The prestigious American Fine Wine Competition, announced the result for The Invitational, which takes place annually in south Florida. With the Pandemic wreaking havoc for the past year, the judging was delayed, and took place on Memorial Day Weekend. More than 550 wines from 125 wineries vied for top honors at this INVITATION-only event. The Judging — conducted by a 28-member blue ribbon panel of wine industry educators, restaurateurs, retailers, journalists, and top sommeliers from across the country — was held at the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Florida International University, Biscayne Bay Campus.
As usual, the results did not disappoint! There were ties for Best of Show Red wine AND Best of Show Sparkling. And the Sparkling wines were from the same winery! Equally exciting, there was also a tie for Best of Class Riesling, which was the case last year as well.
Co-founder and President Shari Gherman said, “At AFWC, we look for the very best wines the country has to offer, and so they must be vetted before being invited. This year was challenging since the country was pretty much shut down. But with some creativity, we persevered, and as one can see by the results, we found stunning wines yet again.”
The Judges had an incredibly difficult time coming up with the Best of Class results. Judge Wendy Rosano said, “Of the 11 double gold medal winning Red Bordeaux Blends, it was almost impossible to pick one!” Judge Patrick Sullivan said, “The 12 Double Gold medal winning Syrah’s were so awesome, we actually finished drinking our glasses!” In the Cabernet Sauvignon category, there were five flights where ALL the wines were awarded double gold medals.
Fourteen years of careful scouting and judging means this competition starts where others end. Four-team judging panels evaluate, describe, debate and assign medals and scores. “Our Judges take their time and really care about getting it right” observed Greg Miseyko, Chief Judge and Judging Coordinator. Wines earn Gold, Silver or Bronze medals and “Double Gold” honors when every judge agrees the wine deserves a Gold Medal. Points from a 100-point scale are also awarded. Miseyko added “We want to direct the public to America’s finest wines, to become the most trusted source of information about finding quality wines.”
Remember, Price doesn’t always dictate the finest. Quality does.
Attached are the complete results.
AFWC 2021 Best Of final 06-09-21
They are also posted at www.AmericanFineWineCompetition.org
