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Published by American Wine Society, 2019-12-09 05:38:08

AWS News December

The final AWS News of 2019 with a wrap up of the 2019 conference and more.

Keywords: Randall Grahm

AWS News ISSN 1543-205X

Promoting Appreciation of Wine through Education

Volume 33, No. 6 www.americanwinesociety.org December 2019

In This Issue Award of Merit

Amateur Winemaking Competition 7-8 The winner of the 2019 Award of
Merit is Randall Grahm, the origi-
AWS Educational Foundation 15 nal “Rhone Ranger.” Randall has
been making wine in California
Being the Bridge 3 since the early 1980s. After pur-
chasing property in the Santa
Chapter Events 11-12 Cruz Mountains for Pinot Noir, he
discovered the property was more
Chapter Wine Swap 3 suited for Rhone cultivars. In
1986 he released the initial vin-
Government Affairs 10 tage of Cigare Volant, an homage
to Chateauneuf-du-Pape. He fol-
Member Service News 3 lowed up with numerous Rhone-
style wines from the Bonny Doon
Vineyard. He was an early advocate of screw caps, biodynamic
winemaking and full disclosure on wine labels. He is an experi-
menter with new and different grapes. Randall was elected into
the Vintner Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Rhone Rangers gave
him their first lifetime achievement award.

National Conference Photos 4, 13 Outstanding Member

National Officers 2 The 2019 Outstanding Member
award was given to Jan & Tom
National Tasting Project 5-6 Cobett, long time active mem-
bers of the Cleveland (OH) Chap-
Obituary 3 ter, accomplished amateur wine-
makers and instructors. Tom and
OIB Winemaking Competition 14 Jan are very visible leaders in
their chapter, region and at the
Outstanding RVP & Chapter Chair 3 national level. They serve as
judges, program presenters and
Wine Judge Certification 4 competition coordinators. They co
-chaired the very successful 2000 National Conference in Cleve-
Wines Every Winemaker Should Know 9 land. Jan has served as Regional Vice President, National Secre-
tary, Vice President and President, and is the Chair of Financial
Review. Tom was Chairperson, Amateur Wine Competition for
several years and is now the Government Affairs columnist for
the AWS News.

President’s Message As president, 2019 was a good year for the AWS, as we were
able to roll out many new programs and projects. The two-year
The AWS 52nd annual conference concluded just a few short term of president was introduced to assure sufficient time to
weeks ago and was an amazing event for all who attended. develop, initiate and complete projects. During the past 11
Most impressive was that for nearly 22% of the attendees, it months it has become most apparent to me—it feels that you
was their first conference! The 2019 conference will be a tough can never do enough in a such a short period of time. For the
act to follow for our Conference Chair Diane Meyer and her year 2020, I plan to roll out more operational committees using
committee, along with a plethora of volunteers, when the AWS qualified AWS members. This will remove some of the work
descends on Bellevue, Washington, next year. burden from Board members and allow them to oversee, col-
laborate and share ideas with committee members.
Through the generosity of many sponsors, attending members
were able to New committees we are looking to introduce in 2020 include
taste a pot- Strategic Planning, Membership, Finance and Audit, Succession
pourri of fa- Planning, and Governance. If you have expe-
miliar and new rience in any of these fields and are willing to
wines. The devote some time, I implore you to email
highlight at me.
the gala was a
pre-release On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank
2015 Alma de you for being a member of the American
Luzón, provid- Wine Society. We wish you all the best of
ed by Bodegas health and prosperity in the new year!
Luzon, making
American Wine Society members the first in North America to Joe Broski
taste this fine wine! A bottle of the Luzon is shown at the far
right in the above. [email protected]

AWS National Of ice National Officers

P. O. 889 Mike Wangbickler to Become Vice President
Scranton, PA 18501
On September 16, AWS Vice President JoAnn DeGaglia notified
Phone (888) AWS-9070 the Board of Directors that she would resign on December 31.
Fax (888) 297-9070 Article V, Section 4 of the Bylaws empowers the President to
appoint an active member to fill the vacancy, subject to confir-
(570) 344-4825 mation by the general membership at the next annual elec-
tion. Going one step further, I issued a call to our members,
David Falchek Executive Director via email, soliciting candidates interested in serving on the
[email protected] Board.

Katie Kearney Member Services Manager As a result, communication was received from more than
[email protected] twenty members and nine letters of interest were received.
The nine letters were sent to all Board members and they
Website www.americanwinesociety.org were asked to rank their top five. Using two different methods
of ranking, the same four finalists were determined. A com-
2019 AWS National Of icers mittee (quorum) of four Board members convened on October
14 and conducted telephone interviews of the four finalists.
President Joe Broski
JoAnn DeGaglia In the end, Michael Wangbickler was
Vice President Leanne Wheeler selected to be appointed as Vice
Tom Wallman President on January 1. His confirma-
Secretary tion vote will take place in the sum-
Rex Bambling mer election.
Treasurer Aaron Mandel
Jay Bileti Many of you know Mike as a regular
Directors at Large presenter and supporter of the AWS.
Competitions As the President of Balzac Communi-
Education cations, he brings organizational,
Membership business and leadership skills to the
AWS. Also helpful, Mike is passionate
AWS News Staff about and well-versed in wine. His
willingness to come forward and lead
Pam Davey Editor—[email protected] the AWS is a testament to his character.

David Falchek Publisher Rex Bambling Elected Director of Competitions
[email protected]
Our dedicated Director of
Adrienne Turner [email protected] Competitions, Joe Daut-
lick, notified the Board of
Tom Cobett [email protected] his intent to retire on June
5 after five-and-a-half
Sharyn Kervyn [email protected] years of service and rec-
ommended that Rex Bam-
Kevin Kourofsky [email protected] bling serve as his replace-
ment. President Joe
Bonnie Lance [email protected] Broski accepted this no-
tice with regret and ap-
Diane Meyer [email protected] pointed Rex to fulfill the
unexpired term until December 31, 2019. Last fall, Rex ran
We welcome your comments, unopposed for the Director’s position, a three-year term that
suggestions and letters. ends on December 31, 2022.

Pam Davey, Editor Working with Joe Dautlick, Rex was instrumental in creating
[email protected] changes implemented over the past five years to improve clar-
ity of operation, accuracy of data management, and efficiency
Cruise from Monte Carlo to Venice in operation. Because of this, the competitions team is cur-
on the Crystal Serenity rently operating at about 50% of the back-room staff used at
May 3-10, 2020 previous competitions. The accuracy, efficiency and ease of
registration has significantly improved using an on-line regis-
Join host Paul Wagner and your AWS friends for a tration system. Welcome aboard Rex!
week of fabulous wine, food and cruising. Go to the
Joe Broski
AWS website for more information.
[email protected]
AWS News December 2019
AWS Logowear

www.logosoftwear.com/shops/AWS

We have a broad selection of jack-
ets, polo shirts, caps, fleece,
sweats, warm-ups, sweaters and t-
shirts from suppliers like Adidas,
Columbia, Hanes, Puma, Eddie
Bower and Champion.

Page 2

Chapter Wine Swap Being the Bridge

Because of the three-tier distribution system, our members’ Selfies with Award of Merit recipient Ran-
wine choices from local retailers are limited by distributors dall Grahm, AWS friend Joel Peterson or
and state rules. The wines from smaller, less well- scores of other wine representatives and
distributed wine regions are largely unavailable in most luminaries at the 52nd AWS National Con-
markets. What if we were able to leverage the AWS family ference are fun to snap and share.
to allow any chapter to conduct a tasting of top wines from
smaller wine producing areas? But they stand as perhaps the best exam-
ple of an important AWS role. The Ameri-
Well we can! This year we are introducing an exciting new can Wine Society’s purpose is promoting
program called Chapter Wine Swap, which allows members appreciation of wine through education.
to “swap” wines with members in other states and enjoy a One way we accomplish this is by bringing
chapter event with some interesting wines from a region wine producers and wine consumers to-
otherwise unavailable. Have you heard about the great gether, unmediated by media or retailers.
wines of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona? Do a chapter
swap and check them out. And the best part is that your That personal connection is most evident at the national con-
AWS family member in the other state knows the best ference, where winemakers and wine lovers interact, often
wines! standing shoulder to shoulder.

