I judged wine for the McMinnville Wine & Food Classic competition on January 11. It’s a good competition. Only Oregon-produced wine is eligible. 200 wines were in the mix this year.

This was my second consecutive year as a McMinnville Wine & Food Classic. There were fifteen judges this time, all respected wine writers, educators, buyers, and winemakers. Most are from Oregon, but six of us came from out of state to ensure a broad perspective. The judges were organized into three panels of five. Each panel tasted quite a bit of wine, but no individual had to taste anything close to 200.

Because all monetary proceeds go to support a local school, it would be great for the competition to have more wines submitted. However, plenty of wines for the competition to be generally representative of Oregon wine as a whole.

The Judging

Fifteen judges was just right. Nobody had to taste too much wine. And we were able to easily complete all the judging, including medals rounds, in one day. Yet, the group was small enough to fit into one, moderately sized room. That allowed us to build rapport and easily discuss particular wines as needed.

The competition reinforced two opinions I’ve long held about wine evaluations. First, no matter how well-trained and broadly experienced the tasters, there will always be some level of disagreement about the fine points of particular wines. No two people have exactly the same reference point or palate. Which wine represents the most ideal Pinot character may be subject to debate. 

But, second, those same tasters can still quickly and easily arrive at clear consensus on the overall quality of wines. These truths were clearly illustrated during the medal rounds, when all fifteen judges were voting on the same wines with a show of hands and could talk about individual wines if they wanted.

Consensus was fast and obvious on the Best of Show White. Best of Show Red judging involved more discussion, but consensus was also apparent in the end.

While the quality and nature of the judging did not surprise me—it was an excellent group—the winning varietals did. Pinot Noir is the most-planted grape in Oregon, with 62.3% of total vine acres. The second most-planted is Pinot Gris, with 12.9%. Chardonnay is a distant third at 5.6%. Riesling and Syrah are the only other grapes representing at least 2% of total vine acres in Oregon. And there are many great examples of each. But the Best White and Best Red weren’t made from any of those varieties. 

2020 McMinnville Wine & Food Classic Best of Show White

The 2020 McMinnville Wine & Food Classic Best White is a varietal that has emerged, almost out of nowhere, as a qualitative star in California over the past decade. It makes sense that it can thrive in Oregon as well. That grape is Grenache Blanc.

Grenache Blanc is native to Spain. The grape produces some exquisite wines in the Terra Alta DO, roughly 50 miles southwest or Barcelona. Most Americans know it better from the wines of the southern Rhone Valley, including Chateauneuf-du-Pape. There, however, I find it’s often allowed to ripen too long. That results in less complexity and too much alcohol. Nuance comes from blending or co-fermenting with other varieties, such as Marsanne and Roussanne.

The ripe, somewhat bland style was the norm in California for a while too. Then, a handful of winemakers realized picking at lower ripeness lead to a fresher wine that was also complex and sometimes quite pretty. The McMinnville Wine & Food Classic winner is from that school of thought.

The 2018 Awen Winecraft Grenache Blanc offers lovely notes of apple, pear, tangy peach, and a delicate spray of white flowers. The aromas and flavors are inviting and clearly defined, but show varietally appropriate restraint. Grenache Blanc is not a high-acid grape, but the Awen is sufficiently juicy to balance the fruit. The alcohol, 14.10%, is mid-range for the variety and provides satisfying weight in the mouth. If you want to teach somewhat what Grenache Blanc is like, this wine will provide a great example.

Awen Winecraft was only founded in 2016, but has won awards consistently from the outset. The proprietor-winemakers, Sean Hopkins and Tom Homewood, had been hobbyist vintners for some time prior to going commercial. They produce their wine at Barrel 42 in Medford, a multi-label production facility operated by Herb Quady and his team. Quady is a stellar winemaker and has had a hand in award-winners from many labels. 

The fruit came from Fort Miller Vineyards in Talent, just north of Ashland, in the Rogue Valley AVA. That area of southern Oregon is very well suited to Rhone and Iberian varieties. As of 2018, there were only about 10 acres of Grenache Blanc in all of Oregon. I hope this award encourages growers to add more.

2020 McMinnville Wine & Food Classic Best of Show Red

The Best of Show Red hails from Oregon’s best-known AVA, Willamette Valley. And the variety, though not in Oregon’s top five, is nonetheless one which is garnering a lot of enthusiasm in that region. The wine is 2018 August Cellars Gamay Noir.

The nose and palate are alive with fresh, juicy, mostly red, berry fruit. Body and tannins are light. Alcohol is just right at 13%. It’s the liquid equivalent of a name tag proclaiming, “Hello! My name is Gamay.” Should you sometime find yourself a bit down in the mouth, drinking this wine will cheer you right up. At just $25, it’s an affordable picker-upper too.

Best Sparkling

I’ll give the Best Sparkling Wine, 2016 Willamette Valley Vineyards Brut, a shout out as well. It’s a very good, traditional method sparkler. It features crunchy lemon and apple flavors with complementary yeasty notes and mouthwatering acidity. The 2015 Willamette Valley Vineyards Brut was one of four wines I chose to represent Willamette Valley sparkling at my Wine Writers’ Educational Tours conference there last August.

Attend the Event

The McMinnville Wine & Food Classic consumer event takes place March 13-15 at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. You’ll be able to sample the winning wines, along with many others, plus food, beer, cider, and spirits from scores of Oregon producers. The museum is remarkable by the way and very well worth a lengthy visit on its own.

Copyright Fred Swan 2020. Bottle shot courtesy of Awen Winecraft. All rights reserved.

About the author: Fred Swan is an Oakland-based writer, educator, and event sommelier. He’s written on wine and spirits for GuildSomm.com, Daily.SevenFifty.com, The Tasting Panel, SOMM Journal, PlanetGrape.com, and more. Fred teaches a wide range of classes at the San Francisco Wine School. He’s founder/producer of Wine Writers’ Educational Tours, an annual, educational conference for professional wine writers. He also leads seminars, private wine tours, and conducts tastings, dinners, and events for wineries, companies, and private parties. Fred’s certifications include WSET Diploma, Certified Sommelier, California Wine Appellation Specialist, Certified Specialist of Wine, French Wine Scholar, Italian Wine Professional, Napa Valley Wine Educator, Northwest Wine Appellation Specialist, and Level 3 WSET Educator. He’s three times been awarded a fellowship by the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers.