There's been lots of blowback since the Michigan Wine Competition judges, on a close vote, decided last week not to award a trophy for Best Sparkling Wine -- for the second year running.

Dan Berger

Respected California writer and wine-world Renaissance man Dan Berger dissented loudly and publicly after the judges refused to vote the trophy to the class's lone gold medal winner, 2007 Be Dazzled, from Black Star Farms.

Two days later, Berger remained over-the-top apoplectic. "To not vote for this wine to get a sweepstakes award is a cowardly act," he fumed in his subscription newsletter, Vintage Experiences.

OK, then, I'm a coward. I voted "No". Here's why.

In the Michigan Competition, every gold or double gold medal winner is eligible for its Best of Class trophy. [See comment below for an exception.] When that's four or fewer wines, a new rule this year has judges first vote on whether to award a trophy at all. 

We had just one gold medalist in the Best Sparkling class: Be Dazzled. (There's an interesting irony that I'll get to it in a moment.) We voted -- very closely -- to award no trophy.

Dan Berger calls Be Dazzled "a brilliant example of precise winemaking... it will age." But Black Star Farms' own website says it's "a fun sparkler with fresh, crisp fruit flavors and an off dry finish," and advises us to "enjoy this wine now."

That's much closer to the mark. Be Dazzled is fruity, delicious and well-made. It's also light and simple -- what you'd expect from a $12.50 bottle of bubbly. I'd pour it for friends in a New York second with some cheese and fruit to kick off a casual summer supper.

It's clearly a very good wine -- arguably in gold medal turf -- but well short of "brilliant". And not trophy-worthy.

Now here's the irony. We came within a hairsbreadth of sending a second sparkler into the trophy round. The most divisive wine our four-judge table tasted all day was a semi-dry bubbly that some of us found complex and highly gold-worthy, others thought to be over-the-top with yeast and oak. After a lengthy discussion, we gave it a silver medal. 

Had it made the trophy round, it would have provided a stark contrast with Be Dazzled. I kinda wish we'd had the chance to taste them side-by-side, even though I think it typifies something else that Berger fulminated against: " the 'complexity' ... in a few other Michigan sparklers was related to what I call 'artificial yeastiness' that is a common trait in some wines that are occasionally praised, but which can turn strange with any bottle age."

My guess? He would have hated this one.

Berger rightly points out that every trophy contains a "Send 'em a message" agenda: This winemaker did a great job. Other winemakers should find it a wine worth emulating.

But to the consuming public, there's a third message implicit in a trophy: This wine represents the finest of its type that Michigan is currently able to produce.

In the past, I've tasted several top-tier Michigan sparklers -- from producers like L. Mawby, Black Star Farms, Shady Lane and Tabor Hill.

This year, I didn't taste anything that good. So I voted "No".