There are a few logistics associated with When receiving his Outstanding Member award in 2011, David
shipping the wines legally, but we have Barber recalled a “chore” he was assigned at 1980 confer-
it figured out. Check with your RVP for ence—picking up Robert Mondavi at the airport. Several mem-
details. You could also treat this like the bers remember (with some sadness) sharing cigars with Kent
NTP, sending your scoring sheets to the Rosenblum. Other may recall the pre-conference winery tour
other state. Or do a cultural exchange, with Peter Mondavi, Jr. or dancing after-hours with vintners
sending the other chapter something from Italy and Spain. Some of us rode the elevator with Mike
unique from your state. Grgich. Others had breakfast with Gina Gallo.

Does this sound like fun or what? The AWS brings producers and consumers together in other
ways. The national office helped coordinate local chapter visits
Jay Bileti from Riedel, Tenuta Torciano and Wines of Illyria. We encour-
age chapters to reach out to vintners and conduct Skype tast-
[email protected] ings. We offer the National Tasting Project, CRU 100, educa-
tional tastings, and more.
Outstanding Regional Vice President
The wine industry values the AWS’s ability to deliver devoted
After many years of dedicated and interested wine drinkers. Friends in restaurant or wine
service to the AWS, Barry St. retailing, trying to fill a room for a visiting vintner, sometimes
Pierre w as named Outstand- have to frantically call acquaintances and relatives to achieve
ing RVP for 2019 at the St. Pete sufficient attendance. The AWS does that work for the indus-
Beach Conference. Barry is a try, able to deliver the most curious, most enthusiastic wine
winemaker and shares his con- consumers.
siderable expertise with all wine-
makers in his region. He has As Joel Peterson said in our AWS conference
been a valuable resource for all promotional video “Where else you can you get
the chapters in his region and we all these great people gathered to talk to? It’s
appreciate his service to the hard to find a group like this.”
AWS. Congratulations Barry!
Not that hard, once the industry knows where
Outstanding Chapter Chair to look.

David Falchek

[email protected]

Dennis Hall, from southern Ohio, Member Service News
was named Chapter Chairperson of the
year at the Conference. Dennis has What a great year we’ve had at the American Wine Society.
been a strong proponent of the AWS for As of November 14, we have 7,156 members. We had twen-
decades and done a terrific job of lead- ty people reach out about starting new chapters and several
ing the large, healthy Dayton chapter. of those have come to fruition. Some of those are The Chica-
Congratulations Dennis! go Suburbs, Boom Town Ballers (TX), Princeton (M A),
Skyline Uncorked (VA), Saratoga Cellar Dwellers (N Y )
Obituary and North Central Connecticut. And we had a Conference ON
THE BEACH. As we look forward to next year, we are hoping
James G. May, age 68, of Worthington, OH, passed to continue to grow across all parts of AWS. As you know,
now is a great time of year to ask friends to join. New mem-
away peacefully on September 25, 2019. He was born Janu- bers will join for all of 2020 and get the rest of
ary 9, 1951, in Lakewood, OH. He graduated from The Ohio 2019 for free.
State University and received an MBA from Capitol Universi-
ty. Jim was proud to be a CPA and retired from DLZ Corp. I hope that you are enjoying being an AWS
after 25 years of service. Jim volunteered and served on member. If there is ever anything you need,
several community and professional boards including The please reach out to me. Also, check out our
Ohio Society of CPA's and FEI. He enjoyed a long bike ride social media sites and see what we are up to.
and a good glass of wine, especially, with friends. Jim will be We hope that you have a Happy Holiday sea-
missed by his wife of 40 years, Mary Steed May, four sisters son. Thank you for your membership. Cheers
and extended family. Jim was a member of the Columbus, to Year 53!
OH AWS Chapter.
Katie Kearney
AWS News December 2019
[email protected]

Page 3

Wine Judge Certification National Conference Photos

We have completed another year in the Wine Judge Certifica- About 600 people attended our 2019
tion Program (WJCP). Once again, we had a great year. We conference in St. Pete Beach, FL. It
graduated eight new wine judges and four wine judge gradu- was a wonderful venue and we all
ates have recertified for another five years. We will be com- had a great time learning about wine
mencing preparations for the 2020 class year soon and antici- varietals and regions, enjoying deli-
pate starting our teleconferences in late January. cious food, talking with old and new
friends and being outside. Thanks to
Congratulations to the new judges who completed the course Diane Meyer and her committee and
this year and are now free of the need for teleconferences and thanks to our sponsors!
fault testing for another five years. We expect they will contin-
ue to remain active with the AWS and with the program for
years to come.

Gerald Gibson Dave Sienknecht
Terry O’Connor Bill Stefan
Keith Rolle Michael Stacey
Dennis Rosa Karen Taylor

Beach Party Welcome Reception
Presented by Rhone Rangers

We also had four wine judge graduates recertify this year. As

has been expressed many times, the people who graduate

from the program will always be wine judge graduates. How-

ever, the AWS decided to require recertification every five

years for those who wish to be recommended by the Society

for competitions. Recertification is completed by passing the

same final examination that is taken by students in the pro-

gram. This year, we congratulate

Rege Duralia Kristen Lindelow

Bill Fish Arlene Mole

The WJCP anticipates putting on another spring class for Year Sunset Dinner Cruise Amateur Wine Competi-
One this year. As with last year, the class will take a full day. tion wards
The cost of the spring program is higher, as we have to get
space for the class and bring in the instructors. But it is a won-
derful opportunity to cut time off of the program by taking the
first year in the spring and the second year that November at
the conference. The exact date has not yet been selected. An-
yone interested in taking the spring class should contact the
program coordinator. There is a great deal of work to be done,
so do not delay.

Those not wishing to take the class in the spring, but wanting Presidential Reception—European Garnacha/Grenache
to enter the program in November, should also contact the
program coordinator soon. The class has been sold out in
years past, so waiting until conference registration is usually
waiting too long. As set forth above, teleconferences will com-
mence in January and students will want to purchase the wines
for the program and commence their studies. While attending
the teleconferences is not required, it is highly recommended.
Students have indicated they are very helpful in learning to
judge wines.

We would be remiss if we failed to thank the instructors in the Cont. on Page 13
program for
their hard work Page 4
this year. They
put forth a
great deal of
effort and time
to make the
classes possi-
ble. Their dedi-
cation is greatly appreciated.

Carole Hackett

AWS News December 2019

2019 National Tasting Project • The top white was 2017 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc. It

was the least costly wine in the tasting.

• Based on overall averages, the wines scored 1 Gold, 10

The National Tasting Project Silver and 1 Bronze. Every wine earned a medal.

(NTP) gives AWS chapters across This effectively concludes a successful calibration amongst
the U.S. the opportunity to sam- our members, having a less than 1 point spread between the
ple the same group of wines in a judges and the group average for all but one wine. This rep-
blind tasting in an effort to cali- resents a big improvement over last year.
brate our palates. This year 64

chapters, representing 1424 The following table shows the average scores for the partici-

tasters across the country partic- pants and the graduate wine judges. The last two columns
ipated in the NTP. This year saw show the percentage of the chapters that tasted a particular
an increase in the number of
wine and rated it as the favorite or in the top 3 wines. First
chapters participating by 6 chap- and second place winners are highlighted.
ters, and 100 more tasters than last year. The wines overall

were very well received. The cabernets scored higher than the Thank you to all the groups who participated and submitted

other types of wine. results.

Sharyn KervynEach participating chapter selected from twelve wines, tasting
as many as they wish from the selection. The wines were [email protected]

tasted blind and scored on the AWS 20-point scale. The re-

sults show that:

• The top scoring wines were 2014 Hoopes Cab and 2014 Thank you for your
support!
Pellet Cab. They were the most expensive wines and
were tasted by about a third of the chapters.

• Close behind were Mount Veeder and Summers Estate

Cab. The Mount Veeder was widely tasted.

