AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY® NEWS Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education

Volume 30, No. 6 www.americanwinesociety.org December 2016 President’s Message Contents Frank Aquilino

Amateur Winemaking Awards 9 This is my last submission as President and I will miss connecting with you. I've just gotten home AWS 50th Anniversary 7 from our 49th National Conference in Costa Mesa, CA, which was smaller in attendance than we've Chapter Events 13 seen in recent years, but the energy, attitude and spirit was very high. My family and I took ad- Editor’s Musings 2 vantage of being on the West Coast coupled with fabulous 85 to 90° temperatures by stretching Government Affairs 8 our 4 days of conference activities to 12 days touring California and 4 days in Las Vegas. Member Service News 4 The AWS Award of Merit that is presented to a professional in the wine world went this National Office News 3 year to a real pioneer and industry leader, National Conference 5 Peter Mondavi Sr. Un- fortunately Peter National Tasting Project `6 passed away in Febru- ary 2016 at age 101, Outstanding Member 3 so Peter Mondavi Jr. accepted the award for Wine Judge Training 7 his father. The Mon- davis and Charles Krug Winery have been great supporters and friends to the AWS. The annual award we bestow upon an outstanding member of our Dreaming of a Board Position Society went this year to Tom King. Tom has been an active mem- ber and dedicated volunteer for 48 years. Kristin Kraft Anyone who has attended our National Con- Cont. on Page 4 ferences knows that they are fast-paced. With the hiring of Director Member Services David Falchek as the new Executive Director and the election of Board Secretary Joe Broski as the incoming vice-president, in- New AWS Executive Director coming President Kristin Kraft must appoint David Falchek replacements for them for the remainder of their terms on the board. The volunteer posts begin Jan. 1, 2017. At the National Conference in Costa Mesa, President Frank Aquilino an- The Secretary position is for two years and entails attending nounced that David Falchek has been and voting in board meetings (once a month or less via selected as the next Executive Direc- phone and twice per year in person), recording them and tor of the American Wine Society. providing minutes. David brings a wealth of experience The Member Services Director is a one year position. It re- to the office as an AWS member quires working with the Board of Directors and national of- since 1999 and as our Director of fice to develop and devise new services and services delivery Member Service since 2011. He also to the members, either directly or through chapters, coordi- brings new ideas and energy to the nating functions of the Regional Vice Presidents, and assist- National Office to help AWS grow and ing in collaboration efforts among front-line AWS leaders. expand the benefits we offer our members. Following the appointed term, the board members will need to run for re-election to retain the positions. The 4 person Search Committee reviewed 70 applications for the position from both AWS members and non-members. They con- To be considered, please submit your name and a brief de- ducted 15 phone interviews and 4 in-person interviews before mak- scription of your experience and goals to vicepresi- ing their recommendations to the Board of Directors. At the Board [email protected] by Dec. 19. meeting on October 7, David was selected. Is a Board position too much of a commitment? We have David succeeds John Hames, who is stepping down after 6½ years plenty of other volunteer opportunities. Just let us know in the position. At the conference, John your interest and experience and we will find a place for stated “AWS is in a great position to grow. Cont. on Page 3 you. Our finances are sound, our membership is Editor’s Musings Pam Davey The American Wine Society, founded in 1967, is the oldest and The 2016 National Conference is now just largest consumer based wine edu- a fond memory, but it was terrific, as usu- cation organization in North al. I’ve attended 40 AWS conferences and America. they have all been great, but having ours We are a non-profit, educational in one of California’s lesser-known wine corporation. Membership is open regions was terrific—many of us took the to the general public and is bene- opportunity to spend extra time to explore ficial for those who have a keen the interest in wine, winemaking and/ or wine culture. Temecula area. Thanks to Our mission: Promoting Apprecia- Diane Meyer, the Confer- tion of Wine Through Education. ence Committee and all of the volunteers that made www.americanwinesociety.org this event a reality. Be sure to put our 50th Anni- versary Conference on your calendar—Nov. 2-4, 2017, in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. January 1 will mark several significant leadership changes for AWS National Office our group—a new National Office and staff, new Board mem- John Hames Executive Director bers and a new location for our national headquarters. Huge thanks to John Hames, Mike Farren and Frank Aquilino for their Mike Farren Member Service Manager support and assistance in putting together the AWS News. I P. O. Box 279 will miss them, but am looking forward to working with David, Englewood, OH 45322 Katie and Kristin. Phone (888) AWS-9070 We will also be seeing some big (888) 297-9070 changes in the AWS News staff. Joe Fax (937) 529-7888 Broski has been my right hand since 2008. He has collected your Email [email protected] chapter activities and put them to- [email protected] gether into the Chapter Events, Website www.americanwinesociety.org which is the heart of this publication. Joe spends countless hours organiz- ing and refining your submissions. I 2016 AWS National Officers am grateful for his work for the last 8 President Frank Aquilino years. Joe will become our national Vice President in January, so we will Vice President Kristin Kraft still work together. This issue marks Secretary Joe Broski his last Chapter News article—LeAnne Wheeler will be taking over the position in 2017. Joe, thank you so much for all your Treasurer Tom Wallman time and devotion, my friend! Directors at Large Lee Baldieri has served as our Winemak- Competitions Joe Dautlick ing columnist for the last 5 years. An AWS Education Aaron Mandel member since 2002, he also chaired the Fair- Membership David Falchek field County Chapter. Lee has sold his busi- ness and is also reducing his AWS responsi- AWS News Staff bilities so he can spend more time with his Pam Davey Editor—[email protected] family and do other things he enjoys. We will miss his advice and winemaking tips. His John Hames Publisher column was fun to read, even for those of us [email protected] who aren’t winemakers. Thank you Lee! Lee Baldieri [email protected] Exciting times—I am looking forward to the “new AWS” in Joe Broski [email protected] 2017! Wishing you and your family a joyous holiday season Tom Cobett [email protected] and lots of good wine to share. Cheers! Sharyn Kervyn [email protected] Pam Bonnie Lance [email protected] [email protected] Diane Meyer [email protected] AWS in Social Media The AWS News is the official newsletter of the American Wine Society. It is published bi-monthly in February, Help spread the word by "liking us" on Facebook April, June, August, October and December. It is also http://www.facebook.com/americanwinesociety posted on our website www.americanwinesociety.org. Join our LinkedIn Group http://www.linkedin.com We welcome your comments, letters and articles. Please Search "Groups" for American Wine Society send your contributions to the editor [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter @AmericanWineSoc ISSN 1543-205X

AWS News December 2016 Page 2 National Office News Tom King John Hames 2016 Outstanding Member

Well, this is it….my last AWS News article Tom received the AWS Outstanding Member award as Executive Director. I could go on and on at our National Conference. Here is the inscription about how far we’ve come in the last 6½ on the plaque that we gave him. years and list a bunch of things I’m proud to say I was a part of…..but I won’t. All I In recognition of his many years want to say is that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed of service, the American Wine every minute of this experience and I will Society celebrates the contribu- miss interfacing with you, the members of tions of Tom King by presenting this Society, on a daily basis. I’ve enjoyed him our 2016 Outstanding Mem- being here to help you through problems, answer your ques- ber Award. His numerous contri- tions and learn more about you and about your chapter. I’m butions to AWS include: not going anywhere—I’ll always be involved with AWS in some capacity (I think it’s in my blood), but it will never be  AWS member since 1968 the same as being here every day to answer your phone calls  Founding member of the Pittsburgh, PA and Lewisville, and e-mails. NC AWS Chapters So as I turn the National Office over to David with great  Co-chair of the 1989 and 2007 National Conferences hopes for the future of AWS, I say thank you to every mem-  Commercial Wine Competition support for several years ber and every chapter of the American Wine Society for al-  Volunteered to help at all of the 30 conferences he at- lowing me to manage the National Office for this moment in tended time. It’s been a great experience.  Chapter Chair & Region Vice-president for several terms One more thing…..there’s someone else I want to recognize  Board of Directors member for AWSEF and say thanks to—our Member Service Manager, Mike Far-  A constant advocate and supporter of AWS over the ren. Early last year, I was asked to stay on for a couple more years years as Executive Director but we still needed a new Mem- ber Service Manager. Mike has been a friend of mine and a Tom’s record of service speaks volumes about his dedication great supporter of AWS for many years. Mike raised his hand to the American Wine Society as well as his willingness to and said I’ll take that position and serve AWS members for lead by example. It is with great honor we present Tom King the next couple of years. the American Wine Society’s highest membership award. Since then, he’s done a great job processing all the new members as they joined, sending each one of them a wel- come e-mail and helping them get settled into their local chapter. Mike also kept all the Chapter Chairs informed every month by sending them a roster of their members – this is no easy task when we have 130 chapters! On top of that he was always there to help me with anything that needed to be done around the office and never complained. Whatever got accomplished at the National Office was a team effort and I’m proud to have been on the team with Mike. So, while the Executive Director change may get most of the attention, I ask you to also congratu- late Mike on his accomplishments and service to AWS as Member Ser- vice Manager. He certainly deserves it. Thank you, my friend….. John [email protected] New Executive Director Continued from Page 1 growing, and there is a lot of positive energy within AWS. I am excited for the future of our Society with David and our 2017 President, Kristin Kraft leading the effort.” In preparation for a growing society, David and the new Mem- ber Service Manager will work out of a leased office in Scran- ton, PA. The phone number will remain the same (888-297-9070) but the mailing ad- dress will change to PO Box 889, Scranton, PA, 18503, on January 1. The 2017 Member Service Manager will be Katie Kearney—look for more information about her in the next issue of the AWS News. Please join the Board of Directors in congrat- ulating David on his selection as our new Ex- ecutive Director!

