Editor's blog
"No, thanks" to judging?
High-profile New York wine writers Lenn Thompson and Evan Dawson won't judge at future wine competitions, and urge other journalists to follow suit.
The complaints are valid -- but their prescription doesn't work for states like Michigan.
2X Trophy Winner!
"The Ice Wine Everyone Can Afford"
Pssssst! Hey, buddy, wanna buy a genuine trophy-winning Michigan ice wine for just $15? Doug Welsch of Fenn Valley is betting 900 cases on a one-time-only deal he figures you can't resist...
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| Shawn Walters, Hybrids and 2007 Whites Strut Their Stuff at State Competition |
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 BEST OF CLASS: Winemaker Shawn Walters (center), flanked by Longview owner Alan Eaker (left) and Chateau Fontaine's Dan Matthies display their trophies. Winemaker Shawn Walters, hybrid grapes, and 2007 white wines all came up winners at the 2008 Michigan Wine and Spirits Competiton in East Lansing on August 5. Walters had a hand in two Best of Class trophies and eight Gold medal wines for four different wineries. Traminette and Frontenac hybrids snagged the trophies in two classes typically won by European (Vinifera) grapes, while whites from the 2007 vintage took half of all Gold and Double Gold medals awarded.
Judges awarded medals to 73% of the wines entered in the Competiton (254 of 346). These included eight Double Gold (2%) and 39 Gold (11%). Silver accounted for an additional 111 wines (32%) and 96 wines (28%) took Bronze. Leelanau Peninsula's Chateau Fontaine minted the most Gold, with five medals; no other winery took more than three.
 COMING UP ROSES: Spencer Stegenga of Bowers Harbor hoists the Judges' Special Award for his Pinor Noir Rose Two wines from hybrid grapes bested the pack in categories that usually see Vinifera winners. St. Julian took Best Semi-Dry White for its 2007 Braganini Reserve Traminette, a hybrid version of Gewurztraminer. And Longview's 2007 Rustic Red -- made from 100% Frontenac grown on Leelanau Peninsula -- won Best Dry Red. Old Mission's Brys Estate took top prize in the Dessert category for its "Dry Ice" Riesling Ice Wine, so named because the wine's residual sugar content (6.8%) is less than half that of most Ice Wines, while Mackinaw Trail took the Fruit class with its Razz Berry dessert wine.
 SWEET: Winemaker Coenraad Stassen of Bry Estate holds the Best Dessert trophy No trophy was awarded in the Sparkling or Semi-Dry Red classes. Semi-Dry Reds earned no Gold Medals, while judges voted against awarding a Best of Class Sparkling from among the three eligible wines Shawn Walters earned two of his eight Gold and Double Gold medals for his base of operations, Leelanau Peninsula's new Forty-Five North Winery. Wines he made for Chateau Fontaine earned two more, including the Best of Class Dry 2007 White Riesling. Longview, where he's Consulting Winemaker for owner Alan Eaker, grabbed three more Gold, along with the Best of Class Dry Red for their 2007 Rustic Red. Walters took his final Gold for a Michigan Riesling made for California's Jana Winery, owned by Riesling master Scott Harvey. _________________________________________ To keep things running smoothly at the Competition, more than 2000 glasses of wine need to be pre-poured and arrive exactly on time in front of 24 judges at six tables. It's a monumental task that required over a dozen volunteers and staff. Here's a glimpse behind the scenes at some of the people and activities powering the Competition. Scroll your mouse wheel or move the slider to rotate pictures; click thumbnails to enlarge.
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Bill welsch dies
The founder of southwest Michigan's Fenn Valley Vineyards died on August 6 at the age of 83. He purchased the land for Fenn Valley in 1973 and built the winery three years later.
OHIO FERTILIZES vineyardS -- WITH CASH
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KEEP YOUR CANOPY MANAGED!
MSU Extension guy Duke Elsner explains an arcane branch of wine-related knowledge: how to train and prune vines to grow the best grapes
SCOTT HARVEY ON THE RIESLING SCALE
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New posts every Tuesday, sometimes more or less often
So far, Michigan's warm, early-maturing 2010 vintage looks like a winner for red wines -- while California is suffering one of its coolest summers in years.
Two high-profile politicians who carried water for Michigan's wine wholesaler cartel lost big in the primary for Governor. So let's take a trip into fantasyland, where politicians do what's good for the state, rather than their contributors.
KNOW A GOOD BYO? PLEASE SHUT UP!
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Yes, thank you, I believe I WILL try some Michigan Cabernet Franc next to that '86 Cheval Blanc
Mere coincidence that Old Mission's two South African-trained winemakers grabbed all the awards at the Cab Franc Challenge? Maybe not...
WINE WRITING'S ETHICAL THICKET
Why does wine writing tolerate murky ethics and apparent conflicts of interest that wouldn't be acceptable in other areas of journalism? The new AnnArbor.com is the latest media outlet to ignore such concerns.
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