A Pennsylvania white, from Central PA, a Quebec ice apple wine, a New York Finger Lakes sparkling wine, and a California cabernet from Temecula Valley were among the top wines honored at the 2011 American Wine Society Commercial Wine Competition in November in Rochester, New York. There were 527 wines entered from across the country and Canada in one of the oldest wine competitions in the nation. For the first time this year the competition, which began in 1986, included “Best of” categories. The competition yielded a total of 21 double gold and 24 gold medals in six categories. A double gold required a unanimous vote by the judging panel.

The Best of Show winner Best Red Wine went to boutique producer Fazeli Cellars of Irvine for its 2008 Khayyam, a 100 percent cabernet sauvignon. Fazeli Cellars also earned a double gold for its 2008 Valda, a red Rhone-style blend.

Other top wineries include:
Best white wine: Seven Mountains Wine Cellars 2010 Vidal Blanc (Pennsylvania)
Best fruit wine: Domaine Pinnacle, 2009 Ice Apple (Quebec, Eastern Townships)
Best desert wine: Leonard Oakes Estate Winery, 2008 Vidal Ice wine (western New York)
Best sparkling wine: Chateau Frank 2006 Blanc de Noir (Finger Lakes New York)
Best rose: Presque Isle Wine Cellars Blushing Heron, a concord/Niagara blend (western New York)

Seven Mountains was also awarded medals in the following categories:

• Distinguished Gold: Riesling 2010
• Distinguished Gold: Vidal Blanc 2010
• Gold: Afternoon Delight 2010
• Gold: Cranberry 2010
• Silver: Traminette 2010
• Silver: Rattlehead Red 2010
• Silver: Riesling (Dry) 2010
• Silver: Vidal Blanc Ice 2010
• Bronze: Ten Point 2009

Twenty-one judges evaluated the wines over two days at the Radisson Riverside Hotel in Rochester in conjunction with the American Wine Society’s 44th annual conference. Evaluators included graduates of the rigorous AWS wine judging certification program along with leading wine writers and other prominent wine professionals.