Plenty of gold in Calaveras County, thanks to San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
Plenty of gold has come back to the Sierra Foothills. In January, the family wineries of Calaveras County held their own in the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. While all medals are well deserved, it’s the Best of Class, Gold and Double Gold awards that really get our attention. Here are some of the best of the best, out of 5,800 wines from North America.
Frog’s Tooth Winery brought home two Gold Medals. Ironstone Vineyards scored four Gold Medals. Milliaire Winery was awarded two Double Golds and one Gold. Villa Vallecito Vineyards was a Best of Class winner, and won three Double Golds and one Gold. Vina Moda scored a Best of Class, three Double Golds and a Gold. Wowza, that’s tons of gold! If you’d like to taste and find out what these winning wines are, just save this special weekend in April.
Calaveras Spring Wine Weekend 2022
Enjoy two days of weekend fun in Calaveras Wine Country, April 23-24. Tickets for one day or two days include a commemorative wineglass, a wristband for special tasting flights at 27 participating tasting rooms and a weekend guide with maps. Witness the early bud break as you explore the vineyards, listen to some live music and taste those Best of Class, Double Gold and Gold winning wines listed above. The event is co-sponsored by the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance and the Calaveras Visitors Bureau. Advance ticketing is required as this event will sell out. For reserve tickets, go to www.calaveraswines.org/spring-wine-weekend-tix.
Best White Wine
The SF Chronicle Sweepstakes Award for Best White Wine went to the Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards 2020 Viognier from Lodi. Seventeen white wines were up for this prestigious award, including Grenache Blanc, Picpoul and Roussanne. These wines were also from Acquiesce. That’s right, Four Best of Class White wines from one winery competing against each other and the other 13. Are you kidding me? Cheers! to winemaker, Susan Tipton and her Sweepstakes Winner, the Acquiesce Winery & Vineyards 2020 Lodi Viognier.
What’s on Our Table
Costco originally had the 2020 Lockwood Vineyard Santa Barbara Pinot Noir listed for $10.99, which is a pretty good deal, but with another $4 off it is even a better. At $6.99 it is a steal. The Mettler Family Vineyards NV Copacetic is a Zinfandel leading red blend that won the Best of Class Award and at $19.99, it’s a super deal. The splurge this week is the 2019 Santa Maria Valley Sierra Madre Vineyard Pinot Noir from CRU Winery. The SRP is $50, perfect for a Sunday dinner and a Gold Medal winner in the SF Chronicle Competition. Cheers to all the winners!
Questions? Comments? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com.