Over 30 judges from around the United States evaluated via blind tastings, and scored nearly 2,000 total entries and awarding medals to wines worthy of merit.

This is a rigorous, professionally conducted wine competition where experienced judges award medals to less than one in four wines entered. Congratulations are in order for all winning International and US wineries!

The full listing of the 2010 competition can be seen/searched at this SDIWC link.

Presently 100% of our 2007 & 2008 releases of Estate grown Wines & Ports are Gold, Silver & Bronze medalists, and 88% of our total 2007 & 2008 releases are medalists – in highly credible National, International, and Regional wine competitions since last year.

Eagles Nest Winery, (TWITTER @EaglesNestWine and Facebook click here) a leading Boutique Winery located n the Ramona Valley AVA near San Diego, California was honored as one of only four medal winning San Diego County wineries in this year’s 201o competition including Fallbrook , Orfila,  and Shadow Mountain.

When you consider the large number of multi-million dollar national and international winery operations that participated in this professional competition, this showing reflects very well on Eagles Nest as a small, family owned and operated winery producing quality wines from locally grown wine-grapes.

Eagles Nest Winery’s winning wines were 2008 Estate Picpoul Blanc White-Port Styled Dessert Wine 100% grown and produced on the Estate from a unique Rhone varietal features a delicate tropical fruit nose and smooth character.

Eagles Nest 2007 Private Reserve Merlo t made from 100% Merlot, this is a rich full bodied, deeply colored with dusty tannins produced from high quality San Diego County Merlot grapes.

Both these wines scored Silver medals reflecting “wines that are well made, absent flaws, and expressive, reflecting good viticultural and winemaking standards..”

Michael Franz, Editor of Wine Review Online, returned for his third year as Chief Judge. The SDIWC was held at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego for the seventh consecutive year. The Westgate is a premier hotel property in the heart of San Diego, and provides an elegant and functional backdrop for visiting judges.

The Director is nationally syndicated wine columnist Robert Whitley. Judges for the 2010 San Diego International Wine Competition were hand-picked by Whitley, whose experience at managing wine competitions is second to none.

Robert also serves as Director of the Critics Challenge, the Sommelier Challenge, the Winemaker Challenge and the Monterey Wine Competition, which he co-founded with the Salinas Valley Fair in 1994.

SDIWC judging guidelines were as follows:

1.  The San Diego International Wine Competition is a blind tasting. Wines will be evaluated absent information about producer, vintage or price.

2.  Because wines have been submitted from the world over, judges may ask questions pertaining to origin so that wines can be evaluated in context.

3.  Judges should take into account the fact that winemaking styles vary. A wine that is well made within a legitimate style for the grape and category should be judged accordingly, regardless of any personal preference for an alternative style.

4.  Judges may compare notes with others on the panel, but each vote should be independent and reflect the personal opinion of each judge.

5.  Votes will be taken at the conclusion of each flight and recorded by the table monitor.

Silver Medal

A silver medal should be awarded to wines that are well made, absent flaws, and expressive, reflecting good viticultural and winemaking standards.

Gold Medal

A gold medal should be awarded to wines exhibiting outstanding intensity of flavor and/or complexity. While palate weight can be a positive factor in the evaluation, more delicate wines that possess exceptional nuance should not be overlooked for gold-medal consideration. Mineral-driven and fruit-driven wines should be given equal consideration. A gold-medal wine should leave the judge with an extremely positive overall impression.

Best of Show/Platinum

Any wine the judges believe would be competitive for best in its class should be put forward for the “Sweepstakes” round of judging to determine Best of Show in its category. All wines nominated for Best of Show will automatically be elevated to a Platinum medal.

Thanks go out to the judges and the volunteer staff of this year’s competition – Your hard work made this event a resounding success.

Adam’s Back, Wins SDIWC Best of Show Red
With LaZarre 2007 Central Coast Pinot Noir

By Robert Whitley
Creators Syndicate

There was a time, not that many years ago, when a brash young winemaker at Hahn Estates ruled the wine competition world from Los Angeles to London.

