mission: competition |
Written by Nikitas Magel |
The Tasting Panel Magazine Tour of Double-Gold Winning Wines They stood proudly. Stately, in fact. And for good reason, because these were among the 125 top winning wines from the recent San Francisco International Wine Competition. Directed by The Tasting Panel magazine's Chief Editor, Anthony Dias Blue, this annual competition is touted as the country's largest and most influential of its kind, and is "judged by a prestigious panel of nationally recognized wine experts." Following the event, the Double Gold Award winners go on a multi-city tour, allowing industry professionals the opportunity to taste what was chosen as the best of the competition's more than four thousand entrants. A portion of these top winners were showcased on fully dressed tables in a quiet and intimate dining room of Silks Restaurant in San Francisco's Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It was here that I found myself on the afternoon of the Tour's stop in Northern California, to take part in the special occasion. The 2008 competition, now in its 27th year, was judged in June by a panel of 45 representatives from various areas of the wine industry: retail sales, restaurant service, consultancies, media and public relations. 4,250 wines were submitted by 1,150 wineries in 21 countries — impressive in its own rite. Among these, a total of 2,839 awards were given: bronze, silver, gold, and double gold (the highest of which were bestowed the honor of Best of Show). The Tasting Panel magazine tour provides the top award winners the choice of presenting their wines to the trade in any or all of seven American cities later in the fall: Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, New York, and Washington DC. Thirty-four of the top winning wines were showcased during the San Francisco portion of the tour. Among those, my personal favorites were primarily those that I felt demonstrated good quality-to-price ratio. In a market where the value category is flooded with mediocrity, it's always a pleasure to discover a wine whose quality is solid on its own, but which then becomes truly stellar when taken in the context of its competitive retail price:
And though the following wines are decidedly not value-driven at all, I felt their remarkable quality surpassed expectation even within their premium price category:
All told, The Tasting Panel Tour presented an excellent opportunity for me to sample 'the best of the best' from this year's San Francisco International Wine Competition. But more importantly, the occasion allows for winning producers to use their recognition as leverage for increased awareness of their products in the marketplace, which I'm guessing ultimately translates into wider distribution and increased sales. Only in its second year, my hope is for the Tour to become a regular event following the competition, and all indications are that this will indeed be the case.
My Spiritual deTour
Also featured at the event were some of the top spirits from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In the interest of maintaining a sense of focus — and a modicum of sobriety — I had fully intended to forgo tasting these altogether, to concentrate only on the featured wines. And I almost succeeded with that intention. Out of sheer curiosity, I had ventured into the room down the hall, where the spirits were having their own quiet gathering, to take a gander at what was going on. But just as I turned on my heels to walk out, I was greeted (assertively) by an attractive and stylishly dressed woman who invited me to try the vodka on the table she was standing beside. Before I could politely decline, she added that the Argentine vodka was distilled entirely from Malbec grapes. I stopped in my tracks. Now, being a wine guy, how could I refuse an offer to taste a vodka made from wine grapes, made in a region known for its Malbec wines, no less? Truth be told, in the past I'd tasted what was, at the time, the first grape-based vodka and frankly found it underwhelming. I figured that what was being touted as making the product unique was really just a marketing ploy — something not uncommon among producers competing with each other to make prominent their version of yet another neutral white spirit. But Primo Vodka, as I quickly tasted, is really quite distinct. With very pronounced floral aromas on the nose, the full fruit essence comes through on the palate, and ends with a clean, smooth finish. And though I'm no vodka drinker (to my recollection, it had been at least four years since I'd last tasted vodka) this stuff was nothing short of sublime. To be sure — and at risk of offending someone in either industry — it actually reminded me of fine grappa… in fact, I couldn't help but wonder if that's exactly what it was, simply marketed differently. Semantics aside, Primo made a primo impression on me.
Following the Tour's tasting event in each city is a dinner hosted by Anthony Dias Blue. I took advantage of the unique opportunity to attend the San Francisco dinner, which was hosted instead by Tim McDonald, one of the judges for the Competition. Through several points during the meal, he stood to share some tidbits of history on the wines — some of which were made from unusual varietals — that were perfectly matched with each of the courses:
Whether it was the fabulous wines, the sumptuous fare, or the synergy struck by the exquisite pairing of the two, the dinner punctuated The Tasting Panel Tour with a beautiful finish.
For more information on this, and other events like it, contact The Tasting Panel Magazine's Director of Marketing & Events, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For details on the competition itself, visit the San Francisco International Wine Competition online. |