AWS News December 2016 Page 3 Member Service News

2016 Outstanding CC & RVP Mike Farren

This brief report will be my last as your Member Service Manager. I am providing three sets of statistics that are asked for most often:  New members and where are they from  Chapters with the most members  Members by state I was President of this great society back in the dark ages, 1983-84, and I got to know the American Wine Society pretty well, but as Member Service Manager I learned even more about the Society and, most importantly, I learned about the members who are brought together in our love of wine. I thank John Hames and the Board members for allowing me to be Member Service Manager for the last year and a half. It Outstanding Chapter has been fun. Cheers!! Chair Dave Caruso Mike Southport, NC [email protected]

Outstanding Regional Vice Chapters with the Most Members President Lehigh Valley (Allentown, PA) 179 Jay Bileti, Arizona Electric City (Scranton, PA) 138 East Las Vegas Valley (NV) 122 President’s Message Denver (CO) 114 Cont. from Page 1 Columbus (OH) 111 Cleveland Chapter (OH) 110 There's always something going on, especially during the Heritage Hunt (Gainesville, VA) 105 times we are in the banquet halls—our annual business Southport (NC) 103 meeting, announcing wine competition winners, thanking people who have served on special committees, etc. When I San Diego Wine Guild (CA) 99 first enter the banquet hall, I am handed an outline of how Laurel Highlands (Altoona/Hollidaysburg, PA) 97 many times I need to approach the podium and what needs announced or acknowledged. Sometimes I slip up, not on North Alabama (Huntsville, AL) 89 purpose, but because of the sheer amount of items to ad- Northern Virginia (Fairfax, VA) 86 dress. As my wife Elizabeth pointed out to me, I neglected to read to the membership the wording of the award we gave Ocean Isle Beach (NC) 85 to Tom King. Tom, I apologize to you for not reading the SC-Bill Tuller (Columbia, SC) 85 inscription but it was not intentional just a "senior moment." San Luis Obispo (CA) 83 There will be many changes within our society starting Janu- Greater Pittston (PA) 81 ary 1, 2017. We will have a new Executive Director who is from Pennsylvania, a new National President also from Penn- Oregon Wine Enthusiasts (Salem, OR) 77 sylvania, a new Secretary, a new Director of Member Ser- Northampton (Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton, PA) 74 vices, and a new Member Services Manager. You will see a push to integrate more social media into our programs and Alle-Kiski (Lower Burrell, PA) 72 continue increasing the number of national members. One trend talked about because of the low turnout at this year's conference is to have the next several conferences in the NEW Members by State Northeast where the bulk of our membership resides. 1/1-1/15/2016 Members by State I thank you all for allowing me to serve you as vice president AL 25 KY 31 OH 31 and president for these past three years. AWS has been a Pennsylvania 1139 AZ 75 LA 2 ONT 3 large part of my life since I first joined 25 years ago. New York 432 BC 3 MA 20 OR 33 Frank CA 136 MD 14 PA 191 North Carolina 404 [email protected] CO 70 MI 8 SC 44 California 389 CT 14 MN 5 TN 6 Virginia 381 DC 4 MO 9 TX 19 Ohio 309 DE 22 NC 80 UT 5 New Jersey 296 FL 66 ND 14 VA 80 Florida 239 GA 34 NJ 83 WA 22 South Carolina 217 HI 14 NM 3 WI 4 Colorado 196 IL 10 NV 46 Other 5 IN 4 NY 45 Total 1288

AWS News December 2016 Page 4 your knowledge and your wines to enjoy and we appreciate it 2016 National Conference so much. Thank you to all of the wineries that donated wines for our Diane Meyer meals. Your generosity was enjoyed by all and appreciated so very much. Banfi Vintners, Maschio Sparkling Rosé Brut Monte De Oro, Bolle de Oro Brut South Coast Winery Sparkling Brut 2012 Rustenberg Chardonnay 2012 DeMorgenzon Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2014 Laetitia Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir 2013 Rocca Family Cabernet Sauvignon Grigsby Vineyard 2012 Charles Krug Estate Bottled Cabernet Sauvignon Thank you to all the AWS members who volunteered their time before and during Conference to make it run smoothly. The 2016 National Conference in Costa Mesa, California is We can’t do it without you. officially complete and I have to say I’m thrilled with how wonderful the event went and a little sad it is over. For those Lastly, thank you to all the AWS Members for coming to this of you who were lucky enough to attend I hope you enjoyed event year after year, having so much support for each other, yourselves and learned about a few new wines along the way! saying such wonderful things, pitching in and having each other’s back so we can pull this crazy event off, smiling and I have consistently said that you are only as strong as your enjoying yourselves so much. You make me feel proud to be a team so I would once again like to thank my committee for part of this organization and I am already looking forward to helping me put on an amazing event and being my support next year at the Kalahari Resort in Pocono Manor, Pennsylva- during this huge undertaking. Mike Farren, Mary Ryan, Denise nia on November 2-4, 2017! Cheers! Gibson, Tom and Marj Wallman, John Hames, Stephen Chap- pell, Jim Swelgin, Andy Nicolas, Judy Hixson and Tony Law- Diane rence THANK YOU! I couldn’t have done it without you. [email protected]

I would also like to thank all of the session speakers who came to the AWS Conference to teach us and let us learn something new. You gave us tasting and learning experiences you can only get at an AWS Conference. There are many out- standing tasting moments I was able to experience and will remember for a very long time. From talking to the other at- tendees I know they feel the same way. I was able to have many wonderful conversations and thank most of you in per- son but in case we didn’t cross paths THANK YOU so much for sharing your knowledge and your wines with us! Thank you to Santa Barbara Vintners for spon- soring the incredible meal wines at the lunch on Friday and to Morgen McLaughlin for the presentation. Thank you to the DO Empordà Region of Spain for sponsoring the amazing meal wines on Sat- urday and to Josep Serra and Dani Martínez Felguera for making the trip from Spain to co- me and personally represent their wines to all of us. Thank you to South Coast Winery for letting us take over your warehouse and provide ongoing support for all the pre-conference shipping and sorting needs.

Thank you to Balzac Communications and Mar- keting for your continued support of our Con- ference. So many sponsors, sessions and wines were only there because of you. Thank you to all the wineries, importers and presenters who supported our Welcome Reception on Thursday night and the Showcase of Wine on Friday night. You gave us your time,

