Winners of the 2013 International Cold Climate Wine Competition Announced

Here's your shopping list folks. The press release announcing this year's ICCWC winners follows:

Millner Heritage Little Iza wine takes top honors at cold-climate competition.

Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minn., (8/16/2013) – 2012 Little Iza wine, made from La Crescent grapes, from Millner Heritage Vineyard and Winery in Kimball, Minnesota, won the coveted Minnesota Governor’s Cup trophy at the 2013 International Cold Climate Wine Competition (ICCWC), held today at the University of Minnesota’s Conference Center in Saint Paul, MN.

 The Minnesota Governor’s Cup, a lovely large silver ice bucket, recognizes the “Best of Show” or top prize of all Minnesota gold-winning wines. This is the fifth year the traveling trophy has been awarded.

 La Crescent wine from Parallel 44 of Kewaunee Wisconsin won the “Best of Show” award for the top white wine. Other “Best of Show” awards went to the Shelburne Vineyard, Shelburne Vermont, for the third year in a row for their 2011 Marquette Reserve in the best red category and to the Illinois Sparkling Company, Peru Illinois, with their sparkling wine blend of La Crescent and Frontenac Gris in the best specialty wine category.

 This year’s competition included nearly 300 wines from commercial wineries in 12 states and Canada. Awards were based on blind tastings by 21 expert judges, who include wine writers, restaurateurs, retailers and wine educators. Three-judge panels determined the initial awards, with the top-scoring Best of Show wines evaluated by seven-judge panels and all 21 judges for the Minnesota Governor’s Cup award.

 The ICCWC is a partnership between the Minnesota Grape Growers Association and the University of Minnesota, which developed several of the cold-hardy grapes used to make the wines in the competition. It is coordinated by Gordon Rouse, AWS Certified Judge, of the Minnesota Grape Growers Association (MGGA), Gary Gardner, Professor of Horticultural Science in the University’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, and Katie Cook, University of Minnesota Enologist. Sponsors include the Minnesota Farm Winery Association and the Ramada Plaza Minneapolis Hotel.

 The competition is open to commercial wineries meeting the criteria for cold-hardy grape or fruit content. In 2013, a total of 15 Gold, 55 Silver, and 93 Bronze medals were awarded. In addition, “Best of Show” designations were awarded to wines rated as the finest in various areas.

Visit http://mngrapegrowers.com/Websites/mgga/images/Competition%20Images/2013_ICCWC_Winners_Press_Release.pdf for the full release and the list of winners.

Cheers!
--Kristo