Central Coast wine, vinegar, and spirits competitions name winners
Image from Central Coast Wine Competition Facebook.
Pear Valley Vineyards named Winery of the Year
–The California Mid-State Fair is pleased to announce the winners of the 19th annual Central Coast Wine Competition, the Central Coast Spirits Competition, and the Central Coast Vinegar Competition. The blind-tasting event, held June 15-17 at the Paso Robles Event Center, is the largest wine competition on California’s Central Coast, which encompasses ten counties stretching from Alameda to Ventura.
This year’s competition included 94 wineries and 508 wines entered. The competition features 62 classes based on grape varieties and vintages, where the “Best of “ wines are selected for their varietal typicity, quality, and character.
- Best of Show/Best of Red – Carol Shelton Wines, Santa Rosa, 2019 Coquille Rogue
- Best Dessert – Halter Ranch, Paso Robles, 2019 Vin De Paille
- Best Sparkling – Robert Hall, Paso Robles, 2019 Cavern Select Sparkling Grenache Blanc
- Best Rose – Vina Robles Vineyards and Winery, Paso Robles, 2020 Rosé Huerhuero Vineyard
- Best White – Bushong Vintage Company, Paso Robles, 2020 Spanish Castle Queen
The Central Coast Wine Competition named Pear Valley Vineyards as the 2021 Winery of the Year. The Paso Robles winery had 20 entries with four best of class awards, four double golds, and five golds. This is the first Winery of the Year honor for Pear Valley.
The Central Coast Spirits Competition featured 60 total classes with 13 companies and 35 total entries.
- Best of Show/Best of Class Whiskey – Stark Spirits, Pasadena, Peated Single Malt Best of Class Amaro – Pendray’s Distillery, Templeton, Amaro
- Best of Class Gin – Tin City Distillery, Paso Robles, Classic Gin
- Best of Class Rye – Krobar Craft Distillery, Paso Robles, 100-percent Rye
- Best of Class Vodka – Azeo, Paso Robles, Vodka
The Central Coast Vinegar Competition featured four brands with 11 total entries in 11 classes
based on varieties.
- Best of Show/Best of Class Barrel Aged – Kismet Refining Company, Escondido, Black Garlic Balsamic
- Best of Class Flavored – Kismet Refining Company, Escondido, Hibiscus
- Best of Class Infused – Broken Clock Vinegar Works, Solvang, Chardonnay and Lavender Best of Class Other Fruit – Aris Vinegar, Paso Robles, Pomegranate
“The Central Coast produces extraordinary wines, spirits, and vinegars, and we are proud to be able to showcase several of the best. We look forward to displaying these winning entries during the 2021 California Mid-State Fair,” said Interim CEO Colleen Bojorquez.
Full results for all three competitions can be found at centralcoastwinecomp.com.