Under the skillful direction of Adam LaZarre, the Monterey County winery scored major trophies at big wine competitions around the globe. And they did it with modestly priced wines, such as a $16 Cabernet Sauvignon, a $14 Merlot and a red Bordeaux-style blend for less than $20.

For a time, it seemed a week couldn’t go by without a LaZarre-inspired wine winning best of show in Los Angeles or San Francisco or London, or some other important wine competition venue. LaZarre is no longer at Hahn, having moved 75 miles down U.S Highway 101 to Paso Robles, where he is running the promising start-up winery Villa San-Juliette. He also makes a number of wines under his own LaZarre label.

He may have moved, but LaZarre hasn’t changed all that much. He’s still brash, still prolific, and Sunday afternoon he returned to the winner’s circle at the 27th annual San Diego International Wine Competition.

“I’m back!” LaZarre exclaimed as it was revealed that his 2007 Central Coast LaZarre Pinot Noir ($35) had been voted Best Red Wine of the show. It was no small feat. Among the contenders for best red honors were the 2006 ZD Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($125), the 2007 Bell Clone 6 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($90) and the 2007 Spoto Napa Valley Syrah ($70), platinum award-winners all.

The venerable SDIWC attracted nearly 2,000 entries, bestowed more than 1,000 medals and crowned five best of show winners, including the LaZarre Pinot. Value-seeking consumers should be encouraged to note the 31 judges — winemakers and wine industry professionals — handed out one of the top awards, best of show sparkling, to the relatively inexpensive Korbel Brut Rose ($11). The sleek 2004 Domaine Carneros Le Reve Blanc de Blancs ($85) was in the running for the top honor, but the judges opted instead for the refreshing, bright berry fruit of the Korbel bubbly.

Other best-of-show winners included the 2008 V. Sattui Early Harvest White Riesling ($18.75) as best white, the 2008 Penman Springs Two Roses Syrah Rose ($15) as best rose, and the 2008 Hazlitt 1852 Vineyards Finger Lakes Vidal Blanc Ice Wine ($40 per half bottle) as best dessert.

The weekend was not short on stellar performance, and I have duly noted some of the more impressive efforts.

Fallbrook Winery, which produces fewer than 50,000 cases of wine a year in the far northeast corner of San Diego County (that’s in Southern California, merely 500 miles but light years from the epicenter of American wine, the Napa Valley) saw two of its wines advance to the finals. Though neither won the big prize, Fallbrook’s 2007 33 Degrees North BDX, Gracie Hill Vineyard ($30) was awarded the title Best Meritage and its 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve ($14) was named Best Sauvignon Blanc. Quite an accomplishment for a small Southern California winery few had ever heard of.

On the other hand, Frank Family Vineyards, a well-known Napa Valley producer, made a good deal of noise on Sunday afternoon with three wines in the finals — 2008 Carneros Pinot Noir ($35), 2008 Napa Valley Chardonnay ($32.50) and 2007 Napa Valley Zinfandel ($36.75).
To reach the finals, a wine had to be awarded a Platinum medal, which would be the equivalent of a double gold at other competitions.

Bargain hunters might want to take a close look at the Cycles Gladiator wines. These are produced by Hahn in Monterey County and are uniformly priced at $10 a bottle. The 2007 Merlot was voted Best Merlot, and the 2008 Syrah took gold. The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio all received silver medals.

Cameron Hughes was another big winner from the value category, claiming 11 medals, including a platinum and two golds. Cameron Hughes purchases small lots of leftover wine from prestigious wineries, bottles them under his own name without identifying the winery, and sells them for a fraction of the price they would otherwise fetch.

Cameron Hughes won its Platinum with a 2008 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay, Lot 159 at $15. His golds were for the 2007 Lot 116 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($22) and the 2007 Lot 164 Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon ($22). These wines can be found at Costo nationwide in states where stores are permitted to sell wine.

