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Tag Archive for: best white wine

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2015 Vignoles Beat Out 308 wines for Missouri Wine Competition’s Top Award

St. James Winery won the prestigious Missouri Governor’s Cup for the second year in a row. Out of seven best-of-class winners, the 2015 Vignoles, a semi-dry white vignoles, took the top award at the Missouri Wine Competition. A total of 308 wines were submitted from vineyards across the state to compete in the premiere competition designed to recognize and promote quality wines made in Missouri.

The winery’s 2015 Dry Vignoles and Friendship School White also won Gold Medals. Additionally, St. James Winery won four Silver Medals and five Bronze Medals for wines entered in other categories.

“We are extremely proud of Andrew Meggitt and his team on this outstanding achievement,” said Peter Hofherr, St. James Winery chairman and CEO. “Over the last three years, the team has won five international wine competitions, two Governor’s Cups and scored a top 14 ranking in the world. These are truly extraordinary accomplishments given the challenging weather patterns we’ve experienced. Without the day-to-day hard work and attention to detail in the vineyards and cellar, these incredible results would not have been achieved.”

2016_governors_cupThe Missouri Wine Competition took place in Columbia, Mo. on July 19 and 20. The competition is judged by the top wine and beverage experts from around the nation. Only Missouri wines are judged in this competition – those that received best-in-class honors were considered for Governor’s Cup.

Missouri’s premier white varietal, the Vignoles, is a French-American hybrid grape. Out of 150 acres of grapes that St. James Winery farms in the Ozark Highlands American Viticultural Area (AVA) of Missouri, 10 percent are Vignoles.

Founded by the Hofherr family in the Meramec Highlands region of Missouri in 1970, St. James Winery, located in St. James, Mo., is celebrating 46 years as a family owned and operated winery. It is Missouri’s largest and most awarded winery. St. James Winery produces 500,000 gallons (225,000 cases) of wine per year and is sold in 18 states and Washington D.C. For more information, visit StJamesWinery.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Sonoma, CA—St. James Winery 2014 Vignoles of the Ozark Highlands, Missouri was voted the Best White Wine at the recent East vs. West Wine Competition held in Santa Rosa, CA. On its way to the top prize, Vignoles was also named Best White Wine at the International Eastern Wine Competition.

The IEWC, which includes wines from all over the east coast and Midwest to the continental divide, determined the best wines in various categories (Sparkling, White, Rose, and Red), with the winners tasted blind against the best from a concurrent West Coast Competition. The St. James 2014 Vignoles won over a noted California Sauvignon Blanc.

“We are delighted at this prestigious honor, and very proud of our team here at St. James for their commitment to quality in the vineyards and wine cellar,” said CEO Peter Hofherr. “Their efforts and the professionalism of the competition judges confirm that we make superb wines here in Missouri.”

In addition to Vignoles’ top prize, St. James Winery Friendship School White, a blend of estate grown grapes, was also judged as Best of Class for white blends. St. James Winery also won several other medals for other wines.

“Vignoles is a grape variety that grows very well in Missouri, and can make different styles of wine from dry to medium sweet and even late harvest dessert wines,” said Executive Winemaker Andrew Meggitt. “It is encouraging that even judges from California, where they don’t grow Vignoles have an appreciation for its special aroma and taste.”

The 2014 Vignoles has already won a host of wine competitions. It was awarded the Missouri Governor’s Cup and named Best Wine in Missouri and a last July. Other awards for the 2014 Vignoles include three Best of Class, two Double Gold, and four Gold medals.

In 2015 St. James Winery wines won a total of more than 200 medals in major wine competitions including 13 Best of Class awards, 7 Double Gold medals, and 36 Gold Medals, and during the first two months of 2016, St. James Winery has already won more than 40 medals.

St. James Winery, the largest and most awarded winery in Missouri, has been making exceptional wines for more than 45 years. Learn more about St. James Winery at stjameswinery.com.

About St. James Winery Vignoles
Bottle Shot
Tasting Notes
Recipes

About the Wine Competitions
International Eastern Wine Competition
East Meets West Wine Competition

What a way to end the year! With the American Wine Society choosing St. James Winery’s Moscato as the AWS Best White Wine!!

Moscato has a delicate nose with aromas of dried apricot and pineapple and flavors of crisp nectarine and apricot with juicy tropical fruit throughout.

In addition to Moscato’s AWS win, during the 2015 wine competition season was also chosen as Best of Class at Pacific Rim International and won Double Gold at Long Beach Grand Cru!

Wine Bible Author Signing on December 9!

You’re invited to join St. James Winery and Main Street Books in St. Peters, Missouri, as we welcome Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible, at a Wine Bible 10th Anniversary Book signing.

Join us on December 9 from 7pm-9pm for this exciting wine event!

Click here for details.

a2014_Vignoles_bottle_shott Riverside International Wine Competition in California

St. James Winery’s 2014 Vignoles recently won Best White Wine at the prestigious Riverside International Wine Competition in Riverside, California. The 2014 Vignoles, made from Vignoles grapes grown in the Ozark Highlands AVA, competed with more than 1,700 entries from around the world and was evaluated primarily by California judges.

“Riverside is a very large and well-respected competition, and the fact that our wine beat out the top Chardonnays, Pinot Gris, Rieslings, and other white wines from California and other notable wine regions around the world is a real tribute to the integrity of the wine. It shows that top-quality Missouri wines can compete on an international level, and I congratulate our vineyard and winemaking teams for their great work.”

This is the third time in recent history that a St. James Winery wine has won Best White Wine honors in a major competition. In 2014 St. James Winery Friendship School White wine won Best of Show at the Pacific Rim International and at the Long Beach International wine competitions.

At the Riverside International, St. James Winery also received several additional top awards including Best of Class / Double Gold for its Friendship School White, a Best of Class / Gold for its 2013 Cynthiana, and a gold medal for Friendship School Red.

St. James Winery, the largest and most awarded winery in the state of Missouri, recently placed in the top 15 of the World Association of Wine and Spirits Writers and Journalists annual list of the 100 Top Wineries in the World.

Founded by the Hofherr family in the Meramec Highlands region of Missouri in1970, St. James Winery is celebrating 45 years as a family owned and operated winery. St. James Winery wines are sold in through the Midwest and South. Find the winery online at www.stjameswinery.com.

2014 Vignoles Tasting Notes