No. Wine Tasters Cost Overall Wine Favorite In Top 3
Average Judge Wine Wines
1 2017 St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc 1271 $18 Average
2 2016 Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc 1184 $24 Score Score (percent of (percent of
chapters) chapters)
15.8 16.4
13% 43%
14.4 15.1
0% 2%

3 2017 Stags’ Leap Viognier 1206 $30 15.1 15.2 0% 8%

4 2017 Hagafen Chardonnay 432 $26 15.2 14.9 0% 17%

5 2017 Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir 1201 $26 15.4 16.1 0% 23%

6 2015 Stags’ Leap Petite Sirah 926 $36 15.9 16.1 12% 43%

7 2014 Green & Red Zinfandel 704 $29 15.9 16.3 3% 48%

8 2015 Whitehall Lane Tre Leoni 1278 $29 15.9 16.1 9% 48%

9 2014 Summers Estate Cab. Sauvignon 424 $30 16.5 16.2 13% 63%

10 2015/2016 Mount Veeder Cab. Sauv. 1202 $44 16.5 16.6 43% 82%

11 2014 Hoopes Cabernet Sauvignon 458 $59 16.7 16.7 50% 71%

12 2014 Pellet Cabernet Sauvignon 311 $80 17.0 16.9 50% 72%

2020 National Tasting Project

NEXT UP: The 2020 National Tasting Project will feature wines from Ste. Michelle
Wine Estates Washington Portfolio! P ackets w ill be dispersed to Chapter
Chairs in January. Plan now to see who in your chapter will host the NTP for 2020.

Thanks for your support!

AWS News December 2019 Page 5

2019 National Tasting Project - Terroir of Napa Valley

2017 St. 2016 Rob- 2017 2017 Ha- 2017 Rob- 2015 2014 Green 2015 2014 2015/2016 2014 2014
Supery ert Mondavi Stags' gafen ert Mon- Stags' Leap & Red Zin- Whitehall Summers Mount Veeder Hoopes Pellet
Sauv. Fume Blanc Leap Viog- davi Pinot Lane Tre Cab.
Blanc Chardon- Petite Si- fandel Cab. Cab. Sauv. Cab. Sauv.
nier nay Noir rah Leoni Sauv. Sauv. 15.0

AOC East Bay CA 12.3 11.7 13.2 14.0 13.5 13.0 14.8 14.3 14.3 14.9 15.6 17.0

Beaver County PA 15.3 11.1 13.4 14.9 15.0 17.0 15.0
16.8
Bill Tuller SC 14.6 12.3 13.7 14.7 15.0 16.7 15.9 16.2
18.7
Bridgeport/Fairfield/NH 14.9 14.8 15.6 17.6 15.7 18.8 18.3

Bucks County/Philly 16.2 14.2 14.3 15.6 16.4 17.9 17.8

Carroll County MD 15.7 13.4 15.0 16.3 15.4 16.1 16.2 17.0 16.1
16.8
Catalina Foothills AZ 14.0 14.0 16.3 16.4 17.0 17.3 18.0
17.8
Catawba NC 14.8 14.9 14.4 15.7 16.2 15.8 14.9 16.2
16.4
Cleveland OH 15.5 14.0 14.8 15.1 16.3 15.9 16.7 18.4
15.6
Columbus OH 12.2 14.7 14.5 13.9 15.0 15.0 18.6
16.1
Cork n'Fork VA 14.9 15.0 13.7 15.4 15.5 16.3 15.7
17.2
Electric City PA 16.3 15.2 16.1 16.2 15.4 16.9

Emerald Coast FL 15.6 15.3 15.2 15.3 16.5 16.9 17.6

Fifty Shades of Grapes 17.4 15.9 16.0 16.4 17.1 17.1

Finger Lakes NY 15.0 12.7 13.9 13.8 13.4 14.3

Fleur de Lis KY 16.3 16.0 16.1 14.8 13.6 15.1

Garden City, GA 13.7 13.0 13.8 14.9 15.2 16.8 14.0 14.1 15.9 16.7 15.0

Golden CO 16.3 13.8 15.7 15.4 17.2 15.8 16.9 16.4 16.2 16.1 17.5

Greater Pittston PA 16.1 14.1 15.2 14.8 16.3 16.6

Hammonton NJ 17.7 15.6 17.4 18.3 16.7 17.1 18.6

Hartford CT 16.6 15.0 15.8 17.2 17.3 18.1 18.3

Heritage Hunt VA 16.0 13.9 15.3 15.9 15.5 15.3 15.1 16.9

Hudson MA 15.2 14.7 15.0 15.4 15.2 15.8 15.6 16.5

Indian Valley PA 15.2 15.7 14.9 15.3 16.9 18.4

Jean-Jacques Dufour 17.3 15.6 16.7 16.7 18.4 17.9

John Marshall VA 15.8 14.3 15.1 16.1 15.3 16.3 16.0

Kalamazoo Tasters Gld 15.7 14.6 15.0 15.2 16.6 16.0

Keuka NY 16.5 13.5 13.4 16.5 15.5 17.1

King George VA 15.4 12.9 13.8 14.4 14.6 14.4 14.9

Lake Hickory NC 16.5 15.3 17.2 17.1 15.8 17.5 16.1

Laurel Highlands PA 17.6 15.3 17.2 17.2 17.2 17.8

Lone Star TX 16.6 16.6 15.7 16.9 17.8 18.5

Meadow Run Mtn, Lake 17.5 14.3 15.7 16.2 16.1 17.3 16.7 17.3 16.7 16.4 16.8

Mesilla Valley NM 16.2 15.2 15.8 14.9 16.2 16.2

North Central CT 16.1 15.0 16.8 15.8 16.4 16.1 16.4 17.0

Northampton PA 16.7 14.2 16.1 16.5 15.3 16.8 17.9

N. Louden County VA 16.7 15.4 15.9 13.5 16.4 16.9 15.8 17.1

Northern Virginia VA 14.3 13.7 14.5 12.7 14.0 14.7 15.1 15.2

Ocean Isle Beach NC 15.5 14.2 15.4 15.5 16.4 16.4 17.6

Omaha NE 13.9 14.4 15.8 16.4 16.5

Perkiomen Valley PA 16.5 15.3 16.3 15.6 16.4 16.8

Philadelphia PA 14.7 12.1 15.1 16.0 14.8 15.0

Phoenix AZ 14.9 14.5 14.6 17.0 15.9 16.7

Pioneer Vly Wmakers 16.2 12.8 15.1 14.5 15.8 15.6 16.2 13.7 16.5 16.6 15.9

Pittsburgh East PA 16.0 15.5 15.4 16.0 16.3 16.2 16.4 16.5

Princeton NJ 16.0 14.7 14.7 16.0 13.6 13.5 14.8 15.4 15.6 15.1 15.8

Puget Sound WA 16.5 16.5 15.8 15.7 14.9 16.3 16.7 15.7 16.4 16.6 18.1

Raritan Valley NJ 16.5 16.3 17.0 17.1 16.8 17.9

Rehobeth Beach DE 15.3 14.2 16.6 15.4 14.8

Rhode Island RI 16.2 13.8 14.6 15.1 15.3 15.2 16.0 15.8

Rio Vinos NM 16.1 14.4 16.3 14.6 16.4 17.7

Rochester NY 16.1 14.1 15.3 16.0 17.1 17.0

San Diego CA 14.7 14.4 12.8 13.8 15.0 16.6

Smoky Mountain TN 14.8 15.1 15.2 16.9 17.7

Sonoita AZ 14.1 12.4 14.0 14.6 15.7 17.1

Springfield OH 15.1 13.4 13.5 14.7 14.0 14.2 15.1 15.4 15.9 15.4 15.3

St. Louis/Gateway 16.2 14.7 16.1 16.1 16.4 17.2 17.9 17.9

Tippie Tasters IN 16.2 15.5 15.8 16.3 15.8 16.7 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.6

Triangle NC 14.7 14.9 16.5 16.1 16.6 16.7

Tupelo Blue Hawaii MS 15.7 15.4 12.9 15.0 17.4 16.6

Uncorked VA 14.9 13.6 15.1 14.2 14.8

Walt Whitman NJ 15.4 14.9 15.0 15.6 15.4 16.2 17.0 17.9 17.4 16.4 18.0

Wine Lovers N 16.7 14.3 14.4 14.9 15.8 16.6

Worchester MA 15.4 14.2 14.5 14.6 14.5 16.0 15.7 16.9

2019 Amateur Wine Competition

This year, 385 wines were entered into the Amateur Wine Competition, hosted by the American Wine Society. We had a team
of 24 certified wine judges evaluate the wines and award medals to 309 of the wines.