Concannon Vineyard of California’s underrated Livermore Valley was equally impressive in the value arena, winning seven medals, the most expensive of which was the gold-medal winning 2008 Limited Release Central Coast Pinot Noir at $16. The 2008 Conservancy Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($14) earned platinum.

The East was well represented by Jefferson Vineyards of Virginia. This Charlottesville-area winery grabbed a platinum (2009 Monticello Pinot Gris, $18) and a gold (2007 Monticello Meritage, $30) along with two silvers.

Tiny Opolo Vineyards of Paso Robles earned three medals, but two of those were platinum: 2006 Serenade ($30), a red Bordeaux-style blend, and 2007 Paso Robles Tempranillo ($24).

California’s Amador County, in the Sierra Foothills, got a string showing from Renwood with a platinum, two golds and four silvers. The Platinum was a delicious 2007 Barbera at $23 and the golds were the 2007 Jack Rabbit Flat Zinfandel ($30) and the 2008 Amador Ice Zinfandel at $35 a half bottle.

And the Umpqua Valley of Oregon never had it so good. Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyard rounded up nine medals, including a platinum for its 2009 Gruner Veltliner, Revelation & Rorek Bloc at $24. Reustle Prayer Rock also scored golds with its 2008 Reserve Pinot Noir ($38), its 2008 Reserve Syrah ($38) and its 2008 Reserve Tempranillo ($38).

Of course, the big dog of the competition was V. Sattui of the Napa Valley, as usual. Sattui racked up 19 medals. Among the 19 were the best of show white wine, a platinum award for its 2007 Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon ($40), and golds for four other wines.

Sattui wines can only be purchased at the winery tasting room in St. Helena, Calif., where there are expansive picnic grounds and a well-priced selection of all of its award-winning wines.

Many of the award-winning wines will be available to taste and for purchase at the annual Wine & Roses charity wine tasting, June 13, 2010, at the Westgate Hotel in downtown San Diego, where the competition was held. Tickets to Wine & Roses may be purchased at www.WineAndRoses.net.

2010 SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION JUDGES

CHIEF JUDGE

Michael Franz, Editor, Wine Review Online

JUDGES

Thrace Bromberger, Gustavo-Thrace
Richard Carey, Winemaker, Vitis Research
Jac Cole, Winemaker, Spring Mountain Vineyards
Kimberly Charles, Charles Communications
Etienne Cowper, Winemaker, Wilson Creek Winery
Mark Deegan, Henry Wine Group
Traci Dutton, Sommelier
Gary Eberle, Winemaker, Eberle Winery
Bob Foster, California Grapevine
Patty Held, Winery Consultant
Linda Jones-McKee, Wines & Vines
John Larchet, Winemaker, The Australian Premium Wine Collection
Adam LaZarre, Winemaker, Villa San-Juliette
Tim McDonald, Wine Spoken Here
Kate McHugh, Quintessential Wines
Neil McNally, Rosenthal Estate
Jon McPherson, Winemaker, South Coast Winery
Linda Murphy, Decanter
Rebecca Murphy, Dallas Morning News
Ray Pompilio, Wine Appreciation Guild
Nick Ponomareff, California Grapevine
Ron Rawlinson, WineSmith
Lisa Redwine, Sommelier
George Riffle, Sommelier
Roman Roth, Winemaker, Wolffer Estate
Eric Runyon, Southern Wine & Spirits
Jeff Siegel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jennifer Simonetti MW
Bob Small, Los Angeles International Wine Competition
David Stevens, Winemaker, Davon International
Mark Stuart, TheCorkHead.com
Paul Wagner, Balzac Communications
Kevin Walsh, Henry Wine Group
Duncan Williams, Winemaker, Fallbrook Winery
Wilfred Wong, Beverages & More



Presently 100% of our 2007 & 2008 releases of Estate grown Wines & Ports are Gold, Silver & Bronze medalists, and 88% of our total 2007 & 2008 releases are medalists – in highly credible National, International, and Regional wine competitions since last year.

