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.”
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.
