Lone Star International Wine Competition 2010

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

? What is it? The preeminent wine competition for Texas wines,
and one that has grown significantly in its 27 years. This year, we
judged 577 wines — up 30 percent from 2009 — and included wine from 17
states and 11 countries.

? When and where: June 7-8, 2010,
Grapevine, Texas

? Biggest surprise: The quality
of the entries, which included some well-known and even famous wines
from places other than Texas. That has almost never happened. Napa’s
Cakebread Cellars entered its 2007 Carneros syrah, an $80 wine, and we
were joking that it may have been the most expensive wine ever entered
in the Lone Star. (Yes, it won a gold medal.)

? What’s
different: The same Texas wineries that usually dominate didn’t.
That wasn’t a reflection of a lack of quality; rather, that so many
other good wines were entered. We also had a several dozen wines from Gallo and its subsidiaries, as well as another big California producer, Underdog (which makes Fish Eye, among others).

? Who I judged with: My
pal John Bratcher, the other Wine
Guy; Jon Davis of Hear Hear Wines, a Fort Worth distributor; Mirek
von Springer, who works for Dallas retailer Goody Goody; and Mary Ann
Willis of Glazer’s, the big distributor. Our panel moderator was Bob
Klocek of the
Grapevine Wine Pouring Society, who did his usual outstanding job.

? Compensation:
The competition paid for lunch both days.

? Overall:
The best Lone Star competition since I started judging it five years
ago. Much of the credit must go to Michael Zerbach and sommelier Barbara Werley,
who co-chair the event, and have made a concerted effort to expand the
quality of the entries. Especially impressive among the Texas wins were
the Peter’s Praire barbera from Becker Vineyards, the Raider tempranillo
blend from Llano Estacado, and McPherson’s Rose of Syrah. All won gold
medals, and are excellent examples of what Texas can do with grapes that
aren’t cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay. I’ll link to the complete results when they bvecome available.

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