The 2010 competition completed Thursday, February 25, 2010. This year marks the 20th consecutive Grand Harvest Awards, with a field of over 1,400 entries from North America, Europe, South America, and the Pacific Rim.

Judges awarded a total of 141 Gold (1 in ten),  426 Silver (less than 1 in three) , and 461 Bronze  (less than 1 in three)  medals in this very competitive event where judges must agree on merit of awarding a medal.

Twenty-four judges evaluated over 1,400 entries.  Garnering medals at the Grand Harvest Awards has traditionally been difficult to achieve because of its high standards of excellence. Wine competitions are invaluable purchasing tools that help consumers choose from over 6,000 wineries in the US alone.

More about the Grand Harvest Competition is included in the below press release:

Grand Harvest Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jennifer Merletti

800.535.5670 x105, jmerletti@vwm-online.com

Joe Gargiulo (707.795.9400, joe@jagpublicrelations.com )

2010 Grand Harvest Awards:

Wine Competition Furthers Its Search for Terroir

Santa Rosa, California (March 2, 2010) — Judging for the 2010 Grand Harvest Awards, an international wine competition produced by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, completed its mission of recognizing outstanding wines from all over the world and simultaneously studying the effects of terroir on wine quality.

Celebrating its 20th year, the Grand Harvest Awards was held February 24-26 at Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, California. Complete results are posted at www.vwm-online.com/gha while a related article will be published in the May-June issue of the magazine.

Twenty-four judges evaluated over 1,400 entries and awarded a total of 1,027 medals including 141 gold, 426 silver and 461 bronze. Garnering medals at the Grand Harvest Awards has traditionally been difficult to achieve because of its high standards of excellence. Wine competitions are invaluable purchasing tools that help consumers choose from over 6,000 wineries in the US alone.

Most entries in the Grand Harvest Awards were grown and produced in the United States and Canada with some originating in Australia and New Zealand, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) and South Africa.

“The Grand Harvest Awards are a great forum for producers to have their wines evaluated by experienced judges in the context of their respective growing regions,” said competition chairman Bill Traverso. “Wines from up-and-coming regions such as Nebraska and Florida garnered gold medals.”

This year’s Grand Harvest Awards presents a new promotional opportunity for wine producers: medal winners will be featured during March via a link on Food & Wine magazine’s one-million-unique-visitors-per-month website (foodandwine.com).

The Judges

Selected for their familiarity with wines from specific growing regions, the judges represent some of the most qualified experts in the industry: food and beverage media, winemakers, wine marketers, enology and viticulture professors and researchers, restaurateurs and sommeliers, hospitality and tourism consultants, and fine wine retailers. Judges included George M. Tabor, author of Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine; Tim McNally, radio host of “The Wine Show”, WIST 690 AM, New Orleans; Eric Degerman, managing editor of Wine Press Northwest; William S. Bloxsom-Carter, executive chef/food and beverage director of Playboy Mansion West; and Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

The Search for Terroir

The Grand Harvest Awards is the only North American wine competition that presents entries to judges according to regional classification. Wines of particular appellations are arranged in flights (mostly groups of 10) and evaluated by judges who are unaware of the geographic origin or producer, knowing only varietal name when relevant. In contrast, other competitions group wines by varietal name and suggested retail price.

Beyond the determination of medals, the Grand Harvest Awards also recognizes entries that best exemplify the terroir of their respective viticultural areas, and acknowledges the influence of terroir on wine quality. After evaluating each flight, judges frequently discuss their impressions in order to identify the signature elements of terroir and their link to regional typicity (wine characteristics that are common to particular growing regions).

While it is has no scientific definition, terroir is considered to be the combined expression of soil, climate, elevation and topography in the aroma, flavor and tactile sensations of wine beyond clone and rootstock selection, cultural practices, and winemaking techniques.