AWS News December 2016 Page 5 National Tasting Project wineries who do what they can to protect our planet. Do you know what it takes to make a winery Green certified? How Sharyn Kervyn about “fish friendly” farming? Or Global GAP ? A custom de- signed PowerPoint will guide our members through the differ- ences between these types of farming and more in a fun and I wish to thank all of the chapters who informative way. And for the first time, we also plan to offer participated in the Na- a video introduction from Nick for your tastings. tional Tasting Project this year, the tasting panel The tasting committee has met and tasted the wines, and we who helped select the have narrowed the selection down to 12 wines. Your chapters wines during the confer- are welcome and encouraged to conduct your chapter tast- ence last year, the Na- ings with as few as 6 of these wines, or all 12 should you feel tional Tasting Project so inclined! Committee, and the Rhone Rangers for sponsoring this project! Marketview Liquor, our online shipping source out of Roches- This year was the first time the National Tasting Project joined ter New York, has agreed to stock all 12 wines, and will have forces with a sponsor. This secured allocations for the wines a tab on their home page “AWS NTP” for ease of ordering the and brought our society into a joint marketing venture. From wines. They are giving us the best price available, and with this collaboration, we received press and conference participa- no tax, helps ease the shipping costs. These wines will be tion at our Showcase of Wines, seminars and “Welcome Here” allocated to our members for a limited time, and will be avail- program sponsorship. The positive impact of gaining sponsors able to order beginning January 1, and will remain available for the NTP is a big step towards securing the future of the through March 31, 2017. American Wine Society. That’s the “big picture” of what it This gives our members 3 months to determine who in their means to participate in this project, and why ALL of our chap- chapters will be conducting the tasting project, and time to ters should support our efforts! get their orders in before the deadline. After the deadline It was a great tasting, with the surveys raving about the wine passes, the wines go on sale to the general public and we selection! The NTP committee intentionally selected many small cannot guarantee you will be able to get all of the wines for producers with wines not available on the public market to ena- your tastings. ble our members to experience wines they otherwise would By January we will also be sending out a retail order guide for never taste, the shipping did add substantially to the expense, the states Marketview doesn’t ship, so those chapters can but this only resulted in a slight decrease in participation (just obtain the wines. We send this email only to the chapter 6 fewer chapters and 97 members) compared to last year. We chairs, to forward to the individual in their chapter conduct- had 1063 members from 48 chapters participate this year. ing the tasting. This email will include the PowerPoint, video It certainly tested the dynamics of our members who overcame link and Reporting Forms. Please keep in mind we design the the challenges to get the wines. Thank you to those individuals PowerPoint and all announcements about this project allow- and those who reached out to me to help them get the wines. ing the wines to be tasted blind, as an additional learning Overall the selection was very well received and worth the ef- opportunity for our members. Please maintain the integrity of fort to obtain, all 16 wines were awarded medals! Another suc- this aspect of the tasting. cessful aspect of the tasting was the fact that there was only .5 These sponsors graciously and enthusiastically support our and .1% difference between the top scoring wines (based on efforts, believe in our society and work together with us to group averages between the certified judges and general mem- help grow our organization. Remember it is exactly this type bers) a successful calibration of palates. of sponsorship we need, so it’s important for all of us to sup- The group averages amongst the 48 participating chapters port these efforts. With the ease of ordering and affordable ranked all 16 wines within the top three. The Top 3 Favorite prices, there’s no excuse for all of our chapters to not partici- Wines from each Tier were: pate. I hope to see 100% participation in 2017! #1: Michael-David Earthquake Petite Sirah, Summerwood Grenache Blend, Guyomar Petit Sirah Blend Sharyn [email protected] #2: Derby Fifteen Red and Kukkula Pas de Deux Grenache Blend #3: Thirty-Seven Grenache, Sculpterra Heroe Viognier and Pax Mahle Castelli Knight Syrah There were 3 gold, 12 silver and 1 bronze medals awarded to the wines.  Gold: Sculpterra, Michael-David and Guyomar  Silver: Kita, Anglim, Horton, Derby, Tablas Creek, Both Cass Whites, Both Kukkula Reds, Pax Mahle, Summerwood and Bonny Doon.  Bronze: Thirty-Seven

NATIONAL TASTING PROJECT 2017 I’m happy to announce that next year’s sponsor, Kobrand Fine Wine and Spirits, in addition to the joint press and wine alloca- tions for our members, will also be providing wines for one of our luncheons at our 2017 conference, and a Seminar with their National Wine Educator, Nick Poletto. The theme selected for the National Tasting Project 2017 is: Organic, Biodynamic and Sustainable Wines With Global Warming in our midst, or not (depending on what camp you’re in), the NTP committee felt inspired to honor those

AWS News December 2016 Page 6 AWS 50th Celebration Wine Judge Training Jane Duralia Aaron Mandel

2016 was another successful year for the 2017 is rapidly approaching and the excite- th students in the wine judge certification pro- ment is building for AWS 50 celebration. I gram. The third year class included eleven have received numerous email, snail mails students and they all successfully completed and phone calls with members wishing to the program. In addition, six graduate judg- share their memories and their chapter’s es re-certified. We will start preparations for history, creating the foundation that has the 2017 class year soon and anticipate empowered AWS through these 50 years. So starting our teleconferences in late January. many enthusiastic members approached me We also expect to have a spring year one class in Virginia. at conference this year offering their help and ideas. Now to share a few with you. We want to congratulate the new judges who completed the course this year and can stop buying our esoteric list of wine, To honor our anniversary, Dr. Frank Winery has prepared a cluttering their house with fault kits and calling in monthly to tasting and video for us. By December 2016, it will be made the teleconferences: Melissa Bartlett, Jay Bileti, JoAnn Dega- available to all members through YouTube with a listing of glia, Mark Diehl, Sandi Diehl, Carole Hackett, Kevin Ostrowski, wines you may order to allow your chapter’s participation in Lynn White, Vincent Williams and Jaime Zapata. We hope they the educationally enjoyable tasting presented by Fred and th enjoy judging in competitions and that they will continue to Meghan Frank. Use it as a kick off the 2017 AWS 50 cele- remain active with the AWS and with the Wine Judging Pro- bration! Save a chapter tasting date for this exceptional tast- gram for years to come. ing opportunity. David Falchek will be sending the details to each chapter chair. As I reread the information sent to all our membership in the August-September 2016 AWS News, I feel a little redundant in repeating myself and yet numerous people have ap- proached me with “what’s planned for the 50th?” Are we reading the newsletter?? Maybe that is why I have only heard from two RVP, with their ideas of how they want to celebrate the 50th in their region and then feed their celebra- tion into the grand finale at the National Celebration in No- vember in the Poconos. I would greatly appreciate infor- mation from the other 20-30 RVPs, to share the ways their region would like to contribute to the National celebration. I anxiously await your call or email. We also had 6 wine We have a wonderful committee formed from members judge graduates across the country to contribute and orchestrate this event. recertify this year. We will have a memorabilia room stretching over the past 50 Recertification is re- years, so if you have anything to contribute, email me. We quired every five have accumulated former winemaking booklets, conference years and is complet- wine glasses, patches, pins, pictures, magazine and newslet- ed by taking the ters as far back as Konstantin era….we have come a long same final examination that is taken by students in the pro- way baby! We are contacting the most ”mature” members to gram. This year, Rex Bambling, Jennifer Crafts, Larry Jackson, help us with stories and tales of woe and wisdom, and fun Richard Marsden, Annemarie Morse and Jeff are congratulated stories of the good and perhaps a little of not so good times. on becoming re-certified. If you have contact information for any of these treasured people, please contact me. The location and time for the spring class is being discussed. We will likely return to Virginia. As always, the class takes a A 50th AWS pin is being designed, perhaps a wine glass or full day. The cost of the spring program is higher, as we have even a 50th champagne glass and numerous other fun ideas. to get space for the class and bring in the instructors, but it is The committee would like to keep a few surprises. a wonderful opportunity to cut time off of the program by tak- ing the first year exam in March and the second year in No- We will have an onsite celebration at Dr. Frank’s Vineyard in vember at the conference. The exact date has not yet been August; date and actual event to be announced. This is quite selected, but it will likely take place in mid-March. Anyone a historic event for a non-profit organization to be thriving interested in taking the March class should contact me. There after 50 years. We have seen wineries come and go, the is a great deal of work to be done, so do not delay. wine industry has had its ups and downs and yet here we stand, growing as we move profoundly forward. That is be- Those not wishing to take the class in March, but wanting to cause of you the membership! Now let’s get ready to cele- enter the program in November, should also contact me as brate. Mark the date on your calendar, and as soon as avail- soon as possible. The 2016 class sold out in May and we al- able, make your hotel reservations and plan to join us. The ready have a number of students signed up for the 2017 class. clock is ticking to share your ideas and information…this is As set forth above, teleconferences will commence in January YOUR celebration, let me hear from you. and students will want to purchase the wines for the program and commence their studies. While attending the teleconfer- We will open the celebration on Thursday evening with ex- ences is not required, it is highly recommended. Students traordinary wines, paired with incredible food and music to have indicated they are very helpful in learning to judge wines. set the festive mood for the weekend. I will quote the owner of Kalahari, Todd Nelson, it will be “Beyond Your Expecta- Thanks to all of the great instructors involved in the program. tions! “ The recent success of the program is due to their hard work and efforts. The program could not survive without them: Bet- I am sitting by the computer and phone (828-396-1601) ty Nettles, Pat Valas, Kathy Webb, Barry St Pierre, Joe Daut- waiting to hear from you. Ya’ll call …you hear! lick, Bob Madill, Lorraine Hem, Dave Barber, Nancy Slick and Walt Rachele. Their dedication to the program and the stu- Jane dents is greatly appreciated. 50th Celebration Committee Chair Aaron [email protected] [email protected]