Below is a list of the Best-in-Category wines. To see the full list of the award-winning wines, please go to the AWS Competi-
tions website (www.awscompetitions.com).

Thanks to the judges and to the dedicated volunteers who organized, opened, poured and delivered the wines to the judges.
And the biggest thank you goes to our 100 winemakers—thank you for allowing us to taste your won-
derful wines!

If you would like to help out next year with the competition, please contact Vince Williams
([email protected]). We’re always looking for individuals who would like to become
more involved in our competitions.

Vincent Williams

Chair, Amateur Wine Competition
[email protected]

Category Wine Winemaker

Best in Show 2018 Traminette / Aromella Lamont Beers
Best Vinifera 2017 Muscat Ottonel / Riesling Lamont Beers
Best Hybrid 2018 Traminette / Aromella Lamont Beers
Best Native 2018 Catawba Lamont Beers
Best Rosé Non-Vintage Taris Nedra & Bill Outlaw
Best Fruit Wine 2018 Black Currant Marion Krauss
Best Dessert Wine 2018 Catawba / Vignoles Lamont Beers
Best Sparkling 2018 Sparkling Diamond Fourway Roberto Erb
Best Estate Wine 2018 Black Currant Marion Krauss
Best Kit Wine 2019 Cranberry Dessert Mark Stephens
Best Label 2010 Island Artist Plum Wine David Engstrom

AWS News December 2019 Page 7

2019 Amateur Wine Competition—Medal Winners

Name Double Gold Silver Bronze Name Double Gold Silver Bronze
Gold Gold
George Agnew 1
Maria Arlint 1 1 Martin Nielson 1 3

Frank Norris 1 5

Kurt Arnold 1 Ben Ogle 1

Gary Atchison 2 Mark Orthner 1
Lamont Beers 7 32
Stephen Brunkhorst Nedra & Bill Outlaw 21
12
Francis Pare 1

Larry Buell 1 Jateen Patel 13
Pamela Burt
John Caiola 1 Timothy Post 1
1
Larry Prendergast 1

Luke Capotosto & Barbara M. 14 5 Phillip Rahn 12

Frank Carson 14 1 Jason Razzo 12
Richard Coleman 1
Barry Remington 1

Walter Collier 1 Ryan Robinson 11
Clifford Curtis 1
Joseph Rocha 2

Rick Cusker 15 Edward Rollins 1 41

Robert DiDonato 1 Russell Ruffino 1
Bud DiMaggio 1
James Russo 1

Kevin Dooley 1 Mel Schlacter 4

David Engstrom 11 Arnie Schloemann 1
Roberto Erb 1
Alan Schnarr 1 1

Joseph Fiola 12 4 Peter Schroeder 11

Jeffrey & Donna L. Fisher 64 Jason Schultz 11 1
David Fleming 1
Paul Gee 4 Robert & Tamara Schuster 2

Matthew Schwartz 23

Chuck Gower & Cheryl D. 35 Dean Scott 2
Gordon Gribble 56
James Shaw 1

Pete Gruber 23 Dave Sienknecht 11

Albert Guber Jr. 11 2 Stan Sowinski 1
James Harding 1
Jim Sperk 12

James Harvey & Ted Mack 11 Cindy Sproehnle 1

Samantha Hunter 2 1 Jack Sproehnle 11
Joseph Knizeski 2
Sissy & Barry St. Pierre 21

John Koempel 1 45 Michael & Leann Stacey 1 11

Marion Krauss 3 28 1 William Stefan 43
Sam Lee 1 2
Andrew Lewis Mark Stephens 4
1
Edward Stopper 1 42

Timothy LuCarelli 11 Greg Stricker 23
Ted Mack 22
Marc Tonnacliff 1

Thomas Marko 1 Tim Traxler 1 24 5

Ken Milio 1 Frank Trolio 1
Scott Montgomery 32
James Vakos 3

Timothy Morse 1 Timothy Valdez 1 32

Liza Munion 11 Jeffrey Webb 21
Michael Nall 23
Michael Westman 12 4

Joseph Nardelli 1 Richard Wowk 11 2

Chris Nelson 1 William Yenkevich 21
Donnie & Betty Nettles 22
Congratulations winemakers!

AWS News December 2019 Page 8

12 Wines Every Winemaker place. It’s often called the “little Riesling” of the Loire. Holly
recommends you try a Brut Loire sparkler.

Should Know Riesling

Holly Howell Makes Her Case “Riesling. Really Holly?” I thought. How could Riesling be a
misunderstood wine? Being from the Finger Lakes region of
Clive Coates, that maven of all wines French, especially Bur- New York, I know that Riesling isn’t just a sweet, grapey wine
gundy, once observed that at one time there were many Bur- from a box. Perhaps people from other areas simply remem-
gundian winemakers who would taste their own wines, and ber Blue Nun. That “sweet wine” concept also puts Riesling
maybe their neighbor’s wines, but wouldn’t taste much further into the wines you may not know. It is hard to get over an
than their region. These winemakers were insular; they were early “Blue Nun” experience—sweet and cheap.
in a “winebox.” If that was true then, it is certainly not true
now. A new generation of Burgundian winemakers has pushed Riesling is one of the world’s great grapes, making incredible
winemaking to dizzying heights and, unfortunately for us, wine. Germany produces many dry, off-dry, sweet and beauti-
their wine prices have followed. fully unctuous ice wines, as do New York and Canada. Austral-
ia, believe it or not, makes wonderful, very dry Riesling. So do
The Italians too were once in a winebox, but this was a result Austria and Alsace. If you like crisp citrus and lime flavors,
of antiquated and stultifying wine laws. These Italian wine- then try Riesling dry and, if you like a little more sweetness,
makers, especially in Tuscany, tasted and were familiar with try a wine from the Mosel region. You may realize you don’t
the many fine wines of the world and knew Italy would not really know Riesling.
keep its place in the wine world if they couldn’t break out of
this legal box. As Italians will, they turned these wine laws on WHITE WINES YOU SHOULD DISCOVER
their head and produced some of the finest and most expen-
sive wines from one of the lowest “legal” quality levels. Thus Assyrtiko
the “Super Tuscan” was born.
Holly was only joking (I think) when she said that she chose
Amateur winemakers can also fall into the trap of making the this wine because it’s fun to say (As-sir-tea-ko). I’ve seen it
same wines the same way again and again, without examining spelled differently in my wine resource guides. It is a crisp,
a similar or contrasting expression of that varietal. As Holly mineral-driven grape once only grown on Santorini in the Gre-
Howell asked: “How can you judge a wine if you don’t know cian Ionian sea. Holly compares it to Sauvignon Blanc, but
what surrounds it?” To Holly, a good winemaker must have a “even more complex. It’s a wine that will take you to a world
broad spectrum of wine experience and a deep appreciation of far away!”
the many expressions of the world’s wine varietals to be able
to make a good and better wine. Grűner Veltliner

I turned to Holly to discuss this conundrum of the “winebox” Native to Austria, but now also grown in the Finger Lakes, it’s
as she is the perfect person to ask a wine Holly describes, quoting her favorite wine writer Karen
for vinous advice. Holly has worked MacNeil (Wine Bible) as a “…fresh peach dipped in vanilla and
in just about every aspect of the sprinkled with white pepper.” How could you not try it after
wine world—she is a wine scholar, a that description? It’s a crisp wine that matches with difficult
Certified Sommelier of the Master vegetables like asparagus and artichokes.
Court of London and a Certified
Specialist in Wine (CSW) with the Godello
Society of Wine Educators. Holly is
also a wine writer and most of all a “It’s its own baby,” Holly says, “the world is waiting for Godel-
wine educator. Her knowledge of lo.” Godello is a wine from the Galicia region of Spain, and
wine is profound and her enthusi- especially Bierzo. (Also, it’s fun to say Bee-err-zo). It’s often
asm for wine education unbounded. compared to White Burgundy, but Holly thinks it’s more re-
freshing with apple, citrus and pear flavors.

