Three Leelanau County wineries took home best of class top awards at the 2024 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, including Amoritas Vineyards for its 2020 Pinot Blanc, Aurora Cellars for its 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, and Verterra Cellars for its 2022 Pinot Grigio. The competition is one of the largest in the world and features more than 50 judges analyzing 5,700 wines from 31 states as well as Mexico and Canada.
Amoritas, one of the three wineries that won best of class, submitted four wines in total. The three other medals they earned were for double gold, silver, and a bronze. Of the thousands of entries submitted this year, a total of 19 Michigan wineries competed in the annual contest.
“The fact that three wineries within a five-mile radius took home best of class awards at America’s biggest wine competition says a lot about the quality of our terroir,” said Emily Goodell, Amoritas Vineyards co-owner and head viticulturist in a press release. “But it takes more than just a good climate and complimentary soil structure, exceptional winemaking requires exceptional wine makers, and these impressive awards simply tell the rest of the country what we’ve known for years. Leelanau County is one of the best wine-producing regions in the world.”
Leelanau Cellars in Omena secured awards for all 12 of its submissions, including a best of class for its Lakeshore Farms Peach Sparkling Moscato in the fruit sparkling category. This also marks the second straight year that a Lakeshore Farms Sparkling Moscato has earned best of class recognition.
“It’s exciting to see our wines perform well once again this year,” Leelanau Cellars President Bob Jacobson said in a press release. “We strive to make quality wines for everyone to enjoy, and our winemaking team continues to excel in creating the best of the best. I’m happy for them to receive this recognition for their hard work.”
Other wineries on the peninsula earned multiple medals this year for their different wines. They include the following: Lake Leelanau wineries Blustone Vineyards earned seven awards, Boathouse Vineyards won 11, Good Harbor Vineyard won seven, and Aurora cellars won seven. Suttons Bay wineries Shady Lane Cellars won eight, with Black Star Cellars winning one. Cedar wineries Bel Lago won four and French Valley won three, with Verterra Winery in Leland winning six.
In addition to the many wins at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Laurentide Winery in Lake Leelanau was awarded another Triple Gold medal and Best of Class distinction at the Dan Berger’s International Wine and Cider Competition for their 2022 aMaizing White.
The international competition, in its 36th year, is held in California, and features wines from all over the U.S. including New York and California as well as countries such as Australia.
Laurentide is only one of two Michigan wineries to win both a Best of Class and Triple Gold for wine at the 2023 competition, as judged against competition from all across the country.
The winery’s 2022 aMaizing Red and 2022 Sauvignon Blanc were both awarded bronze medals.
“Our first estate blend to create aMaizing White 2022 is another testament to a continuing legacy of great wines being produced in northern Michigan,” said Susan Braymer, co-owner of Laurentide. “A balanced wine with an impressive finish showcases the best of what blends can be. Our terroir and extended team together create history in a bottle!”
To see the complete list of all the Chronicle Wine Competition winners, go to https://winejudging. com.
