Source:  NCDA&CS, 10/11/10

Childress Vineyards won Best of Show and Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery took home the Muscadine Cup in the 2010 N.C. State Fair Wine Competition.

The 11th annual wine competition took place Oct. 6 and 7, with 454 wines competing in the commercial division and 156 wines in the amateur division.

Childress Vineyards in Lexington claimed the N.C. Winegrowers Cup and Best of Show honors for its Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2007. This is the third year in a row, and fourth overall, that Childress Vineyards has won the Best of Show award. Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery in Boonville won the N.C. Muscadine Cup for best muscadine wine with its Carlos 2008.

Judges awarded 341 medals in the commercial competition: 32 double gold, 34 gold, 132 silver and 143 bronze medals. Biltmore Winery received the most awards in the competition with 33 medals. The competition was open only to North Carolina wineries, and double gold medals were awarded for unanimous decisions from the judges. The 2010 contest set the record for most wines entered, most medals awarded, and most double gold, silver and bronze medals awarded.

Best of Show in the amateur competition was awarded to Robert Moncsko of Cary for his Bobcin-Chambourcin. The amateur wine competition awarded ribbons to first, second and third place, and honorable mention winners for each class of wine. N.C. hobbyist winemakers entered a record 156 homegrown wines in the amateur competition.

The top winners from the commercial and amateur wine competition will be on display at the 2010 North Carolina State Fair Oct. 14-24.

North Carolina is home to 98 commercial wineries from the mountains to the coast, and ranks seventh for wine production in the United States. For more information on North Carolina wineries, including events and an interactive map, go to www.visitncwine.com. Complete results from the competition will be posted on www.nccommerce.com/wine.
The following are the highest honors for commercial winners:

Best of Wine  Class Name of Vineyard/Winery  Wine Name

White Vinifera/ Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery, Boonville/Muscat Canelli 2009
White Hybrid /Divine Llama Vineyards, East Bend/ Traminette Gold 2009
Rose/Blush Vinifera or Hybrid/ Brandon Hills Vineyard, Yadkinville/ White Merlot
Red Vinifera/ Childress Vineyards, Lexington/ Barrel Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Red Hybrid/ Owl™s Eye Vineyard & Winery, Shelby/ Chambourcin
White Native American/ Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery, Boonville/ Carlos 2008
Rose-Blush/ Native American Grove Winery, Gibsonville/ Chinqua Penn 2009 Muscadine Blush
Red Native/ American Cypress Bend Vineyards, Wagram/ Campbell
Fruit / Other Wines/ Laurel Gray Vineyards, Hamptonville/ Encore
Sparkling/ Biltmore Winery, Asheville/ Biltmore Estate Blanc de Blancs
Fortified / Dessert/ Westbend Vineyards, Lewisville/ Lilly B