AWS News December 2016 Page 7 per’s license from the state, wineries are permitted to send a Government Affairs maximum of six cases per person in 2017, then nine in 2018, and finally 12 cases in 2019. Tom Cobett ILLINOIS: Legislation that established tougher penalties for direct wine shipping violations has been signed by Illinois Gov. Elections drive you to drink? Bruce Rauner. Under the new law, any person, winery, im- porter or retailer who distributes or sells more than 12 cases According to of wine without a license will be guilty of a felony for each Drizly.com, an alco- offense. Illegal shipments smaller than 12 cases will be classi- holic beverage de- fied as a business offense with a fine, but subsequent viola- livery service in tions will be a felony. several major cities, the demand for alcoholic beverages RHODE ISLAND & ARKANSAS: Rhode Island and Ar- on the night of the recent election was almost twice as high kansas are the only two states who permit DtC purchases but as a normal Tuesday night. The beverage of choice was wine, require that consumers first visit the winery. A total of 44 at 48%, with Sauvignon Blanc being the popularity winner. states now allow winery-to-customer shipments. Customers preferred wine more than 2 to 1 over beer, which came in at 22% of the orders. As the night went on, hard NEW ZEALAND: Popular cartoon cat, Hello Kitty, has just liquor sales increased dramatically. I can see that happening. added wine to the long list of products bearing the name and ILLINOIS, MISSOURI & FLORIDA: Legal complaints likeness. New Zealand experts say have been filed in several states which challenge the constitu- the vino is in breach of local laws tionality of the state’s alcohol beverage shipping codes. The because it appeals to minors. The lawsuits contend that the states have violated the dormant codes state any advertisement Commerce Clause by treating interstate sales, shipment and which "has particular appeal to delivery of wine by retailers less favorably than intra-state persons below the legal drinking sales. These lawsuits are likely to end up being settled by the age is unacceptable.” Hello Kitty U.S. Supreme Court. owner Sanrio, and Italian winery Torti Wines, partnered to create seven variations, with cute names like "Sweet Pink", "Lady" and "Cupido". The wine is sold on US-based HARRISBURG, PA: Alcohol industry officials have accused websites, with shipping seemly available to the US starting at the state Liquor Control NZ$29.50 per bottle. Board of using a new pricing policy to in- crease profits rather AUSTRALIA: Domestic alcohol consumption per capita is than benefit customers. soon expected to reach a Under Act 39, the LCB gained the ability to charge different 50-year low. The declining markups on products for the first time in history. Previously trend is largely due to they had to mark-up every product by 30 percent, whether it government legislation was a $10 bottle or a $100 bottle of wine. which limits advertising and access to alcohol, as well as an increasing health con- Wine and liquor suppliers are wondering if discounts from sciousness. Alcoholic beverage consumption per capita has suppliers will be passed on to consumers. The LCB plans to been declining for more than 10 years. However, because of increase its profit margin to absorb a lower product cost ra- increased population, the sales of alcoholic beverages in Aus- ther than lowering the shelf price for customers in state tralia has continued to increase from year to year. The de- stores. The PA Legislature is expecting more revenue and crease in consumption appears to be mostly from people who more consumer convenience. The state projects that flexible are under the age of 30. Excess Australian wines are being pricing will generate an additional $65 million each year. pushed into the Asian export market.

Wine and liquor suppliers would rather see more LCB stores NOTABLE QUOTE: In response to Illinois’ statewide prohi- than raising of the prices to consumers. There are now 604 bition of alcohol in the 1840s, Abraham Lin- agency store and there is no official limit on how many more coln noted that, “prohibition goes beyond could be added. the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and OHIO: Amazon’s Prime Now has submitted applications for makes a crime out of things that are not alcohol delivery permits in crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at two locations – one in Cin- the very principles upon which our govern- cinnati and one in Colum- ment was founded.” bus. If the state of Ohio approves the necessary permits, Prime Now would be allowed to deliver beer, wine and low- proof alcohol. Tom [email protected] NEW YORK: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo continues to modern- ize New York’s Alcoholic Beverage Con- trol Law to reflect the growth in the state of the craft beverage industry. According to Jim Trezise, president of the New York Wine and Grape Founda- tion, Farm wineries, breweries, cideries and distilleries will be able to sell any New York-made alcoholic beverage by the glass at their production facility or off-site branch store. Previously, farm manufacturers could only sell products by the glass that they produced on site.

ARIZONA: As of Jan. 1, 2017, wineries that produce more than 20,000 gallons will be allowed to get a DtC permit for off -site sales. Under this legislation, wine consumers can order wine from any winery in the country, no matter what its size, without having to visit the winery first. After obtaining a ship-

AWS News December 2016 Page 8 2016 Amateur Winemaking Competition Results

Award Winemaker Wine

Best of Show Gordon Gribble 2015 Sangiovese, Blueberry, Cherry, Blackberry

Best White Steve Kampers 2015 , Semi-Dry

Best Red Vinifera Louis & Madeline Piancone 2015 Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Dry

Best Native Tim Traxler 2015 Concord, Sweet

Best Fruit Wine Robert Szaro 2016 Taylor, Nova & Killarney Raspberry, Sweet

Best Dessert Wine Gordon Gribble 2015 Sangiovese, Blueberry, Cherry, Blackberry

Best Wine Label Michael & LeAnn Stacey Chorus Frog

Name Wine Medal Name Wine Medal Cowan, Larry 2013 Strawberry, Mead Double Gold Beers, Lamont 2014 Catawba, Silver

