Everyone had a great time at Wine & Cars Under the Stars last weekend. Don’t believe me? Check out the video:

The evening was a great success, netting nearly $50,000 for the foundations at Fairplex and their programs. If you missed Wine & Cars, you can taste the award-winning wines of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition at the L.A. County Fair, Sept. 5 - Oct. 4.

Word on the winners of the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition is spreading like wild fire! A preview tasting for the media last week in Beverly Hills has generated a lot of buzz that we are really excited about! Take a look at some more posts:

http://gastronomy-101.blogspot.com/2009/06/event-la-wine-competition-preview-and.html

http://thirstyinla.com/2009/06/19/2009-la-wine-spirits-competition/

http://lablips.dailyradar.com/story/los_angeles_international_wine_and_spirits_2009/

http://www.womenwine.com/posts/journals/18487-winners-of-the-2009-la-international-wine-competition

The winners of the 70th annual Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition were announced today and the list is an impressive one! A box wine, a Scotch whisky, repeat winners (Armida Winery and baseball legend Tommy Lasorda) and so much more! Take a look at the winners here then check out the buzz on the Web that our winners are already creating:

http://freshcatering.blogspot.com/2009/06/la-international-wine-spirits.html

http://www.diglounge.net/drinks/los-angeles-international-wine-spirits-competition/

 Congratulations to all the winners!

For three days, our judges swirled, sniffed and spit their way through more than 3,500 wines from around the globe. Today they wrapped up by choosing the best of the best in each category. Results will be available next month, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy this compilation of expert spitters:

Judges completed the first day of tasting the finest vintages the wine world has to offer at the 70th Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. Stepping into the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts, where judging is taking place, the aroma is musky, flowery, fruity, nutty. Pretty powerful!

Judges gather around round tables comparing notes on each varietal. The discussions are pretty detailed, with as many opinions flowing as there are wines! It’s a tough decision! Here is Dr. Robert Small, wine competition chairman, welcoming everyone to this prestigious event:

That’s right - it’s time. The Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition begins tomorrow. Nearly 100 international judges, more than 3,000 international wines. Who will take the gold? Keep coming back to find out more information about the 3-day event and watch for judges to be blogging and twittering in between judging!

Guest blogger and wine judge  Stacie Hunt offers some insight into being a judge at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. Stacie is a commentator on wine for National Public Radio, a Certified Sommelier (AIS), an international wine judge, educator, journalist and blogger.

Everyone has his or her own idea of spring.  In the city, the trees are in full bloom, birds sing and the hillsides are green and covered with yellow mustard blossoms.

Aromas are everywhere. For those of us who judge wines at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, the sure-fire sign of spring’s arrival comes from a football-sized room set with dozens of round tables and sparkling stemware; a room filled with scents of yeast, aromatic Riesling, citrusy Chardonnay, berry-scented Cabernet Sauvignon and fleshy Syrah.  Ah, yes, spring is here!   And so more than 100 of us judges gather from around the globe, ready and set to sniff, swirl and (begrudgingly) spit as we taste our way through more than 3,000 wine entries – all vying for medals signifying they are the best.
The judges come from the vineyards, wineries, education, journalism and kitchens of the world. 

For three days, beginning May 27, the only sounds you’ll hear emanating from this venue are clinking glasses, inhales and exhales, low-key to insistent opinions, some “oohs and aahhs,” pencils rapidly scratching notes across competition forms, papers rifling and a few exclamations (in several languages) of satisfaction and/or discovery. 

The rules are fairly strict.  Perhaps most restrictive is the announcement that no PDAs are to be turned on during judging.  What?  We can’t check emails, text or make and receive phone calls?  We feel momentarily disconnected, uneasy and uh…on our own. 

But, being selected to be a wine judge at this competition is serious business. We have to look at each pour of wine as an individual.  How does it represent the varietal or blend of varietals?  Is the color accurate, clear, brilliant or unfiltered?  Dipping our noses deep into the bowl of the glass, we sniff for the accuracy of the aromas; the style of the winemaker; the identity of the land of origin; the section of land within that origin.  Then as a taste of this sensual liquid comes across our tongues and coats our palates, we determine the final quality of each of the entrants.  Is it food friendly or one that lives on its own; are all of the elements of alcohol, fruit, tannin, acidity and sapidity in balance? Does this wine truly represent its birthright?

Then, it’s lunchtime.  We file out into the sunny courtyard and fall upon sandwiches, salads and points of view!  The conversation gets loud and stories abound.  After all, for many, it’s the first time to get together since last year! Business cards flash back and forth, get togethers are planned and conversations are punctuated with laughter, exclamations and shared excitement regarding the wine entries.  We’ve almost forgotten to check our emails.

