Winners Are Announced for 2019 East Meets West Wine Challenge

Sean Minor Wines 2016 Pinot Noir and Johnson Estate Winery’s Ice Wine of Chambourcin Take Top Awards

Santa Rosa, Calif., (February 8, 2019) — Results are now available for the annual East Meets West Wine Challenge. Owned and operated by Wine Competitions Management & Productions, the judging took place at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds February 5-6, 2019 from a field of over 1,100 wines. 

“East Meets West” challenges the winners from the International Eastern Wine Competition against their counterparts from the West Coast Wine Competition in a taste-off to determine which wine rates best overall.     

Since 1982, the West Coast Wine Competition (WCWC) has annually recognized wines produced and bottled in the West. The International Eastern Wine Competition (IEWC), launched in 1975, is one of the oldest and longest running wine competitions in the nation.

Both competitions ran concurrently. The Best of Show wines from the IEWC competed head-to-head with the Best of Show wines from the WCWC. Traditional awards were given in each division. This format afforded each entrant two chances to win; one in its own competition and one in the taste-off for wines advancing to the top level. A Riesling Challenge was also held for the entrants in each division.

According to event owner, Debra Del Fiorentino, “This year, we got so many new wineries that have never entered our wine competitions before. We had a 29% increase in the number of east coast entries. The wineries are really stepping it up and the bar has been raised. It’s unbelievable and quite frankly unheard of.”

The East Meets West collected 57 Best of Class awards and 24% Double Gold and Gold medals.

This year’s top honors were awarded as follows:

Winners West Coast Wine Competition

• Best of Show: Sean Minor Wines, 2016, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast
• Winner Riesling Challenge: Navarro Vineyards, 2016, Riesling Cluster Select, Late Harvest

Winners International Eastern Wine Competition

• Best of Show: Johnson Estate Winery, LLC, 2017, Ice Wine of Chambourcin, New York, Lake Erie

• Winner Riesling Challenge: Chateau LaFayette Reneau, 2017, Semi/Dry Riesling, Finger Lakes

For a complete list of winners, visit the winecompetitions.com or enofileonline.com.

About Wine Competitions Management & Production (WCPM) and Libations Logistics

Based in Santa Rosa, Calif., WCM&P is an independently owned and operated adult beverage competition company with a uniquely designed portfolio to appeal to a niche market based on its regional or otherwise defined style of judging. Judges are internationally renowned and respected experts whose mission is to provide a quality assessment of wine and spirits, and offer its winners a unique selling proposition to promote their medal-winning products. WCM&P was recently voted by competing professionals as the best and most professional wine competition management company with top notch judges, backroom staff, and partnering. Its wine competitions include the prestigious world-renowned Sunset Int’l Wine Competition, The Press Democrat North Coast Wine Challenge, Harvest Challenge, West Coast Wine Competition, International Eastern Wine Competition, East Meets West, International Women’s Wine Competition, and the Craft Distillers Spirits Competition. It also operates the Mendocino Cider Competition and manages Dan Berger’s International Wine Competition.