Two gold medals each were awarded to Forest Edge Winery of Shepherdsville, MillaNova Winery of Mt. Washington, Springhill Winery of Bloomfield, and Talon Winery of Lexington.  Acres of Land Winery of Richmond, Elk Creek Winery of Owenton, Prodigy Vineyards & Winery of Frankfort, Purple Toad Winery of Paducah, and Wight-Meyer Vineyard & Winery of Shepherdsville each won one gold medal.

Bullit County’s MillaNova and Wight-Meyer led the parade to the medal stand with 13 each. In addition to its two gold medals, MillaNova took home five silver medals and six bronze medals. Wight-Meyer had five silvers and seven bronzes.  The full results are posted below:

Congratulations to the Kentucky wineries that were awarded medals at the fourth annual Commercial Wine Competition.  Kentucky is proud to have such great wineries.

“Kentucky is being recognized as a major producer of quality wines,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “Congratulations to all the Kentucky wineries that competed at this prestigious event. These wineries and others are raising the bar for fine Kentucky wine.”

Jean Farris Winery & Bistro of Lexington struck gold with its Petite Syrah, and Wight-Meyer Vineyard & Winery of Shepherdsville earned a gold medal with its Petite Syrah. Wight-Meyer’s Diamond was Best of Class in American Late Harvest and Ice Wine, and the winery won nine medals in all. Jean Farris captured a total of five medals.

Other Kentucky wineries that scored at Indy International were Acres of Land Winery, Richmond (two medals); Black Barn Winery, Lexington (one); Elk Creek Vineyards, Owenton (two); Grimes Mill Winery, Lexington (one); Purple Toad Winery, Paducah (seven); Reid’s Livery Winery, Alvaton (one); River Valley Winery, Carrollton (two); Talon Winery, Lexington (one); and Wildside Winery & Vineyard, Versailles (one).

Several Kentucky winemakers earned high honors in the amateur categories. A complete list of medalists is available at www.indyinternational.org.

Indy International bills itself as the largest scientifically organized and independent wine competition in the United States. Some 3,000 wines from throughout the U.S. and 15 countries were judged.

In July, Kentucky wineries brought home 13 medals, including three golds, at the Mid-American Wine Competition in Ankeny, Iowa. Harkness Edwards Vineyards of Winchester earned two gold medals for its Vat 32 Viognier as well as a bronze. Reid’s Livery Winery captured gold with its Black Raspberry wine and also won a bronze. Purple Toad Winery won five medals, including a best of class for their PeachBerry, and Acres of Land won three. A full list of medalists is available at www.midamericanwine.org/

Once a leading grape- and wine-producing state, Kentucky today boasts nearly 70 wineries that are earning awards in competitions throughout the nation.

The historic moment in Edmonson county and Park Mammoth Resort marks the county’s tenured time as a dry county with the recent approval for Park Mammoth Resort to establish itself as a small farm winery. Plans have been set in motion to make fine wines, using grapes and fruits from select Kentucky vineyards and establish its own vineyard in the spring of 2012. 

Currently, Cave Valley Winery is focusing its wine making and private labeled wines on popular grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Chardonnay and Merlot in addition to blackberry, peach and blueberry fruit wines. The Tasting Room, decorated in a warm and rustic country style will feature a specially crafted menu pairing delicious cuisine with award winning wines of Kentucky.

Co-Owner Nick Noble said, “The addition of Cave Valley Winery to our destination resort, allows us to provide our guests and the many residents of our community with an ideal setting to enjoy great food, wine and our summer concert series ‘Picnic Blanket.’ I guess you could say, we’re bringing back Kentucky’s musical heritage and providing a backdrop for families and friends to relax and share quality time together while rediscovering the outdoors.”

Cave Valley Winery is located on the doorstep of Mammoth Cave National Park in the Caves, Lakes and Corvettes Region of South Central Kentucky. The Fortress Group, Inc. owns and operates the family of brands at Park Mammoth Resort which includes Rockcastle Shooting Center, Cave Valley Golf Club, Cave Valley Winery and the Lodge and Conference Center.

For more information on how to reserve your private wine tasting experience, contact our guest client services at info@parkmammothresort.us or call us directly at (270) 749-4101. Cave Valley Winery is located at 22850 Louisville Road, Park City, KY   42160 at I-65, exit 48.

The James Beard Foundation has invited Jean Farris Winery and Bistro with Executive Chef Justin Thompson to come to New York and showcase not only the food, but also the internationally awarded Kentucky wines that have made them a regional success. The dinner event headlined as “Kentucky Wine Estate” will be held at the James Beard House in New York City on August 11^th and will include the pairing of Jean Farris wines with the uniquely Kentucky dishes that are a staple of Jean Farris Winery and Bistro.

 Chef Thompson will be preparing hors d’oeuvres and a five-course dinner that, as always, starts in the estate garden. “We are taking Jean Farris on the road; we are not changing what we do for the James Beard House. We are offering their guests a seat at the Jean Farris table,” says Chef Thompson. In order to showcase the difference in flavors produced from the central Kentucky region, they will be carrying vegetables grown in their Lexington, Kentucky garden to New York City. When asked about this extreme measure, owner/vintner Ben O’Daniel simply answered, “The unequalled flavors that are in our food and wine start with the soil that is Kentucky.” Dishes for the event range from an heirloom tomato tasting, currently on the Jean Farris summer menu, to Kentucky milk-fed veal. Jean Farris will also be releasing a new sparkling wine, Constellations, at the event.