The true benefit of a wine competition is what it means to us as consumers.  There are thousands of wines from around the world with so many opportunities to explore and venture into new taste experiences.  Where to begin?  Which have value and quality?  In this new economy, money spent demands a return on investment.  We have become more risk aversive. The wines that receive and display their medals act as a guide for the consumer. The bottles with Gold, Silver and Bronze, as well, signify that this wine is set apart from the pack.  For those winemakers and wineries, the investment in their work is validated.  They’ve now been given a showcase in the world’s wine arena.

When the wine bottle sports a Gold, Silver or Best of Show from the
Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, there is assurance that a field of pros has awarded this wine with experience, thought and taste.  And, that we wine lovers will either pull a cork or crack a seal on a new adventure.

Two weeks from today, nearly 100 international wine judges will converge on Fairplex to sniff, swirl and spit their way through more than 3,000 wines - all in attempt to crown the best of the best.

 The Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition begins May 27. Right now, wine staff are busy preparing the thousands of bottles of wine, spirits and extra virgin olive oil for judging, washing thousands of glasses and printing thousands of labels for the blind testing. It’s a huge undertaking, our competition!

Keep checking back to find out the behind-the-scenes buzz. We will also have some special guests blogging their thoughts about the competition, so stay tuned.

And don’t forget the public’s first opportunity to taste the medal winners is June 20 at Wine & Cars Under the Stars - a fun evening of classic wine and classic cars which benefits the foundations at Fairplex.

Last Saturday I was lucky to be able to attend the Zinfandel Festival at Fort Mason in San Francisco. ZAP, The Association of Zinfandel Advocates & Producers celebrates Zinfandel America’s Heritage Grape and is dedicated to preserving the history of Zinfandel through the Heritage Vineyard at UC Davis. It is the largest single varietal tasting in the World with more than 300 Zinfandel producers featuring barrel samples, new releases and premier Zinfandels.

For me it’s a great opportunity to taste many of the wines that enter the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, meet the winemakers and thank them for entering the competition and meet new producers as well. It was such a fun experience to compare and taste so many different styles and characters of Zinfandel.

Michael David Vineyards which has consistently won Gold Medals with “7 Deadly Zins,” “Earthquake Zin” and “Lust” released a new Zin called “Gluttony.” This wine was produced from their two best vineyards of 2006. It was rich and juicy with an abundance of blackberries and raspberries on the palate with soft vanilla spices on the finish.

Carol Shelton Wines, Maple Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley, 2005 had deep blackberries, black pepper with a touch of chocolate on the finish. 

Maple Vineyards, located in the Dry Creek Valley have consistently produced great Zinfandel for several wineries for many years, including last year’s Best of Show Armida Winery, Zinfandel, Maple Vineyards, 2006. They have launched their own label using their style of winemaking. The wine is really delicious with floral aromas and intense fruit of dark plums, rich blackberries with nice spice on an elegant finish.

Davis Family Vineyards, Russian River Valley, Old Vine, 2006 has lots of red raspberry and dark plums, very rich and luscious.

Peachy Canyon Winery, is located in Paso Robles. They had three different Zinfandels, all excellent. My favorite was the 2006 estate vineyards, which had rich raspberries with a spicy peppery finish. 

C.G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery had a barrel sample of their 2007 Di Arie Sierra Foothills. It was full of rich juicy raspberries and blackberries with a fresh lively finish.

I could go on and on. There were so many delicious Zins, it definitely was the ultimate “zinful experience.”

FINAL NOTE: The Cellar Master will be pouring Gold Medal Wines from the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition at Tutti Mangia, Tuesday, February 10 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. The cost is $10.

Come to McKinley’s Grille at the Sheraton Fairplex hotel Thursday, January 22, from 6 - 8 p.m. to find out. The Sheraton’s monthly wine tastings include a variety of wine, food and spirits pairings, a gustatory delight for foodies who enjoy the pleasures of the palate.

Thursday’s culinary adventure will feature tequila tastings, award-winning wines from the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, naturally, and a variety of wonderful McKinley’s Grille food samplings. (Note: It’s enough food to count as dinner).

The whole shindig is just $24 per person, including tax and gratuity. Try it. You’ll have fun.

Where: 601 W. McKinley Avenue, Pomona, CA
When: 6 p.m.
Cost: $24

Call 909-868-5915 for rezzies.