About the Producer

The Grand Harvest Awards is a division of Vineyard & Winery Services, the publisher of the leading independent wine trade publication Vineyard & Winery Management magazine www.vwm-online.com , Winedex (Wine Industry Index). Based in Santa Rosa, California, the multimedia corporation also produces seminars, conferences and trade shows (Wineries Unlimited, Tasting Room Profitability, Wine Club Summit, and Managing the Winery Laboratory) as well as two other wine competitions (International Eastern Wine Competition, and West Coast Wine Competition).

Lynn went out to the vineyard and picked grapes to add to the dish.  I highly recommend that you stop by a vineyard after harvest and ask the owners if you may pick some of the left over wine grapes.  Once picked, freeze the wine grapes for later use.

If you do not have wine grapes, please use red seedless grapes.  Wine Grapes do have seeds, so if using you will have to strain the Port reduction sauce to remove the seeds.

Enjoy! Look forward to hearing your comments!

Ingredients

Serves 10 to 12

• 7 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 2 ounces mild blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola dolce
• 1 4 or 5-inch wheel Brie, chilled
• 1 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup Eagles Nest Winery Cabernet Sauvignon ruby port
• 1/4 cup honey
• Fresh thyme
• 4 cups of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes OR 4 cups red seedless grapes, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces

Eagles Nest Gold Medal Syrah & Silver Medal Ruby Port

Grace is an intelligent, fun, and personable wine lover who hails from Des Moines, Iowa (she longs to live in California’s wine country).  We shared several of our award winning wines and Ports (click here) with wine bloggers we knew from past conferences and we offered Grace our 07 Estate Syrah that subsequently won a Gold Medal the following week in the 2009 Temecula Wine Competition along with another Gold Medal for our 07 South Coast AVA Syrah.

Grace’s review (click here) of our Estate Syrah is informative on several levels, the wine review of course includes her critical sensory evaluation of the Syrah, but her lead in story about her first encounter with a dark Shiraz (Syrah) monster is just as interesting describing her recent soiree with Syrah wines. Her wine blog is http://cellarmistress.blogspot.com and she’s on Twitter as @cellarmistress and she’s also on Facebook.

At Eagles Nest (@eaglesnestwine on Twitter) we encourage wine lovers, new and old, to push their own boundaries of wine experience beyond their comfort zones – that is how folks experience new and exciting things!

We’ll admit that a big bold Cabernet Sauvignon with a wood fired pizza is a favorite here, but we love all reds – Zinfandels, a well made Merlot, Pinot Noirs, yes even a full bodied Souzao (what’s’ that?!?!) that typically in found in a Port. For white wines we encourage folks to step beyond the everyday Chardonnay to try a delicate and fruity Viognier… aAnd we stretch our wine making boundaries making ruby and white Port-styled wines from Estate varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Viognier, and Picpoul Blanc.

While making wines for several years, Eagles Nest has only recently started entering selected competitions as a means of getting out name out there and also to secure some independent critical assessment of the quality of our wines and Port-style dessert wines. We seek out competitions that have an established record of credibility and ideally an international presence.

Our Ruby and White Ports have secured Medals in the 2009 New York Finger Lakes competition and also the 2009 National Women’s Wine Competition in Sonoma (all women judges!)

Grace’s review (click here) of our 07 Estate Syrah or pasted below

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Syrah Soiree, Part One

Posted by Grace at 9:15 AM

The battery acid hole and grime on the sleeve is a good touch n’est pas???

Dessert wines and Port-styled wines have their own special place for special occasions or special times of the day and are therefore worthy of a blog post and a call to step out of your comfort zone and revisit dessert wines.

Port-styled wines have a special place in Eagles’ Nest’s offerings and few wineries have the special techniques and knowledge to produce these specialized wines but that’s fine with us.

Next Valentines day (or any day you want to make special!) look at desert wine in a new light, and suggest something sweet to your sweetheart…

Dessert wines with their sticky, sweet, luscious, and ever so likable dessert-like character fit the bill.

Some suggested pairings:

Strawberries do best with a highly alcoholic and heady wine…

Orange Muscat a fortified wine:

Domestic – an Orange Muscat from California or globally a French Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is an excellent old world example.