RED WINES YOU THINK YOU KNOW BUT MAY NOT

I asked Holly to identify twelve wines, six red and six white, Zinfandel
that every winemaker should understand. She turned that on
its head giving me six varietals “you think you know” and six Zin was Holly’s first choice for wines that are misunderstood.
varietals “you should discover.” “Extreme .. Over-Extracted .. Jammy Bomb.” These are the
most common descriptions of Zinfandel. It’s easy to be turned
WHITE WINES YOU THINK YOU KNOW BUT MAY NOT off by such descriptors, but Holly suggests seeking out the
more gentle, expressive side of Zinfandel. Look for lower alco-
Chardonnay hol Zins, at about 13.5% abv. Try its cousin Primitivo from
Puglia, Italy. You may be surprised.
“I rarely drink Chardonnay,” Holly told me, “then I have a
glass of white Burgundy and fall in love with Chardonnay Syrah
again.” We’ve been conditioned by ubiquitous California Char-
donnay to believe that all Chardonnays are big, oaky, vanilla Everyone knows Syrah, right? Like Zinfandel, Holly believes
cream bombs. But Chardonnay is very versatile. Holly com- that Syrah suffers from the “fruit bomb syndrome.” Not all
pared it to chicken. There are so many ways to prepare chick- Syrahs (also known as Shiraz in Australia) are huge, though
en: Roasted, grilled, in a red sauce, or a cream sauce, all with most are full-bodied. European, especially Northern Rhone,
different flavors. So too with Chardonnay. Syrah is a different animal. Look for aromas of blackberry,
lavender and anise. Most interesting is the meaty, violet side
If you don’t like Chardonnay in the buttery California style, try of Syrah.
going to the other end of the scale with a crisp, unoaked, cit-
rusy French Macon, or a compromise between the two with a Gamay
New York or Oregon Chardonnay, with apple and pear flavors
in a glass. Holly believes that people are overlooking Gamay. Perhaps
this is due to the phenomenon of Beaujolais Nouveau, with its
Chenin Blanc fruity, bubble gum and banana flavors. She feels that good
Gamay expresses itself like a Pinot Noir, especially in the
“Under the radar” is Holly’s description of Chenin Blanc (also “Cru” villages. And it’s a great value. Holly’s equation is:
known as Steen in South Africa). Most people think of this
grape as only a sweet wine and write it off without realizing Cru = Cerebral ... Nouveau = Fun.
that there are many styles of Chenin, each an expression of its
Cont. on Page 14

AWS News December 2019 Page 9

Government Affairs party centers, athletic events and every place where the al-
cohol is sold for consumption on site. This is moving so fast
through state committees that is likely to pass fairly soon.

CDC Report on Alcohol Costs China/Pennsylvania/California

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), operating as part of California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) inspec-
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, would tors have reported finding dead Spotted Lanternflies (SLF)
like to see a reduction in the consumption of alcohol in the this year on cargo planes arriving at airports in Sacramento,
U.S. They believe that excessive drinking costs the U.S. about Stockton and Ontario. The flights originated from an airport
$250 billion per year. They say that Binge Drinking causes in Allentown in Lehigh County, one of 14 Pennsylvania coun-
77% of those losses. ties infested and under quarantine for the spotted lanternfly.

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/data-stats.htm#economicCosts The SLF is native to China, India and Vietnam, and is known
to affect many plant species, including grape, stone fruits and
The CDC would like to deter excessive drinking and has sug- nut crops. It damages plants and vines by feeding on sap and
gested that our Federal and State Governments do the follow- weakening the plant. Even though the SLF does not feed di-
ing: rectly on the grapes, they leave behind an excrement that
promotes mold growth on grape vines. SLF was first reported
• Increase the cost of alcohol by increasing Excise and Sin in the U.S. in Berks County, PA, in 2014. It is suspected to
have arrived from China in a shipment of decorative building
Taxes stone infested with SLF eggs.

• Reduce the number of retail alcohol sales outlets in any To date, it has caused the most damage in the U.S. in Penn-
sylvania. Also under quarantine for SLF infestations are New
given area Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia; and it has been
detected in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Alt-
• Reduce the days and hours of alcohol retail sales hough not currently a problem in California, the CDFA recom-
mended designating the SLF as a pest of wine grapes.
• Hold alcohol retailers liable for damages caused by illegal
CDFA earlier this year provided research funding to the Uni-
sales to minors or intoxicated patrons (see the note be- versity of California to investigate SLF biocontrol options such
low about California requiring that anyone who serves as a predatory wasp native to China. The USDA National In-
alcohol must be trained and certified) stitute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $7.3 million
grant to Penn State University to support an interdisciplinary,
• Maintain government control of all alcoholic beverage multi-institutional 37-member team of researchers working
to learn more about SLF and to develop strategies for the
sales (no privatization) long-term management of the insect. The USDA grant is be-
ing matched by growers and landowners who have agreed to
According to CDC publications, they would consider nearly participate with the researchers and allow them to use their
everyone who attended the recent AWS National Conference, farms for the SLF project.
in St. Pete Beach, FL, to be a Binge Drinker (a man who con-
sumes more than 5 servings on the same occasion or a wom- Chicago, IL
an more than 4). But ... I can’t recall seeing any of the 600
plus conference attendees behaving badly or breaking any
laws.

As this new era of trying to control the abuse of alcoholic bev-
erages winds its way through each state, you must remember
one thing—Don’t be an alcohol abuser. Do w hatever you
can to prevent your fiends from becoming alcohol abusers.

Washington, D.C. Aldermen have cleared the way for liquor stores with over
5,000 square feet to start selling beer, wine and hard liquor
(Reuters) The Trump administration slapped 25% tariffs on at 8 AM. This means that about 75 more Chicago supermar-
French, Spanish and German table wines below 14% alcohol. kets can start selling liquor at 8 AM. Chicago city code cur-
However, wines above 14% will not be charged a tariff of any rently limits early-morning beer, wine and hard liquor sales
sort. That means that many Spanish, Italian and Portuguese to supermarkets with at least 10,000 square feet of space.
wines will come into the U.S. without tariffs. The new tariffs Smaller stores had to wait until 11 AM.
took effect on October 18, 2019. French Finance Minister Bru-
no Le Maire said that French wine producers could lose as Albuquerque, NM
much as $335 million in exports next year. Trump says that
the tariffs are only a stimulus to force the EEC to sell the Air- The city of Albuquerque recently passed a new ordinance
bus products to the U.S. without adding huge tariffs. If no allowing New Mexico wineries to open up tasting rooms and
country charged tariffs on wine, we would all be happy. taprooms in the historic Old Town Plaza, a popular tourist
location.
Sacramento, CA
Washington, D.C.
California wants to train and certify anyone who serves alco-
holic beverages within the state. This is an attempt to reduce The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) sent
the sales of alcoholic beverages to under-age and intoxicated letters to leading U.S. online vendors, asking them to under-
patrons. This sounds like a noble idea, but it is likely to be a take certain steps to curtail illegal alcohol sales online. Let-
legislative nightmare. ters were sent to Craigslist, eBay and Facebook.