Disney, Richard 2016 Amarone Double Gold Beers, Lamont 2015 Vidal Silver 2015 Sangiovese, Blueberry, Cher- Gribble, Gordon W. Double Gold Beers, Lamont 2015 Golden Raspberry, Chardonnay Silver ry Kampers, Steve 2015 Vidal Blanc Double Gold Boal, Andrew 2015 Raspberry Silver Krauss, Marion 2015 Gooseberry, Strawberry Double Gold Buell, Larry 2013 Carmenere Silver Capotosto, Luke & Barbara Oren, Rett 2015 Viognier Double Gold 2014 Carmenere Silver Medeiros 2014 Zinfandel, Cab Sauv, Petite Piancone, Louis & Madeline Double Gold Classen, Gisela 2009 Petite Sirah Silver Sirah Schlachter, Mel 2015 Chardonnay Double Gold Classen, Gisela 2010 Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre Silver St. Pierre, Barry & Sissy 2015 Double Gold Conlin, Roger 2015 Pinot Gris, Peach Silver 2016 Taylor, Nova & Killarney Szaro, Robert Double Gold Cowan, Larry 2013 Cherry, Mead Silver Raspberry 2014 Carmenere, Cab Sauv, Cab Traxler, Tim 2015 Concord Double Gold Creasy, Chris Silver Franc 2015 Chocolate Salted Caramel Traxler, Tim Double Gold Creasy, Chris 2014 Cab Franc, Merlot, Cab Sauv Silver Port Beers, Lamont 2012 Merlot Gold Dersham, Ron 2013 Sherry Silver Beers, Lamont 2015 Diamond Gold Dersham, Ron 2011 Riesling Ice Wine Silver Bixler, Gary 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Gold Diehl, Mark W. 2015 Montepulciano Silver Burns, Adam 2015 Zinfandel, Petite Sirah Gold Diehl, Mark W. 2015 Zinfandel, Petite Sirah Silver Capotosto, Luke & Barbara 2015 Wineberry Gold Dietrick, Dean NV Wild Black Raspberry Silver Medeiros Gribble, Gordon W. 2015 Chardonnay Gold Feist, David 2015 Hibiscus Silver Krauss, Marion 2015 Gooseberry Gold Fiola, Joe 2013 Chardonnay Silver Krauss, Marion 2015 Red Raspberry, Gooseberry Gold Fiola, Joe 2013 Barbera, Cab Sauv Silver Macacevic, Wm. Jr., Debby & Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna 2015 Vidal Blanc Gold 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver Robin Herbol Lombardo Fisher Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna Mulfinger, John 2015 Cherry Gold 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver Lombardo Fisher Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna Phillips, Richard 2015 Wineberry Gold 2015 Shiraz, Cab Sauv Silver Lombardo Fisher Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna Russo, James G. 2015 Grenache, Cab Sauv, Alicante Gold 2015 Cab Sauv, Sangiovese, Merlot Silver Lombardo Fisher Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna Traxler, Tim 2014 Vignoles Gold 2014 Syrah, Carignan, Malbec Silver Lombardo Fisher Traxler, Tim 2013 Zinfandel Gold Fritze, Michael & Geraldine 2015 Viognier Silver 2015 Liberty & N. Spy Apple and Westman, Michael B. Gold Gizzi, John 2014 Brunello Silver Bartlett Pear Adams, Jon W. 2014 Cab Sauv, Zin, Petite Sirah Silver Goodwin, Robert 2014 Zinfandel Silver Becker, Robert 2015 Merlot Silver Goodwin, Robert 2013 Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot Silver Beers, Lamont 2013 Muscat Ottonel Silver Goodwin, Robert 2013 Malbec Silver Gower, Charles & Cheryl Beers, Lamont 2015 Catawba Silver 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver DiPanfilo Gower, Charles & Cheryl Beers, Lamont 2012 Vignoles Silver 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Silver DiPanfilo AWS News December 2016 Page 9 Name Wine Medal Name Wine Medal Gribble, Gordon W. 2015 Pinot Noir Silver Rohn, Phillip 2014 Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec Silver Gribble, Gordon W. 2015 Vidal, Sangiovese Silver Rohn, Phillip 2014 Merlot, Cab Franc Silver Gribble, Gordon W. 2013 Malbec Silver Schmidt, Dennis J. 2016 Raspberry Silver Gribble, Gordon W. 2015 Traminette Silver Sienknecht, Dave 2013 Merlot, Cab Sauv Silver 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Griner, Denise Silver Sienknecht, Dave 2013 Pinot Noir Silver Merlot Guber, Al, Jr. 2015 Malbec Silver Spaziani, Gene 2013 Carmenere, Shiraz Silver Guber, Al, Jr. 2014 Sangiovese, Cab Sauv Silver Spaziani, Gene 2013 Zinfandel, Carmenere Silver Guber, Al, Jr. 2015 Sangiovese, Malbec, Cab Sauv Silver Spaziani, Gene 2013 Carmenere, Zinfandel Silver Gugel, Christopher 2015 Aronia Berry Silver Spaziani, Gene NV Muscat, Riesling Silver NV Vidal Ice Wine, Riesling, Kampers, Steve Silver Sperk, Jim 2015 Orange, Chocolate Silver Gewurztraminer Knizeski, Joseph 2015 Trebbiano Silver St. Pierre, Barry & Sissy 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver Knizeski, Joseph 2014 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc Silver Steele, Rick 2015 Concord Silver Koempel, John 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver Stopper, Edward 2015 St. Pepin, Briana Silver Koempel, John NV Merlot, Cab Sauv, Malbec Silver Stopper, Edward 2015 Silver Koltis/Leonard,Drew/ 2015 Diamond, Catawba, Vidal Blanc Silver Szaro, Robert 2015 Cortland & Macintosh Apple Silver Bethany 2015 Black Raspberry, Blackberry, Krauss, Marion Silver Szaro, Robert 2016 Bing Cherry Silver Blueberry 2015 Red Raspberry, Red Currant, Krauss, Marion Silver Taylor, Karin E. 2014 Zinfandel Silver Strawberry Krauss, Marion 2015 Red Currant, Strawberry Silver Taylor, Karin E. 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Silver Krauss, Marion 2015 Red Raspberry, Strawberry Silver Traxler, Tim 2014 Niagara Silver Krauss, Marion 2015 Red Currant, Gooseberry Silver Traxler, Tim 2010 Pinot Noir Silver Krauss, Marion 2015 Red Currant Silver Traxler, Tim 2015 Riesling Silver Krauss, Marion 2015 Black Currant Silver Traxler, Tim 2015 Riesling Ice Wine Silver Krauss, Marion 2015 Blueberry Silver Vakos, James P. 2015 Shiraz, Viognier, Malbec Silver 2015 Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cab Krauss, Marion 2015 Blackberry Silver Vakos, James P. Silver Sauv Krauss, Marion 2015 Red Raspberry Silver Alvarez, Roberto 2015 Garnacha, Tempranillo Bronze 2015 Red Raspberry, Red Currant, Krauss, Marion Silver Alvarez, Roberto 2015 Garnacha, Syrah, Viognier Bronze Strawberry Krauss, Marion 2015 Mint Silver Alvarez, Roberto 2015 Garnacha Bronze Krynicki, Gary C. 2014 Amarone Silver Alvarez, Roberto 2015 Garnacha, Syrah, Petite Sirah Bronze Krynicki, Gary C. 2014 Nebbiolo Silver Beers, Lamont 2014 Riesling Bronze

Krynicki, Gary C. 2014 Zinfandel Silver Beers, Lamont 2010 Riesling, Traminette Bronze Krynicki, Gary C. NV Chocolate Raspberry Port Silver Beers, Lamont 2015 Strawberry, Black Raspberry Bronze 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Lewis, Andrew Silver Besore, Mark 2015 Chardonnay Bronze Zin

Mack, Ted 2013 Chenin Blanc, Sauv Blanc Silver Besore, Mark 2015 Moscato Bronze Mack, Ted 2016 Elderberry Silver Boulas, Nicholas E. 2015 Barbera Bronze Mack, Ted 2015 Peach Silver Bozic, Robert 2015 Syrah Bronze Mills, Robert P. & Mike Kosko 2015 Merlot Silver Bozic, Robert 2015 Zinfandel Bronze

Mulfinger, John 2015 Blueberry Silver Buell, Larry 2015 LaCrescent Bronze Oren, Rett 2015 Valvin Muscat Silver Buell, Larry 2015 LaCrescent Bronze Capotosto, Luke & Bar- Patel, Jateen 2012 Merlot Silver 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec Bronze bara Medeiros Capotosto, Luke & Bar- Paul, Howard, Dr. 2013 Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre Silver 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah Bronze bara Medeiros 2014 Cab Sauv, Sangiovese, Cab Capotosto, Luke & Bar- Paul, Howard, Dr. Silver 2014 Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc Bronze Franc bara Medeiros 2015 Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Grena- Capotosto, Luke & Bar- Paul, Howard, Dr. Silver 2014 Malbec, Cab Sauv Bronze che bara Medeiros Capotosto, Luke & Bar- Paul, Howard, Dr. 2013 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc Silver 2014 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc Bronze bara Medeiros Capotosto, Luke & Bar- Pendrak, Stephen 2014 Carmenere Silver 2015 White Plum Bronze bara Medeiros Piancone, Louis & Madeline 2014 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petite Sirah Silver Classen, Gisela 2015 Chardonnay Bronze Piancone, Louis & Madeline 2014 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Malbec Silver Classen, Gisela 2015 Malvasia Bianca Bronze