Serve Orange Muscat as an aperitif or dessert; the wine is surprisingly versatile. Try it drizzled atop fresh fruit salad or with caramelized oranges. Another favorite with is this wine is angel food cake made with orange zest – cut the cake in half and lay down a layer of mandarin oranges previously soaked in the Orange Muscat. Add a layer of whipping cream in the middle. Finish with a drizzle of dark chocolate across the top.

Chocolate begs for Eagles Nest’s dark luscious young Ruby Port (Click here!) or dessert wine…

Domestic – Eagles Nest’s “Starboard Dessert Wine” (Port) a Cabernet Sauvignon based Port-styled wine or Quady Winery Elysium California Black Muscat Dessert Wine

Nuts or a crème brulee would go nicely with an older Tawny Port…

Tawny Ports or Port-styled wines are typically aged 7-10 years and have a golden, pleasantly nutty, oxidized character, (quite sherry like if you’re familiar with sherries) Tawnys are a mellow post dinner wine.

Please note that Tawnys do not have the color or fruit characteristics of younger White or Ruby Ports so if you are fond of these, a Tawny may not be for you. I can’t count the number of wine lovers who have exclaimed I don’t like Ports but I LOVE your Ruby Port!!!

Affordable Tawnys from Australia are suggested or you can go with an authentic classic from Portugal

Classic Apricots or Figs can be complemented with a sweet white dessert wine…

Such as a late Harvest Riesling or a good Sauterne or try one of Eagles Nest’s White Estate Port-styled varietals (Viognier or Picpoul Blanc).

Here’s a white, ruby and tawny side by side (Sandeman’s Winery)

Congratulations to the following San Diego County and Ramona wineries:

(Listed alphabetically by Winery, Vintage, Varietal, AVA)

Gold Medals

Eagles Nest Winery – 2007 Syrah Estate Ramona Valley

Eagles Nest Winery – 2007 Syrah South Coast

Ramona Winery – Schwaesdal  — Non Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon South Coast

Silver Medals

Cactus Star Vineyard – Scaredy Cat Ranch Tempranillo Ramona Valley

Hawk Watch  — 2006 Synthesis South Coast

Orrin Vineyards – 2006 Zinfandel South Coast

Ramona Winery – Non Vintage Schwaesdal Merlot South Coast

Bronze Medals

Hawk Watch  — 2005 Meritage South Coast

Hawk Watch  — 2006 Syrah South Coast

La Serenissima  2006 Cabernet Franc South Coast

Mahogany Mountain – 2007 Zinfandel Ramona Valley

Orfila Vineyards & Winery  2006 Merlot South Coast

Orfila Vineyards & Winery  2006 Sangiovese South Coast

Orfila Vineyards & Winery  2005 Syrah South Coast

Orfila Vineyards & Winery  Non Vintage Viognier South Coast

Pamo Valley Winery – 2006 Syrah Ramona Valley

Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2008 Muscat South Coast

Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2007 Casignone South Coast

Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2005 Variation-3 South Coast

Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc Ramona Valley

Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc Ramona Valley

Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Merlot Ramona Valley

————————————————————————————————————————————

Eagles Nest Winery (Twitter: @eaglesnestwine, FaceBook http://facebook.com/eaglesnestwine) wins two Gold medals in Temecula Wine Society Competition at July 29th 2009 Awards Dinner benefiting their Oenology Scholarship program. The dinner was hosted at Wiens Family Cellers event center.

The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, (Click here!) the world’s largest charitable wine competition, was open to all commercial wineries from all wine-producing countries and 2553 Wines from 543 Wineries, representing 13 countries, 39 states, and 5 Canadian Provinces.

Finger Lakes Competition Judges & support staff

National and international judges, representing distributors, educators, enologists, sommeliers, restaurateurs, winemakers, and writers, from six countries and twelve states, will evaluated the entries. Fifty judges hailed from all over the country and the world, coming from as far away as Germany, Spain, Greece and Australia.

