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Source: Ramona Valley Vineyard Association
July 24, 2016 (Ramona) – San Diego County winemakers picked up more medals for outstanding wine at the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association (RVVA) Awards Dinner for the 2016 RVVA Lum Eisenman Wine Competition on June 22.
Held at the San Vicente Resort, the event awarded top entries of red, white, and rosé wines made from grapes grown in San Diego County.
The judges awarded best of show, best of show amateur to:
Best of Show: Highland Valley Vineyards - Syrah
Best of Show Amateur: Julian Winery - Estate Syrah
Fifteen wines received gold medals, including Ramona Ranch, which received 2 Gold, 1 Silver & 2 Bronze.
Gold medals were also awarded to:
- Cactus Star Vineyard at Scaredy Cat Ranch
- Hellenback Ranch
- Hatfield Creek Winery
- Mahogany Mountain Vineyard & Winery
- Espinosa Vineyards & Winery
- Highland Valley Vineyards
- Altipiano Vineyard & Winery
- Domaine Artifact
- San Pasqual Winery
There were many medals given out to both commercial and amateur winemakers for silver and bronze wines.
Jay Bileti, Vice President of the American Wine Society, who was one of the judges, said, “I was surprised and pleased to see so many excellent wines from the relatively unknown wine region of San Diego County. Most of the wines were well-made and won deserved medals. It seems that through trial and error or accumulated knowledge, vintners are figuring the best varieties to grow in the warm San Diego climate. Some of the proven warm viticulture varieties—Tempranillo, Petit Sirah, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Syrah—showed particularly well.”
The Lum Eisenman Wine Competition, chaired by former Ramona Valley Vineyard Association (RVVA) president, Bill Schweitzer, was created to give individual winemakers constructive feedback on their techniques and results and to improve winemaking throughout the Ramona Valley.
Schweitzer commented, “We were pleased to see an increase of entries this year and believe it represents the expansion of outstanding grape growing and winemaking here in San Diego County. I am particularly proud of the representation from our Ramona Valley winemakers.”
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