Roccograndi, Francis Jr. 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel Silver Classen, Gisela 2015 Zinfandel Bronze Rogers, Chris or Heather 2016 Elderberry Silver Classen, Gisela 2015 Merlot, Cab Sauv, Syrah Bronze AWS News December 2016 Page 10 Name Wine Medal Name Wine Medal Clemence, Dale 2015 Gewürztraminer Bronze Griner, Denise 2015 Zinfandel Bronze 2015 Malbec, Cab Franc, Car- Clemence, Dale 2015 Cayuga Bronze Guber, Al, Jr. Bronze menere 2014 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Cowan, Larry 2012 Apple Bronze Guber, Al, Jr. Bronze Franc Cowan, Larry 2014 Strawberry Bronze Gugel, Christopher 2016 Beet Bronze Creasy, Chris 2014 Petite Sirah, Primitivo Bronze Kampers, Steve 2014 Pinot Noir Bronze Danielson, Deborah 2015 Zinfandel Bronze Kampers, Steve 2014 Riesling, Other Bronze Dersham, Ron 2016 Pinot Gris, Coconut Bronze Kampers, Steve 2015 Cab Franc, Gamay Bronze Diehl, Mark W. 2015 Pinot Noir Bronze Kinsky, Christopher 2015 Arandell Bronze Diehl, Mark W. 2015 Montepulciano, Tempranillo Bronze Koempel, John 2014 Merlot Bronze Diehl, Mark W. 2015 Viognier Bronze Koempel, John 2014 Lemberger Bronze Diehl, Mark W. 2015 Old Vine Zinfandel Bronze Koempel, John 2014 Zinfandel Bronze Disney, Richard 2016 Pinot Gris Bronze Koempel, John 2012 Muscat Bronze Fiola, Joe 2014 Vermentino Bronze Koltis/Leonard, Drew/Bethany 2015 Riesling Bronze 2014 Petit Verdot, Cab Sauv, Cab 2015 , Catawba, Fiola, Joe Bronze Koltis/Leonard, Drew/Bethany Bronze Franc Diamond NV Cab Sauv, , Cab Fiola, Joe Bronze Krauss, Marion 2015 Traminette Bronze Franc Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna Lom- 2014 Malbec, Cab Sauv, Carmenere Bronze Krauss, Marion 2015 Black Raspberry Bronze bardo Fisher Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna Lom- 2015 Sangiovese Bronze Krenesky, Michael A. 2015 Tomato, Pepper Bronze bardo Fisher Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna Lom- 2014 Cab Franc, Merlot, Cab Sauv Bronze Krynicki, Gary C. 2014 Brunello Bronze bardo Fisher Fisher, Jeffrey & Donna Lom- 2014 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petit 2015 Grenache, Syrah Bronze Lewis, Andrew Bronze bardo Fisher Verdot Fritze, Michael & Geraldine 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Bronze Longo, Ralph & Janet 2015 Chenin Blanc, Riesling Bronze 2014 Sangiovese, Cab Sauv, Fritze, Michael & Geraldine 2015 Watermelon Bronze Longo, Ralph & Janet Bronze Petite Sirah Galaz, Leandro 2012 Merlot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv Bronze Mack, Ted 2016 Blackberry Bronze 2013 Sangiovese, Barbera, Alicante Galaz, Leandro Bronze Montgomery, Scott 2015 Chardonnel Bronze Bouchet 2013 Petite Sirah, Grenache, Galaz, Leandro Bronze Montgomery, Scott 2015 Chambourcin Bronze Mourvedre Galaz, Leandro 2014 Pinot Noir Bronze Montgomery, Scott 2014 Bronze Galaz, Leandro 2014 Malbec, Syrah Bronze Montgomery, Scott 2015 Vidal Blanc Bronze 2010 Cab Sauvignon, Cab Franc, Galaz, Leandro Bronze Mulfinger, John 2014 St. Croix Bronze Petit Verdot Gizzi, John 2013 Montepulciano Bronze Nelson, Chris 2014 Red Muscadine Bronze Goodwin, Robert 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Bronze Oren, Rett 2015 Chambourcin Bronze 2015 Traminette, Seyval, Goodwin, Robert 2015 Riesling Ice Wine Bronze Oren, Rett Bronze Gewurztraminer Gower, Charles & Cheryl 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Bronze Oren, Rett 2015 Riesling, Traminette Bronze DiPanfilo Gower, Charles & Cheryl 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot Bronze Outlaw, Bill & Nedra 2016 Miss Blanc Bronze DiPanfilo Gower, Charles & Cheryl 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Bronze Pacheco, Susan 2014 Petite Sirah, Zinfandel Bronze DiPanfilo Gower, Charles & Cheryl 2013 Merlot Bronze Pacheco, Susan 2014 Tannat Bronze DiPanfilo Gower, Charles & Cheryl 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014 Pinot Noir Bronze Patel, Jateen Bronze DiPanfilo Merlot Gower, Charles & Cheryl 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir Bronze Pendrak, Stephen 2015 Chardonnay Bronze DiPanfilo Gower, Charles & Cheryl 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bronze Pendrak, Stephen 2015 Pinot Noir Bronze DiPanfilo Gower, Charles & Cheryl 2015 Pinot Noir Bronze Phillips, Richard 2014 Zinfandel Bronze DiPanfilo 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Gribble, Gordon W. 2015 Syrah Bronze Phillips, Richard Bronze Sangiovese 2014 Syrah, Petite Sirah, Gribble, Gordon W. 2015 Sangiovese Bronze Phillips, Richard Bronze Mourvedre

Gribble, Gordon W. 2007 , Petite Sirah Bronze Piancone, Louis & Madeline 2015 Chardonnay Bronze

Gribble, Gordon W. 2015 Blueberry Bronze Piancone, Louis & Madeline 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bronze 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Griner, Denise Bronze Piancone, Louis & Madeline 2015 Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc Bronze Cab Franc AWS News December 2016 Page 11 Name Wine Medal Name Wine Medal 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, Pilz, Walter 2016 Amarone Bronze St. Pierre, Barry & Sissy Mourvedre Bronze Pilz, Walter 2016 Castel Del Papa Bronze St. Pierre, Barry & Sissy 2015 Riesling Bronze 2014 Mourvedre, Cab Sauv, Sy- Pilz, Walter 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, Coconut Bronze St. Pierre, Barry & Sissy rah Bronze Prendergast, Larry 2015 Apple Bronze Stacey, Michael & LeAnn NV Malbec Bronze Rainer, Ray 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Bronze Stopper, Edward 2015 Red and Black Raspberry Bronze 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, San- Roccograndi, Francis Jr. Bronze Stopper, Edward 2013 , Noiret giovese Bronze Roccograndi, Francis Jr. 2014 Zinfandel Bronze Stopper, Edward 2015 Apple Bronze Roccograndi, Francis Jr. 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Bronze Stopper, Edward 2015 Peach Bronze 2012 Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Mal- Roccograndi, Francis Jr. 2015 Sangiovese Bronze Swanson, Dawne bec Bronze 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, San- Roccograndi, Francis Jr. Bronze Tackett, R. Allen & Elizabeth 2013 Pinot Noir giovese Bronze Rogers, Chris or Heather 2016 Bing Cherry Bronze Traxler, Tim 2014 Traminette Bronze 2016 Orange Blossom Honey, Wild Rogers, Chris or Heather Bronze Traxler, Tim 2014 Gewurztraminer Black Rasp. Bronze Russo, James G. 2014 Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Malbec Bronze Traxler, Tim 2015 Riesling Bronze 2015 Cab Franc, Merlot, Cab Schlachter, Mel 2015 Vidal Blanc Bronze Vakos, James P. Sauv Bronze Schlachter, Mel 2015 Chardonnay Bronze Vogel, Glen & Rosie DeAngelis 2015 Malbec Bronze Seluk, Larry 2014 Nebbiolo Bronze Westman, Michael B. 2015 Cayuga, Vignoles, St. Pepin Bronze Sienknecht, Dave 2015 Chenin Blanc Bronze Westman, Michael B. 2015 Montmorency Cherries Bronze Sienknecht, Dave 2013 Chardonnay Bronze Westman, Michael B. 2015 St. Pepin Bronze Sienknecht, Dave 2013 Merlot, Cab Sauv Bronze Westman, Michael B. 2015 Cab Franc, Leon Millot Bronze Sienknecht, Dave 2014 Pinot Noir Bronze Woody, Dennis 2015 Chardonnay Bronze

