June 16th – Orange County Wine Society (OCWS), in partnership with the OC Fair, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition. The 47th annual competition received 2,260 entries from 353 wineries this year. Wines were divided into 115 varietal categories and then judged by price range and sugar level. In addition to the 20 Best of Class medals (listed below), the competition also awarded 119 Double Gold medals and 458 Gold medals. This year included some unique varietals such as Falanghina, Mencia, Teroldego, and Trincadeira.
Best of Class – Red Varietals
- Premium Price Level
- 915 Lincoln, 2019 Merlot (Adelaida District AVA) ($45) 96 Points
- High Price Level
- Jeff Runquist “R”, 2019 Charbono (Sierra Foothills AVA) ($29) 98 Points
- Medium Price Level
- End of the Day Wines – Caliza Winery, 2021 Rhône Style Blends – Red, “Red Cuvée” (Paso Robles AVA) ($30) 94 Points
- Low Price Level
- Mark West Wines, 2021 Pinot Noir (Central Coast AVA) ($15.99) 95 Points
Best of Class – White Varietals
- Premium Price Level
- Dancing Crow Vineyards, 2022 Sauvignon Blanc – “Farmer’s Cuvée” (Lake County AVA) ($35) 97 Points
- High Price Level
- Oak Farm Vineyards, 2022 Sauvignon Blanc (California) ($26) 97 Points
- Medium Price Level
- Wolfson Cellars, 2020 Sauvignon Blanc (California) ($15.99) 94 Points
- Low Price Level
- Montpellier Vineyards, 2021 Viognier (California) ($6.99) 94 Points
Best of Class – Rosé Wines
- Premium Price Level
- Four Lanterns Winery, 2022 Rosé Other Varietals – “House Rosé” (California) ($36) 93 Points High Price Level
- Pech Merle Winery, 2022 Rosé Other Varietals – “Ivy Rosé de Zinfandel, Single Vineyard” (Mendocino County) ($27) 95 Points
- Medium Price Level
- Carol Shelton Wines, 2022 Rosé Rhône Varietals – “Wild Thing Rendezvous Rosé” (Mendocino County) ($18.99) 94 Points
- Low Price Level
- Dark House, 2022 Rosé Bordeaux Varietals (California) ($9.99) 91 Points
Best of Class – Dessert Wines
- Premium Price Level
- Rancho de Philo, NV “Triple Cream Sherry” (Cucamonga Valley, CA) ($49.95) 96 Points High Price Level
- Carruth Cellars, 2018 Vintage Port (Rockpile AVA) ($32) 94 Points
- Medium Price Level
- St. Amant Winery, 2020 Ruby Port – “Bootleg Port” (Amador County) ($18) 92 Points Low Price Level
- Barefoot, NV Pinot Grigio – “Pink Pinot Grigio” (California) ($6.99) 94 Points
Best of Class – Sparkling Wines
- Premium Price Level
- Foppiano, 2017 Sparkling Blanc de Blancs (Russian River Valley AVA) ($50) 96 Points High Price Level
- McFadden, NV Sparkling Rosé – “Sparkling Cuvée Brut Rosé” (Potter Valley AVA) ($35) 90 Points
- Medium Price Level
- Scotto Family Cellars, NV Sparkling Wine – “Brut” (California) ($18) 95 Points Low Price Level
- Korbel Champagne Cellars, NV Sparkling Blanc de Noirs – “Blanc de Noirs” (California) ($14) 94 Points
OCWS (a 501(c)3 corporation) has been hosting the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition for over four decades. OCWS boasts over 1,100 wine enthusiast members who volunteer their time to present the largest competition of California only wines in the world. In addition to running the OC Fair Commercial and Home Wine Competitions, the OCWS has donated over $780,000 in scholarships to eight California institutions with wine-related educational programs. This wine competition is unique because of its double-blind judging by commercial winery owners and winemakers. The competition also has no entry fee, making it accessible to all California wineries, large and small.
Wine entries from the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition can be enjoyed during the OC Fair at the Wine Courtyard, which is also hosted by the OCWS. This year’s OC Fair “Happy Together” runs from July 15th through August 14th, Wednesday through Sunday.
Go to WineCompetition.com to view all the medal winners from the 2023 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition. This results website allows consumers to search for award-winning wines based on several search categories including varietals, award, price level, winery name, and more.
