Annual Competition Showcases the Best Kentucky Wines

 

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 22, 2019) — StoneBrook Winery of Camp Springs took home two of the five Commissioner’s Cup awards at the seventh annual Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition and Commissioner’s Cup on Nov. 16 in Lexington.

“Kentucky wines continued to show progress in quality at this year’s competition,” Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said. “A highly qualified panel of judges awarded medals to more than 90 percent of the wines entered in the competition. Congratulations to all the Kentucky wineries that competed this year.”

The Commissioner’s Cup awards went to:
• Best Dry Red – StoneBrook Winery, Cabernet Franc
• Best Dry White – Brianza Gardens & Winery, Crittenden, Vidal Blanc
• Best Boutique Production – Up the Creek Winery, Burkesville, Stormy Blues
• Best Rosé/Blush: StoneBrook Winery, Sunset Blush
• Best Sweet/Fruit/Dessert Style – Wight-Meyer Vineyard & Winery, Shepherdsville, Amy’s Apple Pie

StoneBrook and Wight-Meyer each have won four Commissioner’s Cup awards, more than any other winery in the history of the Commissioner’s Cup.

Forest Edge Winery of Shepherdsville led the pack with five gold medals. Prodigy Vineyards of Frankfort won four gold medals, and Brianza and StoneBrook each earned three. The judges awarded gold medals to 25 of the 125 wines entered in the competition.

The wines were judged by nine wine professionals from Kentucky and four other states. One judge is the director of the American Wine Society’s Certified Wine Judge program, and all the judges have various certifications in wine evaluation.

The Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition & Commissioner’s Cup is held annually to promote Kentucky’s grape and wine industry and to recognize the best wines produced in the state. Wines are judged blind based on individual merit.

The home of the first commercial vineyard in the United States, Kentucky today boasts more than 75 wineries. A study commissioned by the Kentucky Grape and Wine Council found that Kentucky’s grape and wine industry generated $165.3 million in economic activity and 1,247 jobs with a total estimated payroll of $37.2 million in 2014. Approximately 216,000 people visited Kentucky wineries in 2014, the study found.

For more information about Kentucky’s grape and wine industry, go to kentuckywine.com. For a complete list of winners and medalists in the 2019 Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition & Commissioner’s Cup, go to competition.kentuckywine.com.