San Joaquin Valley Wine Competition Holds Fifth Tasting in June

June 19 is the deadline for entries in the fifth annual San Joaquin Valley Wine Competition which will be held June 26 and 27 in Kingsburg.

Formerly known as the  Central California Warm Weather Wine Competition, the judging is sponsored by the San Joaquin Valley Winegrowers Association to highlight wines either made from grapes grown, or vinted in warm weather regions of California.

Competition winners will be showcased at the Fresno County the first two weeks of October.

SJV ENVIRONMENT IS CALIFORNIA’S MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE

Peterangelo Vallis, the executive director of the SJV Winegrowers says the competition is designed to solidly connect California wines with the state’s Mediterranean climate.

“Grapes and wine are native to the warm, rugged climate of the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey,” said Vallis.  “For thousands of years, the heart of world wine making has been in warm locales:  Southern Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt, Spain, and the South of France.

“Today, these areas are being rediscovered for their climate, topography and the maturity that brings out the very best flavors of the grape,” Vallis continued.

“Those areas are the original climates that gave birth to wine and fostered its global spread. We in the San Joaquin Valley are proud to share that heritage and believe the time has arrived to celebrate winemaking that is true to its ancient roots.”

PACKAGING COMPETITION ADDED FOR 2009

This year, the competition has added a packaging competition  which will be judged by a panel of artists and collectors to judge the aesthetic and creative nature of the overall packaging.

“This is more than just the label,” Vallis explained, “Because the entire package is what sets your wine apart from the thousands of others on shelves around the world.”

RULES AND ENTRY INFORMATION

Click here for competition rules and entry instructions.

SPONSORS

Sponsors of the competition include Title Sponsor, Premier Power along with:

• Westec
• Jim’s Supply Co.
• Dan Drake Enterprises
• Agajanian Vineyards
• Wine Industry Insight
• CalWest Rain
• Appellation America
• Allied Grape Growers
• Ramos-Torres
• Hi Life Banquet Hall
• Fresno Art Museum
• Sequoia View Bed & Breakfast
• United Valley
• Eye-Q