Wine evaluator hard at work

All of the proceeds from the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition and Auction Dinner benefit the many programs and services provided by Camp Good Days to children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer and other life threatening challenges.

Our 2007 Ruby Port (100% Cabernet Sauvignon) won a Silver Medal, and our two 2008 White Ports (100% Viognier, and 100% Estate Picpoul Blanc) won Bronze Medals!!!

Eagles Nest has most recently won two Gold Medals in the 2009 Temecula Wine Competition for our 2007 Estate Syrah and 2007 Reserve Syrah (Click here!)

Eagles Nest Winery (Twitter: @eaglesnestwine, FaceBook http://facebook.com/eaglesnestwine) wins two Gold medals in Temecula Wine Society Competition at July 29^th 2009 Awards Dinner benefiting their Oenology Scholarship program. The dinner was hosted at Wiens Family Cellers event center. Other San Diego County award winners are posted at end of this posting, below.

Wiens Family Cellars Event Pavillion

Eagles Nest Winery won Gold Medals for its 2007 Estate Syrah and 2007 Reserve Syrah. The classic wines featured the deep color and flavor extraction so characteristic of hand-made boutique wines.

Food Pairing: Syrah can handle robust, hearty foods, including grilled or braised meats. Lamb is a classic pairing. Full-flavored dishes, thick stews and herby grilled vegetables are other ideal matches.

Pictured below is a portion of our estate Syrah vineyards that produced the award winning wine.

Listed further below are the San Diego County wineries medalists in the Temecula competition.

View of Eagles Nest Syrah Vineyards

Congratulations to the following San Diego County wineries:

(Listed alphabetically by Winery, Vintage, Varietal, AVA)

Gold Medals

• Eagles Nest Winery – 2007 Syrah Estate Ramona Valley
• Eagles Nest Winery – 2007 Syrah South Coast
• Ramona Winery – Schwaesdall — Non Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon South Coast

Silver Medals

• Cactus Star Vineyard – Scaredy Cat Ranch Tempranillo Ramona Valley
• Hawk Watch — 2006 Synthesis South Coast
• Orrin Vineyards – 2006 Zinfandel South Coast
• Ramona Winery – Schwaesdall – Non Vintage  Merlot South Coast

Bronze Medals

• Hawk Watch — 2005 Meritage South Coast
• Hawk Watch — 2006 Syrah South Coast
• La Serenissima 2006 Cabernet Franc South Coast
• Mahogany Mountain – 2007 Zinfandel Ramona Valley
• Orfila Vineyards & Winery 2006 Merlot South Coast
• Orfila Vineyards & Winery 2006 Sangiovese South Coast
• Orfila Vineyards & Winery 2005 Syrah South Coast
• Orfila Vineyards & Winery Non Vintage Viognier South Coast
• Pamo Valley Winery – 2006 Syrah Ramona Valley
• Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2008 Muscat South Coast
• Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2007 Casignone South Coast
• Shadow Mountain Vineyards 2005 Variation-3 South Coast
• Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc Ramona Valley
• Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Cabernet Franc Ramona Valley
• Woof’ n Rose Winery 2007 Merlot Ramona Valley

Link to Temecula Wine Society’s award page here

Wiens Family Cellars, Temecula CA

Hear some opera and learn the history of Port wines.

Our 2007 Ruby Port-styled wine is a GOLD MEDAL winner at the 2010 New York Finger Lakes International Wine Competition ( FLIWC ) – 3rd largest commercial wine competition Globally, 666 internation/national wineries and over 3,000 entries .

Below videos are hosted on You Tube

Our broadcast was 20 minutes – YouTube limits video clips to 10 minutes, so we edited the tasting into two video clips below the Operatic Aria introduction, and the Winemakers Tasting Notes discussion.

Thanks for joining us here - please visit Eagles Nest Winery and Cottage’s website and on-line web store  here ( http://eaglesnestwinery.com )

This the Port tasting portion of our Friday Video stream (~10 minutes in length)

This the Opera portion of our Friday Video Stream (~5 minutes in length)