Awards

In addition to Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, the ICCWC awards three Best of Category wines (red, white, specialty/fortified) as well as the Minnesota Governor’s Cup Award. Below are the results of this year’s inaugural event.

A complete listing of all the winners can be found by visiting the website for the 2009 Minnesota State Fair.

Categories

There were 34 different competition categories, including Native Grape, French & American Hybrids, Sparkling, Specialty & Fortified, Non-Grape, and 100% Cold Hardy Grape wines.

Native Grapes
Labrusca white grape
Labrusca red grape
Riparia

Red Grape¹
Frontenac
Marechal Foch
Marquette
Sabrevois
St. Croix
Other Red Hybrids (hybrid must be identified; Superintendent reserves the right to disqualify any variety deemed not “Cold Hardy” for the purposes of this competition)
Red Blends (75% cold hardy varieties listed below)
Blush/Rose (75% cold hardy varieties listed below)

White Grape¹
Frontenac Gris
Edelweiss
Kay Gray
LaCrescent
LaCrosse
Louise Swenson
Prairie Star
St. Pepin
Other White Hybrids (hybrid must be identified; Superintendent reserves the right to disqualify any variety deemed not “Cold Hardy” for the purposes of this competition)
White Blends (75% cold hardy varieties listed below)

Specialty & Fortified²
Port Style
Late Harvest
Other Dessert

Sparkling²
Grape, dry/semi-dry (less than 1% residual sugar)
Grape, sweet (greater than 1% residual)
Fruit, dry/semi-dry and sweet (made from cold-hardy fruit varieties listed under non-grape wine)

Non-Grape Wines³
Apple and pear wines
Stone fruit wines
Berry wines
Mead and mead/fruit blends
Rhubarb wine

100% Cold Hardy Grape Wines
100% Cold Hardy Red – a minimum 75% varietal or blend containing 100% cold hardy grape varieties as listed below; Red wine
100% Cold Hardy White – a minimum 75% varietal or blend containing 100% cold hardy grape varieties as listed below; White wine.

1. Only French & American Hybrids as listed
2. Only wines made from cold-hardy grape varieties listed under Native & Hybrid may enter
3. cold-hardy fruit wines and mead as listed may enter

Wine Century Club Seal

WHAT IS THE WINE CENTURY CLUB?

The Wine Century Club was founded by Deborah and Steve De Long in 2005 in New York, NY, to promote “the many unsung grape varieties used to make wine.”   The club’s inaugural meeting was held in Manhattan on March 16 at Lo Scalco restaurant, and included a five-course dinner.  Dishes were paired with wines such as Ocone Falanghina del Taburno 2003 and a Nusserhof Südtiroler Lagrein Riserva 2000.  Since this first meeting and a starting membership of 32, the club has grown to an official membership of 590 and boasts local chapters from coast-to-coast.

The Wine Century Club is for all adventurous wine lovers.  The club is for all those who enjoy wines and seek to explore wines made from lesser known varietals. If you’ve already tried at least 100 grape varieties, you’re qualified to join the Wine Century Club.  Simply download an application form here in either Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Excel format and return it to us via email.

Wine Century Application.pdf (To download this form you will need Adobe Reader®) which you can download for free.

Wine Century Application.xls (To download this form you will need Microsoft Excel®)

If you have yet to reach the century mark and would like to learn more, consider joining a local chapter of the Wine Century Club.

WHAT DOES THE INLAND NORTHWEST CHAPTER OFFER?

The state of Washington has gained a reputation for producing some great wines, especially from the classical grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.  There is however a world of uncommon varietals that awaits.   Based in Spokane, WA, the Inland Northwest (INW) Chapter of the Wine Century Club is positioned on the doorstep of Washington’s premier wine producing regions.  The INW Chapter promotes regional wine events allowing its members to compare the common and uncommon grape varieties.  If you’re interested in an exploration of the world through the its wines, please consider joining the Inland Northwest Chapter of the Wine Century Club.