Announcing Winners of the 2024 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition

June 12, 2024 – Orange County, California – Orange County Wine Society (OCWS), in partnership with the OC Fair, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition. The 48^th annual competition received 2,518 entries from hundreds of wineries this year. Wines were divided into 113 varietal categories and then judged by price range and sugar level. In addition to the 19 Best of Class medals (listed below), the competition also awarded 147 Double Gold medals and 439 Gold medals in addition to Silver and Bronze medals. This year included some unique varietals such as Pedro Ximenez and Dobricic. Of note this year are also White Malbec, White Pinot Noir, and Orange Wine (grape wine with extensive skin contact), and a comeback of an old classic, Cream Sherry!

BEST OF CLASS WINNERS

Best of Class – Red Varietals

• Premium Price Level
  • Brecon Estate, 2022 Grenache (Paso Robles AVA) ($70) 96 Points
• High Price Level
  • Sycamore Ranch Vineyard & Winery, 2022 GSM (Central Coast AVA) ($45) 96 Points
• Medium Price Level
  • Jeff Runquist “R”, 2022 Sangiovese (Amador County) ($30) 95 Points
• Low Price Level
  • Castle Rock Winery, 2022 Pinot Noir Reserve (Russian River Valley AVA) ($17.99) 95 Points

Best of Class – White Varietals

• Premium Price Level
  • Bishop Forbes Wines, 2022 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley AVA) ($45) 95 Points
• High Price Level
  • La Mesa Vineyards, 2023 Chardonnay (El Dorado County) ($29) 96 Points
• Medium Price Level
  • Husch Vineyards, 2023 Sauvignon Blanc (Mendocino AVA) ($18) 95 Points
• Low Price Level
  • E&J Gallo Winery – Barefoot Cellars, NV Chardonnay – “Buttery Chardonnay” (California) ($6.99) 94 Points

Best of Class – Rosé Wines

• Premium Price Level
  • San Pasqual Winery, 2023 Rosé of Cabernet Franc (Rosé Other Varietals) (San Diego County) ($35) 95 Points
• High Price Level
  • Notre Vue Estate Wine Group – Balverne, 2023 Rosé of Pinot Noir (Rosé Other Varietals) (Russian River Valley AVA) ($24) 91 Points
• Medium Price Level
  • Chateau Lean-to, 2023 Rosé (Rosé Rhône Varietals) – “Mi Amore Rosé” (Dry Creek Valley AVA) ($15) 91 Points
• Low Price Level
  • Allan Hancock College Winery, 2022 Rosé of Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County) ($15) 90 Points

Best of Class – Dessert Wines

• Premium Price Level
  • Prager Winery and Port Works, 2020 Vintage Port – “Royal Escort” (Napa Valley AVA) ($95) 94 Points
• High Price Level
  • Heringer Estates, NV Ruby Port – “Embrace Red Dessert Wine” (Clarksburg AVA) ($28) 96 Points
• Medium Price Level
  • Bogle Family Wine Collection, 2018 Vintage Port – “Petite Sirah Port” (Clarksburg AVA) ($18.99) 94 Points

Best of Class – Sparkling Wines

• Premium Price Level
  • Steinbeck Vineyards and Winery, 2021 Sparkling Blanc de Blancs – Extra Brut, Chardonnay (Paso Robles Estrella District AVA) ($60) 94 Points
• High Price Level
  • Rescue Dog Wines, 2019 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc – 100% Chardonnay (Lodi AVA) ($37.99) 92 Points
• Medium Price Level
  • Korbel Champagne Cellars, NV Sparkling Rosé – Brut Rosé (California) ($14) 91 Points
• Low Price Level
  • E&J Gallo Winery – Barefoot Bubbly, NV Sparkling Rosé – Brut Rosé (California) ($9.99) 94 Points

OCWS (a 501(c)3 corporation) has been hosting the OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition for over four decades.  OCWS boasts over 1,000 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 $838,000 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 “Always A Good Time” runs from July 19^th through August 18^th, Wednesday through Sunday.

Go to WineCompetition.com to view all the medal winners from the 2024 OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition (and previous years).  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.

For more details on the OCWS, please contact Carolyn Christian (carolyn@ocws.org), OCWS President. For more details on the Competition, contact Fran Gitsham (fran@ocws.org), Competition Chair and OCWS Vice President.