 Details on the Kentucky Wine Estate event at the James Beard House in New York City on August 11^th can be found on the events page at www.jamesbeard.org. If you are planning a trip to New York City and would like to attend the event at the James Beard House reservations can be made by calling 212-627-2308. In preparation for the event, Jean Farris will host a preview dinner at their Winery & Bistro in Lexington, KY on Thursday, July 28. The cost for the preview dinner at the winery is $80 and includes wine pairing. Advance reservation is required and available by calling 859-263-WINE (9463). 

 For further information on the James Beard Foundation, go to www.jamesbeard.org. For information on Jean Farris, their wines, current menu, events and to make reservations go to www.jeanfarris.com or call 859-263-9463.

“Kentucky wines continue to enjoy success in wine competitions all over the country,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “Congratulations to all the Kentucky wineries that won medals at the Kentucky Derby Festival competition.”

The gold medal-winning Kentucky wineries and wines were:

Chrisman Mill Winery, Nicholasville – Vidal Blanc

Lovers Leap Winery, Lawrenceburg – Cabernet Sauvignon

MillaNova Winery, Mt. Washington – Mafia Merlot

Prodigy Winery, Frankfort – Chambourcin and Vignoles (two)

River Bend Winery, Louisville – Meritage

Talon Winery, Lexington – Chambourcin Reserve, Chambourcin(two)

Wight-Meyer Winery, Shepherdsville – Petite Syrah and Moores Diamond (two)

In all, 15 Kentucky wineries took 75 medals home from the competition. Judges from the American Wine Society scored the entries.

Patrons will be able to sample some of these medaled bottles of wine at the Kentucky Proud Derby Festival WineFest May 3-4. For more information, go to www.kdf.org.  Below are the full results from the competition.

 Two Kentucky wineries brought home one gold medals, four silver, and two bronze.  Purple Toad Winery, Paducah, received gold for the Estate Grown Laurens Blackberry wine.  Silver medals were awarded to Purple Toad Winery for the 2009 Cabernet Franc, 2009 Merlot, and the Paducah Peach.  A bronze medal was awarded for the Estate Grown Paducah Blue. 

 StoneBrook Winery, Melbourne, received a silver medal for the Pomegranate wine and a bronze for the 2008 Estate Cabernet Franc. 

 Kentucky wineries will be participating in a variety of international and national wine competitions throughout 2011.

 Wines of the South is an annual regional wine competition designed to promote and celebrate the great taste of Southern wine vintages.  Wineries from 14 states have this unique venue to compare, compete, and promote the art of winemaking.  Experienced professionals from around the region judge entries.  All wines are judged blind, served at the appropriate temperature, and ranked with the industry standard 20-point scale.

Kentucky wineries won two concordance gold medals, one gold medal, thirteen silver, and ten bronze.  All judges must give the wine a gold medal to earn a concordance gold.    

 Winery

The 2007 cabernet sauvignon won a silver, and the 2008 Cynthiana and 2008 riesling earned bronze medals. This is the largest competition of American wines in the world, receiving more than 5,000 entries, winemaker Logan Leet said.

Lovers Leap is located at 1180 Lanes Mill Road in Lawrenceburg. Call (502) 839-1299 or go to Loversleapwine.com.

The campaign was centered on a 30-minute documentary, “Vintage Kentucky: The Vine to Wine Experience,” which was a project of the Kentucky Grape and Wine Council and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. The documentary was co-produced by New West LLC of Louisville. It first aired on KET in November 2009.

“’Vintage Kentucky’ effectively told the story of the Kentucky wine industry’s illustrious past and bright future with style and professionalism,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “Congratulations to the Grape and Wine Council, New West and the Department’s marketing office on these well-deserved honors.”

The campaign received an Award of Excellence in the category Overall Communications – Customer Relations and Service, and another in Publications/Special Project for a unique z-fold map of Kentucky’s wineries. The premiere showing of the documentary at The Kentucky Center in Louisville, premiere event materials and the council’s Web site received honorable mention awards in their respective categories.

The Landmarks of Excellence Awards recognize outstanding achievement in public relations. The awards were announced in a ceremony Oct. 12 in Louisville.

 Earlier this year, “Vintage Kentucky” won two silver Telly Awards and one bronze. The Telly Awards honor the best local, regional and cable television commercials and programs.

“Vintage Kentucky” may be purchased on DVD by going to the Grape and Wine Council’s Web site, www.kentuckywine.com. For more information about the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s grape and wine marketing program, go to www.kyagr.com/marketing/plantmktg/grape.htm.

Admission is free, although there will be a charge for wine samples. Food will be available for purchase. Each winery will be selling their wine selections. Festival-goers are also invited to bring their blankets and picnics.

The cost for wine tasting will be $20 for 10 tickets and that includes a wine glass. The event is sponsored by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, the Kentucky Grape and Wine Council and Smiley Pete Publishing