Both the training and certification will be done by the state Digital platforms have given rise to the sale of unlicensed and
and will not be free. It will likely have to be renewed on a reg- unregulated alcohol. The sale of illegal alcohol online may
ular basis, for a fee. That means the state will need to gather include counterfeit, mislabeled or fraudulent products. This
and maintain a whole new set of personal data. It may also presents a risk to consumers, including minors, who are ex-
allow lawsuits against the server by anyone hurt or harmed by posed to illegal products that may not meet health standards.
an alcohol abuser, which means that the servers will need to To help address the issue, the attorneys general asked the
be covered by insurance. Who pays for that? Probably the vendors to review the current content posted to their compa-
consumer. nies’ websites and remove illegal postings for the sales and/
or transfer of alcohol products.
When they say that any person serving alcoholic beverages
will need to be certified, they mean that to include retail out- Cont. on Page 14
lets, restaurants, bars, wineries, theaters, convention centers,
Page 10
AWS News December 2019

Chapter Events meant the wines contained one or more of the grapes typically

found within this blend. Selections included both old or new

world wines. After scoring the wines, guests were treated to a

 The Cleveland (OH) Chapter’s September tasting fea- dinner of Coq au Vin.

2017 The Boxer, Molly Dooker Shiraz, Australia $25 (1)

tured “America’s 2016 Godina, Gil Family Garnacha, Spain 27 (2)

Vine & Wine - 2012 Domaine Chaume-Arnaud, France 22 (3)

Zinfandel.” It was 2013 Adelaida Mourvèdre Reserve, CA 50

hosted by Greg & 2013 The Pick, TH Vineyards Cuvée, CA 55

Laura Davis, Al- 2013 Chateauneuf Du Pape, Famille Perrin 23

bert Tien and Les- Les Sinards, France

ley Ko and held at  The Lehigh Valley (PA) Chapter held the AWS National Tast-

Beartown Park. ing hosted by Mary Ellen and

The aperitif wines Gene at Indian Creek, in subur-

were 3 white zinfandels – Beringer, Carlo Rossi and Sutter ban Emmaus, PA. After an ice-

Home. breaker, they tasted and

2016 Earthquake Zin $22 (1) scored the wines while enjoying

2017 Sabon Estates Zin 24 (2) a catered meal. As expected by

2015 Decoy Zin 21 (3) the group, the top three wines

2014 Klinker Brick Zin 18 were all red wines. The top-

2017 Cline Old Vine Zin 10 rated wine was Hoopes Caber-

2017 Seghesio Zin 20 net Sauvignon, which James

2015 Carol Shelton “Wild Thing” Zin 22 Suckling gave 93 points and

 The Derby Somms (KY) Chapter met at the home pf James stated: "Shows the brightness

Sinks and Gabriella and energy of the 2014 vintage

Brown for a theme with blackberry, hints of rose petal and black tea character.

of white wines over Full body, polished tannins and a focused finish. Hand-crafted.

$30 and reds over Drink or hold." There was a tie for second place between

$50. Eight wines Green and Red Zin and Pellet Cabernet Sauvignon, both re-

were poured with ceiving scores of 16.8.

whites rated 2017 St. Supéry Sauvignon Blanc $18

against each other 2016 Robert Mondavi Fumé Blanc 24

and reds rated 2017 Stags' Leap Winery Viognier 30

against each other. A meal of vegetarian lasagna or meat la- 2017 Hagafen Chardonnay 26

sagna was served. 2017 Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir 26

2017 Kemmeter Riesling, Finger Lakes $30 (1) 2015 Stags' Leap Winery Petite Syrah 36

2014 Gary Farrell Chardonnay 55 (2) 2014 Green & Red Vineyard Zinfandel 29 (2)

2015 Borgo Buon Natale Tocai Friulano 30 (3) 2015 Whitehall Lane Tre Leoni Red Blend 29

Clendenen Family 2014 Summers Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 30

2016 Bouchard Pere & Fils Pouilly Fuisse, France 30 2015 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 44 (3)

2015 Emmolo Merlot , CA 55 (1) 2014 Hoopes Cabernet Sauvignon 59 (1)
2012 Thorn Merlot, CA 58 (2)
2012 Emmolo Merlot, CA 55 (3) 2014 Pellet Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 80 (2)
2008 Vinyes del Aspres Emporada, Spain 60
 The Myrtle Beach (SC) Chapter met for a Wine Barrel Polka,

hosted by Richard and Mary Berezinsky. The group explored

 Thirty members and guests attended the Emerald Coast the current trend of aging wines in spirits barrels while enjoy-

(FL) Chapter’s October tasting— ing Pierogi and Kielbasa. They even used a smart phone app

Exploring Meads. Many thanks to Dick “Living Wine Labels” during the discussion. The quest of the

and Bonnie Bedics for obtaining the evening’s tasting was to see whether the current trend of ag-

meads and presenting them to us. Dick ing in spirits barrels was a money-making marketing gimmick

and Bonnie enjoy visiting Blacksnake or if it really influenced the wines. In conclusion, the chapter

Meadery and shared information with us agreed that spirits barrels do introduce a set of unique aromas

about their operation. The mystery wine and that the current trend was not going away any time soon.

was 2016 Villa Appalaccia Aglianico. 2017 Tequila Barrel Sauvignon Blanc $18

Although the varietal wasn’t correctly 2018 Mondavi Private Selection Bourbon 10

identified by anyone, Scot Abel received Barrel Chardonnay

the prize for identifying that it was from 2017 1000 Stories Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel 13

Virginia. After a brief history of mead (it 2018 19 Crimes The Uprising Rum Barrel Red 10 (3)

may well be the oldest fermented beverage) and an explana- 2017 Mondavi Private Selection Reserve Rum 13

tion of how it’s made (similar to wine, but it’s made from hon- Barrel Merlot

ey with optional flavorings), we sampled the Blacksnake 2017 Mondavi Private Selection Reserve Rye 15 (2)

meads. Our dinner featured Creole Gumbo and rice, prepared Barrel Red Blend

by Dick and Bonnie. It was accompanied by member-provided 2017 Cask & Barrel Bourbon Barrel Cab Sauv 20 (1)

side dishes and desserts.  The North Central CT Chapter is the newest AWS chapter in
the State of Connecticut. Our Sep-
Hoppy Bee Brew (500ml) $10 tember meeting was held at the
home of members Gail and Ed
Ginger Bee Brew (500 ml) 10 Lechowicz. Seventeen members,
including our two newest members,
Summer Lea 18 Jeanne and Ronnie, were in attend-
ance. The theme was the Wines of
Sweet Virginia 21 (3) Michael David Winery. Ten excellent
Michael David wines were enjoyed by
Ginny Raz 21 (2) our group. The Lust was a crowd
favorite, as was the Earthquake Cabernet. The group enjoyed
Red Queen Mead with Coffee 21 (1) a chili potluck supper after the formal tasting and a great time
was had by all. Here is a list of the wines that were enjoyed.
Meloluna (375 ml) 14 (3) Stay up to date with our chapter events and photos on Face-
book @NorthCentralCTAWS
All meads from Blacksnake Meadery in Dugspur, VA

 The Fleur de Lis (KY) Chapter met on September 20 at the
home of Owen and Pat Wetzel for a tasting with the theme
being “GSM.” It was also noted during their business meeting
that all members had attended the Kentucky All State Wine
Luncheon held in Louisville, KY for all AWS wine clubs. Six
wines were poured blind for each member and even though
the theme was GSM, they learned at the reveal that this only

AWS News December 2019 Page 11

2018 MD Cinsault Rosé $19 2018 Zuccardi Serie A Torrontes Salta $10
2017 MD Sauvignon Blanc 16 (with a crabmeat salad appetizer)
2018 Freakshow Chardonnay 15
2017 MD Chardonnay 15 2017 Isabella Bobal Ribera del Jucar and 8
2016 Earthquake Zinfandel 19
2015 Rage Zinfandel 45 2016 Secoli Amarone della Valpolicella 30
2016 Earthquake Cabernet Sauvignon 19
2012 Rapture Cabernet Sauvignon 45 (with turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce)
2013 Lust 45
2012 Sloth 50 2015 Bodegas Ego Infinito Jumilla 17

(with roast beef au jus and Christmas green beans

with toasted pecans)

 Twenty-five members of the Northern Neck Uncorked (VA) Castello Banfi Rosa Regale Sparkling Brachetto 22
(with chocolate brownies with raspberry sauce)

