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Tag Archive for: wine awards

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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

june_fontier_four_home
Welcome to the Wine Frontier, an emerging wine region, a place where new and traditional grape varieties are used in winemaking. The Meramec Highlands of Missouri that St. James Winery calls home are on the wine frontier.

At St. James Winery, 45 years of winemaking in this challenging environment has resulted in consistently excellent — and highly awarded — wines.

Join the adventure in the wine frontier with St. James Winery’s Frontier Selections varietals.

Winemakers Dinner at Sybill’s St. James

You’re invited to Sybill’s St. James for a St. James Winery Winemaker’s Dinner on June 18. The menu features five courses with amazing gourmet foods paired with St. James Winery wines.

See the menu and get event details.

Make reservations by calling Sybill’s at 573.265.4224. Cost is $60 per person.


Some people might consider 13 an unlucky number, but 2013 was an exceptional year for St. James Winery located in St. James, Missouri. During the 2013 wine competition season, St. James Winery entered wines in 22 national and international wine competitions. By the end of the year, the winery recorded 15 Best of Class awards, 10 double gold awards, and 40 gold medals.

The Best of Class awards St. James Winery received went to Peach wine and 2012 Vignoles, each wine bringing home Best of Class three times; to Friendship School White which received two Best of Class awards; and to 2011 Estate Norton, Cynthiana, Moscato, Friendship School Red, Velvet White, Strawberry, and Raspberry which each received one Best of Class recognition.

“This is a family business, and just like parents aren’t always objective about their children, we might not be the most objective judges of our wines,” said Peter Hofherr, CEO of St. James Winery. “When I taste our Friendship School White or Vignoles, I think it’s wonderful, but when the LA Wine Competition designates those wines Best of Class it means that experienced wine judges think the wine is wonderful, too. Awards are third party validation of our exceptional quality.”

“We’re growing wines in a very special place, the Ozark Highlands AVA, and this area is continuing to be recognized as an emerging wine region,” said Hofherr. “Combine that with our passion for research, use of new techniques in the cellar, and the care we give our vines, and wines of exceptional quality and character are the result. The fact we receive these awards year in and year out prove our wines are among the best in the country.”

St. James Winery is the largest and most awarded winery in Missouri. Celebrating more than 40-years as a family owned and operated winery, St. James Winery wines are sold in stores throughout the Midwest and the South. St. James Winery is online at www.stjameswinery.com.

We know you’re out there, you sweet wine lovers! And we know that you know that nobody does sweet wines better than St. James Winery.

We were counting up the gold medals for our three flagship sweet wines — Velvet White, Velvet Red, and Pink Catawba — and realized we had won a total of 15 gold medals, including a Best of Class and Double Gold –during the 2012 wine competition season.
Check it out this list!

Velvet White

  • Riverside (Best of Class)
  • Florida State Fair International (Double Gold)
  • San Diego International
  • Pacifc Rim
  • Los Angeles International (92/100 points)
  • San Francisco International
  • Consumer Wine Awards
  • Missouri Wine Competition
  • Long Beach Grand Cru

Velvet Red

  • Pacific Rim
  • Consumer Wine Awards

Pink Catawba

  • San Diego International
  • Consumer Wine Awards

And if you’re snowed in where you are, today’s a great time to order wine — you can save big with $9 flat rate shipping on the purchase of 6 or more bottles of wine, now through the end of February.

Order up!