FRANKFORT, Ky. — Three Kentucky wineries brought home 12 medals, including four golds, from the 2010 Mid-American Wine Competition in Ankeny, Iowa.
Harkness Edwards Vineyards in Winchester won two gold medals – one for its Vat 32 Viognier wine and one for the wine’s label in the Most Unique category. Harkness Edwards also received a silver medal for the label on its Taste the Sun bottle.
Wight-Meyer Vineyard and Winery in Shepherdsville won five medals, the most among Kentucky wineries. Its Diamond wine won gold, its Vignoles wine received silver, and its Dry Chardonnay, Chambourcin and Norton Reserve each got bronzes.
Elk Creek Vineyard and Winery in Owenton won a gold medal for the Best Series label on its Orchard Creek Series. The series also received three bronze medals for its Sweet Blueberry, Sweet Pomegranate and Sweet Strawberry wines.
The fourth annual Mid-American Wine Competition on July 9-11 was open only to commercial wineries in Kentucky and 15 other states across the Midwest – Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
The Mid-American is the first competition in the nation in which wines are judged with carefully selected, food-friendly dishes, allowing the wines to be evaluated based on their synergism with food. Wine labels were also judged in seven categories: Best Label, Best Imaging, Best Series, Most Humorous, Most Humorous Series, Most Sophisticated and Most Unique.
Proceeds from the competition support the Enology International Internship program at Des Moines Area Community College, which hosted the event.