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2nd Annual Foothill Wine Festival Competition Crowns Best Wines

2nd Annual Foothill Wine Festival Competition Crowns Bella Grace Vineyards Vermentino Best White, Casino Mine Ranch Tempranillo Best Red, Gwinllan Estate Sparkling Rosé Best Sparkling, Vino Noceto “Rosato di Sangiovese” Best Rosé and Lewis Grace “Fashionably Late” Viognier Best Dessert Wine

Folsom, Calif., —March 8, 2022— The results are in from the 2nd annual Foothill Wine Festival Competition, and once again, a Tempranillo rose to the top to take Best Red of Show. This year, it was the 2018 Casino Mine Ranch Tempranillo from Shenandoah Valley (Amador). Last year, Amador Cellars took Best Red for their 2016 Estate Tempranillo. There were 10 Tempranillos entered this year. 

Best White of Show went to the 2021 Bella Grace Vineyards Vermentino from Amador County: it was one of six Vermentinos in this year’s field. Best of Show Rosé was awarded to Vino Noceto for thei 2021 Noceto Rosato di Sangiovese from Shenandoah Valley. There were 20 rosés entered this year.

Best Sparkling once again went to Gwinllan Estate, this time for their 2019 Estate Rosé Sparkling from Fairplay. Best Dessert went to the 2021 Lewis Grace “Fashionably Late” Late Harvest Viognier from Fair Play. Other contenders for Best Dessert were the 2019 Sobon Estate Zinfandel Port (Amador) and the Château d’ Estienne 2014 Port (Fair Play). 

Held in Folsom on Saturday and Sunday, March 5 & 6, the competition was open to wines bearing labels from any District 10 county, including Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer and Tuolumne. It was sponsored by the Greater Folsom Partnership, which will host the upcoming consumer tasting that will celebrate the winning wines of the Sierra Foothills on April 2, 2022, at the Palladio event center in Folsom. Tickets: www.foothillwinefest.com.

Judges, which included media, sommeliers and wine buyers from throughout California, awarded 34 Double Gold medals this year, 9 more than last year. To win a

Double Gold, all judges on a panel must concur that the wine is of superior quality. Scores of 95 points and higher were awarded to those wines. 

The largest category this year was Zinfandel, with 39 entries, up from 32 in 2021, followed by Barbera with 27, Cabernet Sauvignon with 24, Proprietary Reds with 22, and both Sangiovese and Syrah with 15 entries.

Cooper Winery LLC, Drytown Cellars and Lewis Grace Winery tied for the most Best of Class awards, with three each. Both Nello Olivo Wines and Wise Villa earned two Best of Class awards.  There were 28 wines in the finals Sweepstakes round, vying for “Best of” honors. 

Best of Class winners for the 2022 Foothill Wine Competition are as follows:

Shadow Ranch Vineyard 2019 Zinfandel Best of Class Zinfandel 97 El Dorado
Drytown Cellars  NV “Gold:”  White Wine Blend Best of Class Other Whites 91 Sierra Foothills
Miraflores Winery 2018 Estate Barbera Best of Class Barbara 98 El Dorado
Sobon Estate 2019 Syrah Best of Class Syrah 97 Amador County
Lewis Grace 2021 Viognier  Best of Class Viognier 92 El Dorado
Twisted Oak NV Petite Sirah Best of Class Petite Sirah 97 Calaveras County
Wise Villa Winery 2021 Sauvignon Blanc  Best of Class Sauvignon Blanc 95 Sierra Foothills
Cooper Vineyards LLC 2018 “Sangiobello” Best of Class Sangiovese 92 Amador County
Holly’s Hill Vineyards NV “Rockbound” Best of Class Rhone Base Reds 96 El Dorado
Cielo Estate 2019 “Eighteen Eighty” Best of Class Super Tuscan Blend 95 El Dorado County
Rosa-Lucca Estates 2017 “Fratelli” Best of Class Red Blend Proprietary 95 El Dorado
Avanguardia Wines 2018 Lagrein Best of Class Other Red Varietals 94 Sierra Foothills
Windwalker Vineyard 2019 Cabernet Franc Best of Class Cabernet Franc 91 Fair Play
Lewis Grace Winery 2020 Grenache Best of Class Grenache 95 El Dorado
PleinAir Vineyards 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Best of Class Cabernet Sauvignon 96 Sierra Foothills
Polynesian Girl 2018 Malbec Reserve Best of Class Malbec 92 Sierra Foothills
Andis Wines 2020 “Painted Fields Curse of Knowledge” Best of Class Red Blend Bordeaux 93 Sierra Foothills
Wise Villa Winery 2020 Pinot Noir  Best of Class Pinot Noir 92 Sierra Foothills
Cooper Vineyards LLC NV Cooper Ranch Red Best of Class Italian Blends 91 Amador County
Cooper Vineyards LLC 2019 Mourvedre Best of Class Mourvedre 96 Amador County
Vino Noceto 2021 Dry Rose Blush Best of Class Rose 95 Shenandoah Valley (Amador)
Lewis Grace Winery 2021 “Fashionably Late” Viognier Best of Class Dessert Wine 95 El Dorado
Bella Grace Vineyards 2021 Vermentino Best of Class Vermentino 95 Amador County
Casino Mine Ranch 2018 Tempranillo Best of Class Tempranillo 96 Shenandoah Valley (Amador)
Gwinllan Estate 2019 Sparking Rose Best of Class Sparkling Wine 95 Fair Play
Drytown Cellars  2021 Chardonnay Best of Class Chardonnay 95 Sierra Foothills
Avio Vineyards 2021 Pinot Grigio Best of Class Pinot Grigio 91 Amador County
Nello Olivo Wines 2019 Merlot Best of Class Merlot 93 El Dorado County; Sierra Foothills
Amador Cellars 2020 Fiano Best of Class Other White Varietals 91 Amador County
Le Casque 2021 Picpoul Blanc Best of Class Other White Varietals 91 Sierra Foothills
Drytown Cellars  2021 Verdelho Best of Class Other White Varietals 91 Shenandoah Valley (Amador)
Nello Olivo Wines 2018 Sagrantino Best of Class Other Italian Red Varietials 92 El Dorado County; Sierra Foothills
Starfield Vineyards 2019 Aglianico Best of Class Other Italian Red Varietials 92 El Dorado

Competition Coordinator, Coleen Schwietert, noted, “Such a broad selection of Double Gold winning wines from Barbera to Mourvedre to Vermentino clearly demonstrates that the Foothills is so much more than Zinfandel! Congratulations to all the wineries who entered and shared their amazing wines with us.  ‪We are fortunate to have wonderful support from our judges, who include prominent sommeliers, restaurant owners, winery staff, winemakers and wine writers, in promoting the Foothill Wine Fest.” 

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Mike Owen, President & CEO of Crystal Basin Cellars, developed and organized the Foothills Wine Competition in conjunction with Joe Gagliardi, CEO of the Greater Folsom Partnership. 

“As we complete the second judging effort for the Foothill Wine Festival, we are thankful for the strong industry support, as almost 70 wineries entered wines. For the second year in a row, the judges were impressed with the range and breadth of wines from the Foothills,” Owen said. 

He noted the judges consistently commented on the elevated quality of the wines, the exciting varieties grown in the region, and how the wines continue to evolve and impress. 

“We expect an enthusiastic crowd again when the entrants pour their award-winning wines for the public at the Foothill Wine Fest on Saturday April 2nd.  The goal of all this effort is to create exposure and foot traffic for wineries over the spring and summer months.”

Tickets to the Foothill Wine Fest, including overnight hotel packages and gift cards to the Palladio shopping mall, are available on the Festival Website: www.foothillwinefest.com.

For more information, contact Coleen: coleens@folsompartners.com

About the Greater Folsom Partnership

The Greater Folsom Partnership is a collaboration of the Folsom Chamber of Commerce, the Folsom Tourism Bureau and the Folsom Economic Development Corporation. Representing approximately 1,000 members, these organizations are the principal advocates for business and a vibrant economy to support the quality of life in Folsom. www.foothillwinefest.com. 

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