Jeff’s Corner 1-4-19

Hey, Hey, Hey, today is Big Ego Day.

Once again, I’m proud to mention that I’ve been invited to judge the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition next week. This is my fourth consecutive year, and it’s an incredible honor to be included in this storied competition. I’ll be one of about 65 judges from around the country, and the only one from Texas.

The SFCWC is the World Series of American wine competitions. This year there are over 6,800 entries from the United States, Mexico, and Canada. If you’re interested, lots of cool info and photos regarding this awesome event can be found at www.winejudging.com.

Judging lasts 3 days (I’ll score about 110 wines each day), with a fourth day (the “sweepstakes” round) where the best-in-show is chosen for white, red, rose, sparkling, and dessert wines. It happens fast, with between 60-90 seconds for each wine.

Kathy and I will be wined, dined, and spoiled in every way for four days as guests of the SFCWC. The judging is held at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in northern Sonoma County, on the banks of the Russian River. It’s gorgeous!

Oh, and a big by the way, last year Grape Creek sent 17 wines to this show and brought back 17 medals, including Double Golds for our Pinot Grigio, Viognier, and Bellissimo, and Golds for Mosaic and Muscat Canelli.

Here’s a fun photo of my panel last year. The volunteers that make it all happen are amazing. They set up and clear about 500 glasses a day, and keep us stocked with bread, roast beef, water, and sharp pencils.

More pics next week…