Winning Winery of the Year at Cal Expo & State Fair

Margie and I were together on the patio when the telephone call came early Sunday evening. I don’t really remember why we answered the phone, but I am sure glad we did. It was Laura Laskowski, the Commercial Wine Competition Coordinator for the Cal Expo & State Fair. The judging had just concluded, and she said she had some good news for us. My heart had already skipped a beat when she introduced herself and it bounced again when she uttered the words ‘good news’.

The State Fair is one of the competitions we enter every year. It is one of the most respected, and we eagerly await the results with great anticipation. “I am calling to let you know that you have won the Golden State Winery Award.” That’s when I started my ascension to Winemaking Nirvana. We entered forty wines and earned thirty-nine medals, and two best of varietal awards. The bubbles tasted extra good that evening on the patio.

If you are a wine club member, the July Wine Club Selection includes four medal winners from this year’s State Fair: a Double Gold Medal was earned by the 2021 Teroldego from the Creekside Vineyard and Silver medals for both the 2022 Grenache from the Silvaspoons Vineyard and 2022 William Marie Vineyard Pinot Noir along with a bronze medal for the 2021“Z” Zinfandel.

Enjoy!

– Jeff Runquist