and the exceptional wines they can produce was demonstrated at the 2009 ICCWC. Minnesota winery, Falconer Vineyards and Winery, won the Minnesota Governor's Cup for their 2007 Frontenac Reserve Red Wing Port. Lincoln Peak Vineyards in Vermont, won Best Red Wine and Double Gold for their 2008 Marquette, and Double Gold 100% Cold Hardy Grape, White for their La Crescent. Chris Granstrom, Lincoln Peak owner stated, "The ICCWC awards have attracted a lot of attention to our wines. We often get people coming into the winery asking for 'the wine that won the big award.' The competition has been a great way to bring these new wines into the pubic eye." The ICCWC is a result of a feasibility study conducted by the Minnesota Grape Growers Association (MGGA) Board of Directors, and a wonderful partnership between the MGGA, the Minnesota State Fair, and the University of Minnesota (U of M) where several cold hardy wine grapes varieties were developed. Together, these organizations sponsor the "2010 International Cold Climate Wine Competition". The event includes 32 different competition categories, including Riparia, French & American Hybrids, Sparkling, Specialty & Fortified, Non-Grape, and 100% Cold Hardy Grape wines. Careful consideration is given to judging panels that consist of an equal mix of qualified individuals from the wine media, enologists, restaurateurs and distributors/retailers. In addition to Double Gold, Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, ICCWC judges award three Best of Category wines (red, white, specialty/fortified) and the Minnesota Governor's Cup Award. Each entry will consist of 2 bottles regardless of volume. The fee for each entry is $40. For example, a winery entering two wines would send two bottles of each (4 bottles total) at a cost of $80. All entries are to be shipped to the Minnesota State Fair where they will be kept in air-conditioned storage until the competition. Even though the competition focus is on cold hardy varieties, given Minnesota summer weather extremes, entrants are encouraged to ship wines on Monday and Tuesdays to help avoid any potential heat damage from wines sitting in a hot truck or warehouse over a weekend. Detailed information on entry categories, rules, and shipping instructions is available at the competition web site www.iccwc.org. About 2009 ICCWC Fifteen expert judges surveyed over 300 entries from 60 commercial wineries in 16 states. Judges included prominent wine writers, restaurateurs, retailers and wine educators. Four Best of Show, 4 Double Gold, 28 Gold, 60 Silver and 105 Bronze medals were awarded. "Best of Show" awards went to Mac's Creek Winery & Vineyards, Lexington, NE, 2008 Edelweiss for Best White; Lincoln Peak Vineyard and Winery, New Haven, VT, 2008 Marquette for Best Red; and Winehaven Winery and Vineyard, Chisago City, MN, 2007 Slippery Slope White Ice Wine for Best Specialty Wine & Fortified Wine. The 2007 Frontenac Reserve Red Wing Port from Falconer Vineyards and Winery, Red Wing, Minnesota won the coveted "Minnesota Governor's Cup" trophy. Entries were scored based on appearance, aroma and bouquet, taste and texture, aftertaste and overall impression. Judges even shared tips for improvement - a rare bonus for competitors. More information at: www.iccwc.org. About MGGA The Minnesota Grape Growers Association, founded in 1976, with current membership of over 700 in Minnesota, the upper Midwest, eastern USA and Canada, is dedicated to advancing the art and science of growing grapes in cold climates. The Association sponsors education workshops, tours, and tastings of locally produced wines at selected events, and sponsors an annual national Cold Climate Grape & Wine Conference in February. More information at: http://www.mngrapes.org/ About University of Minnesota Wine Grape Breeding Program The University of Minnesota initiated a breeding program for wine grapes in the mid-1980s. In 2000, a state-of-the-art enology lab and research winery was completed. Today, the U of M is recognized as one of the top wine grape programs in the United States. The program’s goal is to develop high quality, cold hardy, and disease resistant wine and table grape cultivars. Varietal introductions include; whites - La Crescent (2002) and Frontenac gris (2003), plus reds - Frontenac (1996), Marquette (2006). More information at: www.grapes.umn.edu About Minnesota State Fair In 2009, almost 1,800,000 people attended the Minnesota State Fair, the largest state fair in the United States in terms of average daily attendance. This year's MN State Fair will be held over 12 days from August 26 through Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2010. More information at: www.mnstatefair.org
Three of fifteen 2009 ICCWC judges evaluated entries. L to R: Kristen Kowalski, Accredited Sommelier, wine writer and co-owner The Wine Market and Sage Market and Wine Bar; Bob Parke, Co-author Northern Winework; and Nicholas Smith, Associate Scientist and winemaker at the University of Minnesota.
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