The American Fine Wine Competition in Miami

When I first started writing about wine almost 10 years ago, I never imagined that a few years later, after countless certifications, masterclasses, seminars and self-guided learning, I would be sitting on a panel with some of the country’s top wine professionals tasting and judging flight after flight to find the best fine wine in the United States.

It was in 2019 that I was asked for the first time to be an official judge at the American Fine Wine Competition (AFWC), and this year marks my third as a judge with the organization. Though many may dismiss wine judging as nothing more than an excuse to drink great wines all day, I would caution that this assumption is far from the truth. The amount of effort and dedication that each individual chosen to taste puts into the process of elimination is nothing short of hard work and a show of expertise that many of us have spent years honing and practicing.

The AFWC was founded in South Florida in 2007 by Shari Gherman and Monty and Sara Preiser, all of whom had more than 30 years of wine industry experience. The name has evolved over the years to The American Fine Wine Invitational, and now, “The Invitational,” to distinguish the bigger competitive event from the newly created “All Americas” and “THE Rosé” competitions, which are both part of the AFWC family of events. The Invitational has quickly grown into the largest competition focused solely on wines produced in the United States, and has a charity component as well. In fact, it should be mentioned that since its inception, AFWC has raised more than $1 million for multiple charities through its annual events.

In order to participate, wineries must be vetted and then invited, as opposed to simply sending in wines for a score. Therefore, the bar is set high enough that the wines have already been pre-chosen as some of the top-quality bottles on the market. The judges’ job is to then award both medals (bronze, silver or gold) and points in order to determine which wines deserve a “Best of Class” designation, depending on grape variety or blend, and a “Best of Show” red, white, sparkling and sweet wine, which is crowned as the overall winner of each category.

As judges, we are expected to evaluate the wines based on criteria such as quality for price and typicity, or assessing whether the wine meets the standards it should for that particular grape variety and region. Understanding how a wine should be made and what a top wine from regions around the country tastes like is critical to being able to award an appropriate medal, and as you can imagine, not an easy task.

Judges come from all different backgrounds in the industry, with the caveat that they must not have a fiduciary interest in any particular winery, such as a winemaker, importer or distributor. Some of us are writers, some are sommeliers or beverage directors, and some judges are restaurateurs or chefs with a substantial background in wine. We all converge at Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, located at the FIU Biscayne Bay campus, for three days of serious wine work, usually taking place over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend in January (this year’s competition was over Memorial Day weekend due to pandemic restrictions).

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the weekend is the unveiling of the winners.

Throughout the weekend, judges are left in the dark, as each flight is tasted completely blind. No producers are mentioned, and judges are forbidden from entering the room where the bottles are poured. Each year, there are surprises, such as Ferrante Winery out of Grand River Valley, Ohio, which has taken “Best of Show” in the sweet wine category several times throughout the years for a Vidal Blanc Ice Wine. A wine from Ohio! Michigan wines have also taken top category prizes, as well as wines from the Finger Lakes region of New York.

California is undoubtedly the state with the most winners, though the unexpected often comes when lesser-known California appellations make it into the “Best of Show” ranks. The region that shocked the 2021 results is Lodi, an area that has historically been known as a bulk-wine producing region, or simply a region of big zinfandels. Not anymore! Lodi’s Harney Lane Winery & Vineyards took home “Best of Class” in both the zinfandel and petite sirah categories. However, the biggest surprise of the weekend was a tie for “Best of Show” red wine between St. Amant Winery, also located in Lodi, winning with their Amador County Syrah, and Sonoma’s Papapietro Perry, 2020’s top winner, with this year’s “Campbell Ranch” Pinot Noir.

2021 Invitational Top-Winning Wines

·     Sparkling (tie): Domaine Carneros “Le Reve,” Carneros, NV

·     Sparkling (tie): Domaine Carneros Ultra Brut, Carneros, NV

·     White: Thomas George Estates “Belle’s Blend” (Grenache Blanc, Viognier) Russian River Valley, Chalk Hill, 2017

·     Red (tie): Papapietro Perry Campbell Ranch Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, 2018

·     Red (tie): St. Amant “The Curmudgeon” Syrah, Amador County, 2019

·     Sweet: Ferrante Winery Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, Grand River Valley, OH, 2019

·     Sake: SakeOne Niigata, Willamette Valley, Oregon, NV

For a complete list of winners and other medal-winning wines, visit AmericanFineWineCompetition.org.