Chapter met on Friday, October 4th for Val Vencelov’s  The Saraveeno (FL) Chapter met on September 22nd at

YouTube presentation with Chuck a clubhouse in the Plantation Golf community in Venice for a

Wagner talking about the many tasting of wines that you may not have tried before. Twenty-

vineyards that produce their four people shared wines and food and a good time was had

wines. The Wagners come from a by all.

long line of grape growers and 2018 Saladini Pilastri Pecorino (Italy) $10 (3)

winemakers in Napa Valley, with a 2018 Gattavecchi Vernaccia di Gimignano (Italy) 15

farming tradition dating back to 2018 Palmalias Vermentino (Italy) 18 (2)

the 1850s. They established their 2017 Hello World Petit Verdot (Spain) 8

first vineyard, Caymus, over 45 2015 Pallas Old Vine Garnacha reserve (Spain) 20

years ago and today showcase a collection of wines that have 2016 Quinta das Carvalhas Douro (Portugal) 20

a reputation for quality and consistency, produced from the 2012 Tenuta del Portale Aglianico (Italy) 20

premier growing regions of California. The group enjoyed a 2016 Macchia Petite Sirah (California) 30 (1)

wonderful sampling of appetizers that included popcorn,

grilled chicken, mushrooms stuffed with Brie, little smokies  The Walt Whitman (NJ) Chapter’s September tasting w as
hosted by Khadija Woods and Madeline Thomas and featured
with BBQ sauce, and corn chips and meatballs, paired with the Wines of Argentina and Chile. Khadija recently traveled to
Argentina and Chile and shared her experience, wine
wines. knowledge and cuisine information with everyone.

2016 Mer Soleil Silver Chardonnay $20 2016 Casas del Bosque Reserva Sauvignon Blanc
(Casablanca Valley, Chile)
2016 Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc 25
2017 Alamos Torrontes (Salta, Argentina)
2017 Mer Soleil Pinot Noir Reserve 40 2016 Mendel Semillon (Mendoza, Argentina)
2017 Piatelli Vineyards Reserve Malbec (Lujan de Cuyo,
2016 Caymus-Suisun Grand Durif 60
Mendoza, Argentina)
2015 Caymus Vineyards Cabernet 80 2017 Piatelli Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

 The Northampton (PA) Chapter held a Brunello di Montal- (Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
2015 Alcance Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (Valle
cino bonanza tasting hosted by Dave Wesstrom and Don Ap-
del Maule, Chile)
pleton. Unfortunately, the 1999 Altesino was corked. 2010 Maquis Lien Red (Colchagua Valley, Chile)
2010 Susana Balbo Late Harvest Torrontes (Mendoza,
2010 Pinno $43
Argentina)
2014 Ciacci Piccolomini 53 2012 Susana Balbo Late Harvest Malbec ( Mendoza,

2010 Mocali 45 (3) Argentina)

2013 Mocali Vigna delle Raunte 48

2013 Le Potazzine Gorelli 74

2013 Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova 112 (1)

2010 La Serena Riserva Gemini 106

2007 Terrasole Riserva 95 (2)

1999 Altesino 60

 The Ocean Isle Beach (NC) Chapter met on September 22

at Silver

Coast Win-

ery. Using

the AWS

Score Sheet,

they evaluat-

ed eight

wines. Mem-

bers had a

chance to

compare

their judging skills and palates against two wine judges in

attendance, which gave them a new appreciation for the diffi-

cult job certified wine judges face. Pairings included chicken First meeting of the Saratoga Cellar Dwellers, Sarasota, NY

salad, shrimp risotto, artichoke dip, smoked salmon dip, roast To be included in the AWS News, e-mail your tasting results

beef roll-up, bratwurst and Gouda cheese. to [email protected]

2018 Raats Chenin Blanc $14 Please follow the format specified for Chapter Events.
Download it from the AWS website-Publications-AWS News.
2017 Burgans Rias Baixas Albariño 13
Include the cost of the wines you tasted,
2017 Loimer Grűner Veltliner 17 plus scores or rankings. This information
lets other members know what you liked
2017 Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve Chard 12
and what wines were good values.
2016 Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico 23
AND … Please send us sharp, interest-
2017 Bully Hill Baco Noir 8 ing pictures from your event. We
would love to share them.
2018 Johnson Estate Marechal Foch 15
Adrienne Turner
2017 Fram Shiraz 13
[email protected]
 The Pittsburgh (PA) Chapter met on November 13, at the
Evergreen Community Center for a tasting that paired wines
with typical holiday dinner entrees. Twenty-nine members and
guests were present as John Eld expertly showed us wines to
confidently bring to holiday functions. The highlight of the
tasting was how wonderfully Amarone pairs with cranberry
sauce! We hope this list can help other chapters as they pre-
pare to bring wines to their family celebrations.

AWS News December 2019 Page 12

National Conference Photos

Cont. from Page 4

Thanks to the 2019 Conference Committee for your
hard work both before and during the event!

Members by State 11/14/2019

AL 146 IN 57 ND 43 PR 7

AR 11 KS 11 NE 28 RI 29

AZ 131 KY 99 NH 13 SC 217

CA 402 MA 109 NJ 344 TN 83

CO 326 MD 196 NM 54 TX 145

CT 229 MI 343 NV 123 UT 8

DC 14 MN 43 NY 525 VA 50

DE 41 MO 41 OH 307 WA 65

FL 408 MS 23 ONT 11 WI 9

GA 114 MT 64 OR 108 Other* 30

IL 122 NC 466 PA 1105 Total 7156

*BC, HI, IA, LA, ME, OK, QC, VT, WV, Great Britain, Hong Kong

AWS News December 2019 Page 13

Government Affairs Save the Date!

Cont. from Page 10 The 2020 National
Conference will be
Dubai U.A.E. held in Bellevue,
Washington on Octo-
Dubai has loosened its liquor laws to allow tourists to pur- ber 29-31. 2020. This
chase alcohol in state-controlled stores. Previously, tourists is a wonderful wine
could only buy alcohol in restaurants, hotels and clubs. After area and we’ll have
showing their passport, signing a pledge that they aren't Mus- lots of opportunities
lim and promising to follow local laws, tourists can now get a for winery visits.
free 30-day permit to buy alcohol. Consuming alcoholic bev-
erages in this city-state technically remains illegal without the 12 Wines to Know
drinker holding a permit; and it is illegal to drink or be under
the influence of alcohol in public. Cont. from Page 9

The United Arab Emirates dominates other countries around RED WINES YOU SHOULD DISCOVER
the Mideast when it comes to drinking,
with a per-capita alcohol consumption of Lambrusco
1 gallon per person per year, according
to the World Health Organization. Alcohol “Don’t laugh: Lambrusco!” said Holly, who then proceeded to
means big business, especially for the laugh when she saw my face. But Holly takes Lambrusco seri-
state. There's a 50% import tax on a ously. She feels that this wine, from the Emilia-Romagna region
bottle of alcohol, as well as an additional of Italy, is so misunderstood and avoided that it falls into the
30% tax in Dubai when buying from liq- “unknown” category. We all know the syrupy sweet versions of
uor stores. Lambrusco. Quality Lambrusco is ruby in color and may be
slightly sparkling, but also dry! It’s not the cherry cola we are
Tom Cobett served in Italian restaurants. Holly told me her “bucket list”
includes a weeks-long tasting spree of Lambrusco.
[email protected]
Petite Sirah
The AWS Ocean Isle Beach Chapter will be hold-
ing its seventh annual Amateur Wine Competi- “Petite Sirah is not Syrah at all, and it is certainly not petite!”
Holly describes it as a big wine, big in tannin, flavor and alco-
tion fundraiser in support of the Museum of hol. It has flavors of blueberry, chocolate, plums and coffee.
Holly also calls it a “big bang for the buck.” It’s really a differ-
Coastal Carolina and Wine Fest 2020. ent animal than Syrah.