AWS News December 2016 Page 12 need to drink rosé ONLY between May and August. Fifty-five Chapter Events members and guest were in attendance. The presentation was made by Kara Stone Price, a passion- Joe Broski ate rosé advocate and medievalist, who recently visited the Provence region. From our tasting we learned  The Bristow (VA) Chapter met on Septem- how varied Rose wine from Provence ber 18 for tasting of Cabernet Franc, present- can be in color, taste and characteris- ed by Dale Clemence and winemaker Jason tics. They are primarily made from Murray. Twenty-three members and guests Grenache grapes with supporting roles from Syrah, Cinsault, were in attendance to sample seventeen Cab Mourvedre, Tibouren, Carignan, Vermentino and Cabernet Francs. The attendees were challenged to Sauvignon. Rosé delights our taste buds with flavors ranging identify the origin of each wine from theislist: from freshly cut watermelon, ripe peach, melon, guava and Virginia, Pennsylvania, California, Washington, hints of mineral. The process often involves both oak and France, and Argentina. Virginia has a climate that is ideal for stainless steel vessels. Centered in the heart of the Impres- Cabernet Franc and is grown widely there. Those in attend- sionist world, Provence provides the visitors a majestic palette ance got a new appreciation for Cabernet Franc. of natural French country landscapes and wine lovers the 2014 Arterra, Delaplane, VA $29 “palette” they come to expect from the Rosé of the region. As 2009 Chateau Montelena, Calistoga, Napa CA 35 they say at Chateau d’Esclans, the home of Whispering Angel, 2013 Raats Family, Stellenbosch, South Africa 18 “In the Esclans valley angels whisper. If you drink this wine 2012 Delaplane Cellars, Delaplane, VA 36 you might hear them. If by chance you visit us, you might see NV Hunters Valley, Liverpool, PA 15 them”. Cheers to seeing the Angels! 2012 Poggio de Colli, Carmignano, Italy 56 (1) Chateau Routas $11 2012 Sunset Hills, Purcellville, VA 50 La Croix 14 2012 Mauritson, Rockpile, Sonoma, CA 45 (5) Domaine Houchart 15 (3) 2015 Maitre de Chai, Chinon, France 15 AIX 16 (1) 2012 Fox Meadow, Linden, VA 25 Whispering Angel 21 (2) 2013 Kestrel, Yakima Valley, WA 50 (2) Rock Angel 31 2014 Saumur Champigny, Loire Valley, France 15 2013 Pearmend Cellars, Broad Run, VA 39 (3)  The Finger Lakes (Keuka, NY) Chapter met on October 2011 Paradigm, Oakville, Napa, CA 62 (3) 30 at the home of Evelyn Rozanski for a sampling of Italian 2010 Winery at La Grange, Haymarket, VA 34 Tuscan wines from the Chianti region. There were 17 tasters 2015 Legado, Mendoza, Argentina Unk in attendance, including 4 guests. The hostess led the formal 2013 Rosemont, LaCrosse, VA Unk program, which included the history and evolution of the Chi- 2013 Phillipe Alliet, Chinon, France Unk anti region, discussion of the regulations, and recipe for wine consistency. In addition to the Chianti Classico, with its dis-  The Cleveland (OH) Chapter’s October German Wine tinctive Black Rooster logo, there are 7 other Chianti sub- tasting was held at VOCON, a regions: Montalbano, Coli Fiorentini, Montespertoli, Rufina great venue on a sunny day with (not to be confused with the Ruffino wine-producing family in its large windows and ample the region), Colli Senesi, Colline Pisane and Colli Aretini. seating and serving areas. Amy Wines listed as just Chianti indicate that the grapes may come & Michael Nilsen, Ry Haditch and from anywhere in the Chianti region. High-end Riserva wines Pam Davey presented the wines are aged longer in oak and may be cellared longer. To com- and information about German plement the Chianti theme, the entrée of pasta, homemade wine regions, labels and grape sauce, and Italian sausage with peppers and onions was varietals. The potluck supper served. Members contributed side dishes and desserts, includ- featured Sauerbraten, prepared ing cannoli! None of these wines came in the iconic straw bas- by Greg & Laura Davis and Bill Davey. A favorite among the ket (in Italian called Fiasco) but rather the more typical Bor- aperitifs was Schloss Bierbrich Sekt, a sparkler that only costs deaux-shaped bottle. One interesting note: Giovanni da Ver- $8 at Trader Joe’s. razzano, discoverer of North America, was born in the Castello 2014 Dr. Loosen Dry Riesling $12 di Verrazzano manor house in 1485! 2013 Clean Slate Riesling 10 (2) 2011 Monsanto Classico Riserva 201 $20 2013 Hexamer Quarzit Riesling 24 (3) 2013 Barone Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico 20 2015 Dr. Loosen Blue Slate Riesling Kabinett 20 (1) 2013 Castello di Verrazzano Vendemmia Riserva 22 2013 St. Urbans-Hoff Goldtropfchen Piesporter 22 (3) 2014 Fattoria di Basciano Rufina 13 Spatlese 2011 Torraiolo Classico Riserva 15 2013 PJ Valkenberg Gewurztraminer 18 2014 Fattoria del Cerro, Colli Senesi 10 2014 Villa Karlbach Max Dornfelder 13 2013 Castello di Albola Radda,Chianti Classico 14 2015 Heimersheimer Rotenfels Dornfelder 15 2013 Toscolo Chianti 8 2014 Cetamura Coltibuono Chianti 9  The Dayton (OH) Chapter explored Merlots around the world at the home of Dan DeStephan & Martha Antolik on Oct  The Lone Star (TX) Chapter met on October 1 at the Umbra 21. The tasting was led by Rosalind Bertolo who found an Winery tasting room, a boutique Texas winery located in his- eclectic mix of merlots representing very different flavor pro- toric Grapevine, TX. The tasting was files. hosted by Stan and Janet Atteberry. 2012 Watchdog Merlot, Columbia Valley, WA $15 Umbra presented five of their wines NV Yellowtail, Merlot, Australia 6 (2) made in the Dallas/Fort Worth area 2013 Marquis de Casa Concha, Chile 22 that included two whites, two blended 2013 Tinazzi Prato del Faggio, Ca de’ Rocchi, 20 reds, and one single varietal red. Um- Veneto, Italy bra sources most of their grapes from 2007 Trinchero Daybreak Block Merlot, CA 40 Washington, California and Texas 2012 Kings Garden Vineyards, Finger Lakes, NY 18 (panhandle region). All offerings were very well received by 2009 Bergevin Lane Wild Child Merlot, WA 29 (3) the attendees. Both the wines and the Euro-style tapas that 2009 Ch. Sainte-Marie, Entre-Deux Meres.France 20 accompanied the wines received high marks. Overall, this was 2009 Ch. Sablar du Grand Moine, Pomerol,France 20 (1) another successful and enjoyable tasting event. 2009 Chateau de By, Medoc, France 30 Icebreaker Kraemer Brut Champagne, France $12 Umbra Pinot Gris, Washington 24  The Electric City (PA) Chapter met on September 14 at the Umbra Roussanne, Texas 27 Scranton Cultural Center for a “Rosé-After Labor Day” tasting Umbra Red Fusion (Cab, Syrah, Merlot blend) 25 (3) featuring the wines of Provence. Much like the outdated fash- Umbra Red Velvet (Cab, Syrah, Merlot blend) 27 (1) ion rule of only wearing white before Labor Day, there is no Tres Picos Garnacha, Borja, Spain 39 (2)

