Ohio v Michigan Wine Clash: Results

On Monday night, Kevin & I drove up to Columbus to judge the Ohio v Michigan wine clash. Of course, the point of all this is to Drink Local and perhaps make a smaller carbon footprint, and the winners will be sipped at a dinner in Columbus tomorrow night. (Have I mentioned that driving 4 hours round-trip to judge a local wine competition did not help our carbon footprint? Ironic, yes?)

The judging was pretty much by the AWS rules, which is good. I loved that it was straight numbers and we didn't have to discuss, in detail, who would be awarded medals. Since I have an occasional issue with medals and how they are sometimes awarded, this was fantastic.

Over 60 wines were tasted overall - I can guarantee we had around that many in Columbus. Of those, 30 wines were tasted by groups in both Ann Arbor, MI and Columbus. Scores were compiled and the winners were announced today.

The Slow Food chapters of Columbus and Huron Valley are pleased to congratulate the winners:

• Sparkling Wine: Shady Lane Cellars Blanc de Blancs 2000 (MI)
• Aromatic White: Ferrante “Golden Bunches”Riesling 2007 (OH)
• White Wine: Black Star Farms “Arcturos” Chardonnay sur lie 2006 (MI)
• Pinot Noir: Black Star Farms “Arcturos” Pinot Noir 2006 (MI)
• Red Wine: Kinkead Ridge Revelation 2006 (OH)

Let's do a little jump up and down that the Kinkead Ridge won the Reds category! They're one of our own Cincinnati-area wineries! Before you get upset that folks like Henke and Burnet Ridge aren't on the list, the grapes had to be exclusively from Ohio and Michigan, respectively.

“I would consider any of these winning wines to be on a par in quality to their peers from California and elsewhere,” said organizer Andrew Hall, “and at very consumer-friendly prices.”  All of the winners are below $30/bottle, and 3 of the 5 are below $20.

Both Ohio and Michigan share a centuries-old tradition of viticulture which was wrecked by Prohibition but has re-emerged in recent times. From the Ohio River Valley to the upper shores of Lake Michigan, growers and winemakers are working hard to create unique and quality wines. In light of the growing concerns about the carbon footprint of transported products, this event was created to showcase these local efforts and in the context of one of our storied local rivalry.

Slow Food Columbus sponsored this event as part of a ‘Drink Local’ campaign. On November 20th, the first annual celebration of this event, the top-rated Ohio wines will be available by the glass at Alana’s Restaurant in Columbus.

Interested in learning more about our local wineries? Don't forget about the barrel tasting on Nov 29th! It's a great way to dip your toes in the local wine riches.