Enter your homemade wines in the Museum of Coastal Caroli- Carmenère
na Wine Fest’s annual wine competition for amateur wine-
makers and compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in Carmenère is a grape varietal that is not well known; it was
various award categories. This competition will be conducted thought lost! It’s sometimes called the “lost grape of Bor-
in cooperation with Silver Coast Winery and the OIB Chapter. deaux.” When Phylloxera struck Bordeaux and grafting was
Your wine will be judged by an expert panel of certified AWS discovered as a cure, the Bordelaise chose not to replant it be-
wine judges, and you will receive feedback from the judges cause it was considered difficult to grow. But before Phylloxera
on your winemaking skills. Winners will be announced at struck, some Carmenère vines had been shipped to Chile, la-
Wine Fest 2020 on April 25, 2020. Medal winners, in addition beled Merlot. Unfortunately for the Chileans it doesn’t ripen at
to being recognized at Wine Fest, will receive free event ad- the same time as Merlot. They were flummoxed. Fortunately for
mission (winemaker only). us, the Chileans liked this “version” of Merlot and kept it. It was
only in the 1990s that DNA studies showed it to be Carmenère.
Entry forms can be obtained from the Museum of Coastal It’s now the signature grape of Chile. Its earthy, smoky, au-
Carolina’s website (www.MuseumPlanetarium.org), the OIB tumn flavors pair well with roast meats or roast vegetables.
Chapter website (www.OIBAWS.org), or by email from oce-
[email protected]. Thank you, Holly, for giving us 12 good reasons to stay un-
boxed! Why not make a case of these wines and explore one
Submit your wines to Silver Coast Winery, 6680 Barbeque each month? If you would like to know more about Holly How-
Road, Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469 (910-287-2800). Any ell, or continue this discussion directly with her, she can be
questions can be referred to Stan Barwikowski by email at reached through her website at www.seasonal-kitchen.com.
[email protected].
If you’d like to share some thoughts with me,
The deadline for submitting wines is March 16, 2020. I can be reached through my wine blog at
www.kourofskywine.com.

Kevin Kourofsky

Kevin is a Rochester area amateur winemaker
and grape grower. He is a Certified Specialist
in Wine from the Society of Wine Educators.
He also holds the Advanced Certification, with
distinction, from the Wine and Spirits Educa-
tion Trust.

Please join our winemakers forum on the AWS
website, built for you to ask questions and share.

It’s for all levels of expertise.

AWS News December 2019 Page 14

AWS Educational 2019 Award of Merit
Foundation News
The AWSEF was proud to present Tom
2019 Scholarship Recipients King w ith the 2019 Aw ard of M erit
at our annual breakfast meeting on
We were very pleased to Saturday during the AWS National
have AWSEF Endowment Conference. The criterion for this
Fund Scholarship recipient, award is a consistent record of valua-
Jaclyn Fiola, present dur- ble service to the American Wine Soci-
ing the conference and to ety Educational Foundation.
learn more about the soils
research she is working on. Tom, one of the founding AWSEF
Jaclyn, a PhD student at board members and longtime contribu-
Virginia Tech, gave an en- tor and supporter, gave a heartfelt
gaging and informative talk thank you to the Board. Tom’s heart is
about her research and find- certainly still with the goals of the
ings to date. AWSEF.

Our 2019 scholarship recipient video played during breakfast 2019 AWSEF Fruit Wine Award
and is now available on our Facebook page and on our web-
site, www.awsef.org. During this 18-minute video, you will Congratulations to Marion Krauss of
meet all the 2019 scholarship winners as each briefly outlines Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, for
their graduate research projects. Please share the video with receiving the 2019 AWSEF Fruit
your local chapter members, friends, and on your Facebook Wine Award for his 2018 Black Cur-
page. We are very proud of these young men and women! If rant wine. The Fruit Wine award
you’d like a link to the video, please email me, Kristen Linde- recognizes both Marion as the AWS
low, at [email protected] and I’ll send it directly to winner and our own Les Sperling,
you. who during his distinguished AWS/
AWSEF membership won countless
Best of Show Amateur Fruit Wine
awards and was a charter member
of the AWSEF. This award is unique
to the AWSEF and is designed to
highlight the AWSEF’s citizenship in
the greater AWS community.

Silent Auction Results of September Election

Thank you very much to all who participated by donating and The AWSEF held an election in September for Board members
bidding on items at our annual AWSEF silent auction held at as per our by-laws. Walt Rachele, Treasurer, and Kristen Lin-
the AWS National Conference. AWSEF Board member Chris- delow, Exec. V-P/Scholarships, both ran unchallenged for an-
tine Murphy, with great help from volunteers Annette Jackson other four-year term. At that time, we did not have an inter-
and Denise Griner, did an incredible job making everything ested person to run to replace Danny Klein on the Board but
work. Thank you all! The silent auction raised over $5,000 on we are very happy to share that we now have several worthy
over 100 items received from loyal AWS members, AWSEF candidates for that position and will be initiating another email
supporters, wineries and small businesses. We are incredibly election about the time you receive this newsletter. Please
grateful to all those who donated and bid on items to look for the email and vote for our newest Board member.
help us raise money for future scholarships. W e look Results will be announced in January.
forward to doing it all again in 2020!
AWSEF Trustee Danny Klein is completing his four-year term
at the end of 2019. His invaluable work with the Board will not
be missed, however, as Danny plans to continue volunteering
with the AWSEF. Starting in 2020, Danny
will be a Trustee Emeritus and the entire
Board is looking forward to his continued
support. Thank you, Danny!

Thank you for your continued support of the
AWSEF. May your holidays be happy and
filled with family, friends, and great wines!

Kristen Lindelow

[email protected]

Raffle Winner Grape Planting Halted in Barolo

Congratulations to Nancy Slick of Ilaria Bertini, head of communications for the Barolo and Bar-
Manchester, Maryland, for having baresco Consorzio, said: "We don't want to be faced with the
the winning raffle ticket to claim situation of a glut of wine, so the consorzio has taken the step
the 3 liter bottle of 2006 Banfi to stop any new plantings of vines in the Barolo region for the
SummuS! The raffle raised over next three years. The new rule will come into place in January
$2,000 for the AWS Educational 2020 and we will revise the situation in 2023. It is a preventa-
Foundation. A huge thank you to tive measure to control the production of Barolo and preserve
everyone who purchased raffle the landscape. If there are any new vines planted during that
tickets for a chance on this won- time, producers won't be able to label the wine as Barolo, it will
derful bottle and an especially have to be declassified."
big thank you to Sharron McCar-
thy with Banfi for this donation. Page 15

AWS News December 2019

AWS News
American Wine Society®
P. O. Box 889
Scranton, PA 18501

Address Service Requested

Typically reserved for those in the wine trade, Vinexpo Paris is It’s not too early to register for the Eastern Winery Exposition,
now open to you, AWS members, for free, a savings of 40 the largest wine industry trade show in the east. The event
Euros. returns to Lancaster, PA, March 10-12, 2020. Register now
and enjoy a 10% discount off your total admission with the
With its focus on innovation, Vinexpo Paris, Feb. 10-12, 2020, discount code AWS20.
will present three major new concepts:

• BE SPIRITS—an experience dedicated to spirits to meet This year's programming includes a full-day workshop on forti-
fied wines and sessions on vineyard establishment, yeast and
the burgeoning trend of the spirits market around the fermentation, and intermediate lab analysis. The welcome
world. reception will feature winning wines from the 2019 AWS Com-
mercial Wine Competition.
• L’AVENUE will promote leading premium brands in an area
You can also just come to the expo, where you can find every-
inspired by Parisian Haussmann architecture. thing you need to make and enjoy wine. You’ll see some AWS
professional members among the 190+ exhibitors, including
• WOW! World of Organic Wines—an area dedicated to or- the AWS. Stop by the AWS booth and say "hello."

ganic and biodynamic wines and spirits. This event is perfect for our members who are wine profes-
sionals, amateur winemakers or budding commercial wineries.
To receive your discount code, email memberserv-
[email protected] or call 888-297-9070. You'll also
receive directions on how to register and access the event.

AWS National Conference

October 29-31, 2020

Bellevue, WA


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