See the Best of Class winners and Competition news wrapup here.
Read, download or print out the full list of medal winner list here. 

The judges were in a feisty mood yesterday. And that's great news for Michigan wines.

First we decided not to award a Best of Class Sparkling Wine -- a category for which Michigan is nationally known.

Then we cut back on the number of Double Gold medals.

Finally, we gave Best of Class awards to two wines from hybrid grapes at a time when Michigan winemakers are working overtime to establish their credentials in the Vinifera world, and to an Ice Wine that breaks the mold.

Together, these add up to one conclusion: the Michigan Wine Competition is making a commitment to recognize excellence if, when and where it finds it.

We tasted three very good Gold-winning Sparklers, looking for a Best of Class. But none of them seemed on a par with the best from the past, such as last year's Tabor Hill Grand Mark Brut -- a widely-shared view, as comments from several other judges quickly confirmed. What happened next was unprecedented: 80% of the judges voted not to award a trophy, rather than give one to a wine that didn't reach the level they believed Michigan's top Sparkling should represent. That's a tribute to quality standards set over the years by folks like Larry Mawby (L. Mawby) and Adam Satchwell (Shady Lane), who have demonstrated how excellent Michigan sparkling wines can be -- and, as a result, left us unwilling to accept less for the state's top wine prize.

When it comes to medals, I'm an iconoclast. Michigan hands out way too many, especially toward the lower rungs of the ladder. This diminishess both the respect owed to wines that genuinely deserve them, and their value as a marketing tool.

The judges took a baby step in the right direction this year, holding the number of Double Gold medals to eight, down from ten last year -- just 2% of the wines entered. Our judging table handed out just one -- to Mackinaw Trail's Razz Berry, of all things. (If you enjoy dessert-style fruit wine, this one IS that good.) Yes, we minted  an absurd amount of plain Gold this year -- 39 (12%), up from 28 last year. Since we taste every Gold Medal winner for the Best of Class voting, I'll note in passing that a number of these wouldn't have earned my vote for Gold had they been judged at our table.

But we can work on that.

Traminette and Frontenac aren't grape varieties that trip off the tongues of most wine drinkers. One reason is that they're hybrids, developed more for their ability to withstand world-class winters than to make world-class wines.

Many Michigan winemakers believe the key to our fine-wine reputation rests with the better-known, highly-reputed European Vinifera grapes: Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay. They're not wrong; these grapes produce superb wines in excellent vintages like 2005. But -- like Bordeaux and Germany -- we're a marginal weather area for most Vinifera, which means they're not going to make excellent wine every year. And when they don't, a well-done hybrid will trump a mediocre Vinifera every time.

That's where the feisty judges came in. In a year when the majority of dry reds originated in the weaker 2006 vintage, along with a few 2005 late releases, Longview's 2007 Rustic Red, from 100% estate-grown Frontenac, clearly stood out. Yes, it tastes like high-octane Beaujolais. But it's yummy, mouth-filling and perfectly balanced -- an examplar of first-class winemaking getting the most from a grape. And despite some low-key mumbles about the "message" this sent, it was this year's Best of Class. 

This is the third year running that Longview won statewide honors, the previous two for Cab Franc. The team of owner / winemaker Alan Eaker and consulting winemaker Shawn Walters are clearly doing something very right up there in Cedar.

(Side note to Cab Francophiles: watch for the 2007 editions as they trickle to market. Our table sampled three early-bird releases, light versions of what's to come, and awarded one Gold and two Silver medals. The Gold, from little-known Cascade Winery in Grand Rapids, showed off a great nose of black raspberry, anise and still-unintegrated oak, along with a ripe, low-tannin, low-acid palate. It didn't quite beat the Longview for Best of Class -- but it came in second.)

All the above applies equally to St. Julian's Reserve Traminette, a cold-weather offshoot of Gewurztraminer that's finding several strong adherents among Michigan winemakers. The only difference: this spicy, grapefruit-flavored Traminette bested a number of worthy 2007 Semi-Dry Rieslings to earn its Best of Class. Again the judges opted for quality of execution over the temptation to recognize a bigger-name grape.

Finally, what do you do with a Riesling Ice Wine whose winemaker ferments it down to just 6.8% sugar, instead of the more usual 20% or so? If you're Brys Estate, you cleverly call it "Dry Ice" and collect the trophy glass as the the runaway winner for Best of Class Dessert Wine. 

With less than half the residual sugar of any other Dessert contender, this isn't your grandmother's Riesling  syrup. But it proves that the flavor and richness we associate with Ice Wine don't need to be accompanied by sufficient sugar to induce a diabetic coma. Of course, fermenting out all that sugar means there's a whopping 13.9% alcohol, though the wine hides it extremely well. Too bad I can't afford what I vote for; Brys wants a frightening $70 for that small bottle. 

Yesterday's judging leaves me feeling better about Michigan wines than I have for quite a while. Not just because we tasted and recognized some very good juice, but because this year's Competition helped to define who we are, and what we do best, as a winemaking state.

CORRECTION: As Mike correctly notes in a comment, Longview hasn't won "Best Dry Red" three years running. At the 2006 Competition, their 2005 Cabernet Franc got the Judges' Special Award, but the 2005 Brys Pinot Noir won Best of Class.