Shady Lane’s Gruner Veltliner brings home a gold medal
SUTTON’S BAY, MICH. (July 26, 2023) – The results are in. Suttons Bay-based Shady Lane Cellars estate winery earned a total of five awards in the 16th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition.
The prestigious competition took place June 21-23 in Santa Rosa, Calif. It was expertly judged by the wine industry’s leading professional women. Results recognize the best of nearly 1,000 wines submitted, as well as those that considered most likely to appeal to women, considered to be top wine consumers.
The judges awarded a gold medal to Shady Lane Cellars 2022 Gruner Veltliner; silver status to the winery’s 2022 Pinot Noir Rose, 2020 Franc n’ Franc and 2022 Blaufrankisch, as well as a bronze score to the 2021 Sparkling Riesling.
Executive Winemaker and General Manager Kasey Wierzba said she was pleased but not surprised to see the results.
“We grow and farm Gruner Veltliner and all our grapes on our Estate using sustainable practices. The grapes are hand harvested to preserve the utmost quality, and then – to be honest – we have finely tuned our winemaking technique for this particular variety. This award is not a surprise, it’s a validation of all our hard work!”
Wierzba considers the IWWSC a unique opportunity to showcase the many women winemakers around the globe. Though, historically, winemaking was a male dominated career, the landscape has considerably shifted over the last three decades.
“People are often surprised to hear that many prestigious wineries have female winemakers,” Wierzba said. “This competition is getting the word out. It’s not that women are new to the industry, it’s just a story that doesn’t get told.”
At Shady Lane Cellars, women stand front-and center, holding key leadership positions. Wierzba joined Shady Lane Cellars in 2013 as assistant winemaker; rose to winemaker in 2016 and now leads the team as executive winemaker and general manager. Her assistant winemaker and quality control manager, Maddie Vint, joined in 2022 alongside Hospitality and Event Sales Manager Missy Check. And since 2020, Kim Simecek has managed sales and marketing for the estate winery.
“It is always a pleasure and an exciting moment to showcase our wines in a large competition like the IWWC,” said Vint. “Having our wines stand out is always the icing on the cake. Our hard work and dedication to show off these cool climate varietals pays off in moments like these.”
Debra Del Fiorentino, owner of Wine Competitions Management & Production, which organizes and presents IWWSC added: “As always, the International Women’s Wine & Spirits Competition shined a spotlight on hundreds of deserving wines.”
For full results, visit https://www.winecompetitions.com/2023-international-women-s-re.
ABOUT SHADY LANE CELLARS
Located at 9580 E. Shady Lane in Suttons Bay, Mich., Shady Lane Cellars produces one of the largest percentages of estate-grown wine in its region. Offering hilltop views of the Leelanau Peninsula in northern Michigan, the winery and its staff create a comfortable approach to wine. The winery was founded in 1999. Since 2017 all Shady Lane Cellars wines are 100 percent estate grown. In 2020, Shady Lane Cellars’ vineyard earned Sustainability in Practice – or SIP Certified – status and renewed this certification just this year. Tours, tasting experiences, private events and a wine club membership are all available. Visit www.shadylanecellars.com. Connect on Facebook or Instagram.
