July 30, 2024 – HOPLAND, CA – Mendocino Winegrowers, Inc. (MWI) has announced that the 2024 Mendocino County Fair Wine Competition – the 45th annual – will be a People’s Choice Blind Tasting event.
On Saturday, August 17, wine lovers are invited to taste and judge more than 100 wines with Mendocino County appellations and sub-appellations. Attendees will vote to determine which medals are awarded to each wine, as well as Best in Class and Best in Show. The competition will be held at Brutocao School House Plaza in Hopland from 1-4 pm.
As in years past, Gold medal winners will be invited to pour their wines at the Mendocino County Apple Fair in Boonville from September 13-15.
“Wine is wonderfully subjective,” says Elizabeth Archer, MWI’s Marketing Chair. “Professional judges lend credibility, but we’re confident the results of a democratic vote by savvy wine lovers will be just as meaningful.”
In addition to voting, attendees will have the opportunity to provide comments on their favorite wines, with a prize going to the best Judge’s Note: two VIP tickets to next year’s wine competition.
There are benefits for the wineries outside of the possibility of winning a medal or a coveted Best In Show award. “Having a consumer-focused competition will give us great insights,” says MWI Executive Director Bonnie Butcher. “Consumer tastes and trends shift, and this is a chance to see in real-time what people are liking right now.” Wineries will get the voting results as well as customized judge’s notes for each wine they enter.
“This is a fun chance to make a wine competition relevant and exciting to consumers, and it’s a rare opportunity to participate in a blind tasting,” says Archer. “It’s a little unorthodox, but Mendocino County has always gone against the grain, so this is wonderfully on brand for us.”
Each $65 ticket includes a glass, a ballot, wine tasting across 16 categories, and three tacos courtesy of local eatery Taqueria Michoacan. Tickets and more information can be found at mendowine.com.
