FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Umpqua Valley wineries score big in biggest competition.  As you can see from the quote below, the SF Chronicle is the largest competition of American wines in the world.  Our local Umpqua Valley wineries brought home a total of 28 medals.  To show that well on the biggest stage in the country says a lot about the quality of the wines coming from our region.  We hope that this recognition will further the realization that wines from the Umpqua Valley are world class and bring more attention and interest to the area from wine consumers.

Double Gold 3

Gold 3

Silver 15

Bronze 7

(San Francisco, Calif., January 5, 2015) — The 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC) has received 7,162 entries this year. This is the highest number of wine entries seen to date, shattering 2015’s previous record of 6,417 entries from 28 states. Submissions came pouring in from across the nation, from independent winemakers and boutique wineries to large scale producers.

The SFCWC is the largest competition of American wines in the world, and it continues to expand in size and scope. This year, the SFCWC is adding five new categories of ciders, including heritage ciders, fruit ciders, culinary ciders, wood-aged ciders and specialty ciders.

“Every year the competition grows in size and prestige. Breaking the 7,000-entry mark is an astounding accomplishment. What was once a modest regional event has developed into the largest competition of American wines in the world,” said Bob Fraser, Executive Director of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. “I’m honored to be associated with a nationwide competition of such quality and integrity.”

At the Cloverdale Citrus Fair from January 5-8, the wines will be evaluated and rated by 65 wine judges during the judging portion of the competition. Once the judging is completed, many of the award winning wines will be featured at the annual Public Tasting, which takes place on February 13, 2016 at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.