AWS News December 2016 Page 13  The Mt. Nittany (PA) Chapter met at Windemere Hall in Mountain Brook Winery in Tryon, NC, on September 18, with State College on September 19 to taste several AWS Medal twenty of our members in attendance. Winners and Chapter member Tim Traxler's wines. The 23 The tasting was planned by John and members also sampled food pairings with each of the 7 varie- Alice Claggett. Most of the wines come tals presented. Tim began with a short history of his progres- from the seven acres that the owners sion in home winemaking since his interest was piqued in have in Tryon, but the Merlot grapes are 2005 with a wine making course and a wine kit. He has since from a Yadkin Valley winery. Dennis won about 90 medals and is in the 10 top AWS amateur wine- Lanahan, who is one of the co-owners, makers. also makes the wine. (He is a former law- 2013 Unoaked Chardonnay with Parmesan Butter Crostini yer who studied the soil and growing con- 2010 Russian River Pinot Noir with Shrimp Puff ditions provided by the state of North 2013 Chilean Malbec, aged in Hungarian Oak, with Beef Carolina to find just the right growing conditions in the West- Crostini ern part of North Carolina.) His wife Miriam served their wines 2014 California Vignoles Rabat 51 Clone with Brie to our group while Dennis took us on a tour of his wine cellar. 2014 California Gewurztraminer with Turkey Bologna He had just harvested red grapes and showed us that they 2015 New York Riesling with Cheesecake/Fresh Berries had just begun fermentation and how that night he was going 2015 Chocolate Salted Caramel Port with Dark Chocolate to punch down the grapes in the vat. Mountain Brook uses all French oak barrels for most of its wines, except the Pinot  The Northampton (PA) Chapter had a great opportunity for Grigio which is in stainless steel. Also interesting is that they Pinot Noir fans to experience several of have a Petit Verdot, which is becoming a more popular wine in the best Willamette Valley, OR, pinots both Virginia and North Carolina. After that we bought some along with two very good CA pinots in wines to have with the food that our members brought to the mix for comparison. The October 30 share. Mountain Brook has won a lot of awards with their tasting was attended by 20 chapter wines and our membership was impressed by the quality. members. All wines were 2011 vintage. 2014 Chardonnay $19 The two CA pinots were served first and 2015 Pinot Grigio 21 in comparison with the OR wines, were 2013 Petite Verdot 25 bigger style wines with darker color and 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon 25 a bit more fruit forward, very palate 2014 Merlot 23 pleasing and “drink me now” wines. The Willamette Valley NV Magis (Red Blend) 29 wines were a bit lighter in color, a bit higher in acidity and very, very complex and elegant elegant. What accounts for  The Princeton (NJ) Chapter held its September 17 meeting the relatively high price of most of these wines? Probably that at the home of Jamie Zhang. The theme for the evening was a many of these wines are produced in small quantities. Given blind tasting of French and California Bordeaux, cabernet that pinot lovers judge them to be excellent “must have” sauvignon and chardonnay. The tasting was in honor of the wines, the high prices are justified and validated by the 40th Anniversary of the Paris Tasting in May of 1976, also market. Many thanks to Stan and Ina for hosting this called the Judgment of Paris, when California surprised the excellent tasting as well as providing a great meal following French, and indeed the entire world, by producing the winning the tasting. wines. As a special treat, in addition to the 12 wines for the 2011 Seasmoke Southing $95 blind tasting (6 reds, 6 whites), recent vintages of Chateau 2011 Williams Selyem Sonoma Coast 85 Montelena’s Chardonnay and Stag Leap Wine Cellars' Caber- 2011 Matello Whistling Ridge 32 net Sauvignon were served - these wineries produced the 2011 Scott Paul Le Paulee 39 winning chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, respectively, in 2011 Evesham Wood Cuvee “J” 45 (1) 1976. In the final analysis at the Princeton Tasting, California 2011 Ayoub Estate 50 again reigned supreme! Accompanying the wines at the chap- 2011 Preve Le Nord 60 (3) ter tasting was a menu focused on homemade French and 2011 Kelly Fox Maresh 60 California cuisine: California roll sushi, Coquilles St Jacques, 2011 Scott Paul Audrey 85 Calif shrimp tacos, flat bread pizza, Salad Lyonnaise, Boeuf 2011 Antica Terra Botanica 90 (1) Bourguignon and Raspberry Pinot Noir sherbet. The following lists the wines in the order of theirs scores, highest to lowest:  On October 23, the Ocean Isle Beach (NC) Chapter held its Whites monthly tasting event with 43 members and guests at the 2013 De Loach Russian River Chardonnay, CA $18 Silver Coast Winery. The theme for this event was “Wines 2013 Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay, CA 17 from Umbria.” The tasting theme was in recognition of the 2014 Rodney Strong Sonoma Chardonnay, CA 15 devastating earthquakes that tragically hit the area this past 2013 Ch. de la Greffiere Macon La Roche, FR 21 summer. Umbria is a hilly area in central Italy that is often 2015 Pierre Moulin Chardonnay, FR 14 referred to as Tuscany’s “cousin to the south.” Much of the 2011 Georges Duboeuf Macon Villages, FR 20 area’s employment centers on the wine industry. Though all Reds indications are that wineries and area vineyards suffered little 2013 Rbt Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet, CA 11 damage, this was not true for many of Umbria’s small hilltop 2013 Francis Ford Coppola Diamond Series 19 towns and villages. The Chapter felt that since many residents Black Label Claret, CA are associated with wine, doing a tasting of Umbrian wines, 2013 Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon, CA 21 might in some small way help the poor and unfortunate peo- 2009 Chateau la Cardonne, Medoc, FR 20 ple of the area. Most of our members and guests had never 2013 Baron De Rothschild Lafite, Medoc Reserve 15 tasted a wine from Umbria. Because of the area’s many small Speciale, FR wineries, imports of Umbrian wine are very limited and in 2013 Ch. Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Rouge, FR 12 many cases difficult to obtain. Most local wine shops simply don’t carry them. Our tasting consisted of 8 wines, 2 white  The August tasting of the San Luis Obispo (CA) Chapter and 6 reds. They were all obtained online. Our members felt featured examples of Cab- that all the wines presented were delicious especially in light ernet Sauvignon from three of the price points for these wines. of the newly designated 2014 Santa Cristina Orvieto Classico $12 sub-AVAs of the Paso Ro- 2015 Borgo Conventi Pinot Grigio 17 bles growing region. Bob 2009 Colpetrone Sagrantino di Montefalco 24 (2) Dunning of Dunning Vine- 2014 La Carraia Sangiovese Umbria 14 yards in Paso Robles joined 2014 Falesco Vitiano Rosso 10 (1) us and described how the 2010 Falesco Assisi Rosso 18 unique growing conditions 2013 Falesco Tellus Cabernet Sauvignon 15 (3) in each area can influence 2012 Arnaldo Caprai Montefalco Rosso 24 the wines produced there. The amount of rainfall, the diurnal temperature swing, alti-  The Piedmont Wine and Vine (SC) Chapter went to the tude, and soils types all can all have a bearing on the quality

AWS News December 2016 Page 14 of the fruit. Each flight in our blind tasting included three ferred with the wines presented. While the hope was that all wines that represented a single sub-AVA. We tasted wines treats and wines would delight in from Willow Creek, Adelaida, and Templeton Gap. It was a one way or another, some pairings challenge to try to guess which district was the focus of each sent guests running for cover (or a of our three flights, but it was also very informative. It’s inter- dump bucket.) We sampled a vari- esting to note that despite the differences, each sub-AVA had ety of Halloween candies and pon- one of our top three favorite wines of the evening. dered these questions: Do Nerds 2011 Ch. Lettau-Halter Ranch Vyd-Adelaida $45 go with sparkling wines? Is Star- 2013 Halter Ranch Estate-Adelaida 39 burst better with light or medium reds? How about Skittles, 2013 Adelaida-Viking Estate Vyd.-Adelaida 80 Candy Corn, Butterfinger and Hershey Milk Chocolate with 2011 Ecluse-Locke Vyd.-Willow Creek 42 Chardonnay, or is a sweet white more tantalizing? Are 2012 Grey Wolf-Alpha Vyd.-Willow Creek 36 Reese’s, M&Ms and Snickers a mate for medium reds, or a 2013 Dunning Vineyards-Willow Creek 42 (1) finer companion with bold reds or a dessert wine? The pairing 2013 Pomar Junction-Templeton Gap 25 of wine with an acceptable treat was the goal this month. Our 2013 Victor Hugo-Templeton Gap 26 usual wine rating sheets were available, but only 9 of the 20 2013 Brochelle-Templeton Gap 50 guests chose this option. We all started Halloween early and enjoyed a FUN, out-of-the-ordinary tasting! The Southport (NC) Chapter met on Friday, October 14, at 2014 Rest in Peace Pinot Grigio, CA $10 the St. James Community Center. Our meet- Starburst and Candy Corn ing had 40 members and 17 guests in attend- 2014 Black Cat Riesling, Rheinhessen, Germany 13 ance and featured a blind tasting of Pinot Noir Health Bar from 6 different countries. After reviewing 2014 Hobnob Wicked Chardonnay, CA 12 AWS National and local Chapter activities and Heath Bar and Candy Corn celebrating members birthdays, we got into NV Candoni Brut Prosecco, Italy 13 the blind wine tasting and AWS scoring of the Skittles and Candy Corn wines. We first reviewed Pinot Noir history, 2013 Vampire Red, CA 15 world-wide growing regions, the profile of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup and M&Ms Pinot Noir grape. Then, we reviewed the judg- 2014 Armida Poizin, Dry Creek Valley, CA 13 ing rules (using the AWS scoring sheet) and conducted the Twix and M&Ms blind tasting. We tasted and judged wines from California, 2013 Mt. Monster Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia 16 Oregon, France, Chile, Italy, and New Zealand. Our 6 great Any candy containing chocolate chefs prepared Chicken and Cream Sauce, Salmon, Beets, NV Sandeman Tawny Port, Portugal 14 Sautéed Mushrooms, Chicken Breasts, Grilled Flank Steak and Heath Bar and York Peppermint Patty Baked Salmon appetizers to pair with each of the Pinot's. The NV Sandeman Founders Reserve Port, Portugal 16 attendees had a great time tasting and discussing the differ- Any candy containing chocolate ences between the wines. 2013 EnRoute “Les Pommiers” Pinot Noir $55 (1) 2014 Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes De Beaune 19 (2) To be included in the AWS News, e-mail your tasting “Vieilles Vignes” 2011 Soter Vineyards North Valley Pinot Noir 33 (3) info to [email protected] 2012 Kim Crawford Loveblock Pinot Noir 27 Please follow the format specified for Chapter Events. It can 2013 Talinay Tabali Pinot Noir 20 be downloaded from the AWS website 2011 Cavit Alta Luna Pinot Noir 12 (americanwinesociety.org—Publications—AWS Newsletter).  The Halloween-inspired tasting of Triangle (NC) Chapter had Please include the cost of the wines you tasted, plus scores our hosts, Pat and Ed Bogdanski, open their Wake Forest or rankings. This information lets other members know home on October 16 to help us pair some treats with wine. It what you liked and what wines were good values. was up to each guest to decide which treat, if any, was pre-

AWS News December 2016 Page 15 AWS News

American Wine Society® P. O. Box 279 Englewood, OH 45322

Address Service Requested

AWS website—Online Store Follow the directions to set up your account and order from NewChef