Haw River Wine Trail Celbrates State Fair Wins and 4th Anniversary

Submitted by admin on October 28, 2009 - 8:31pm

ELON, NC (AllPayNews.com) – The Haw River Wine Trail was bestowed 20 medals this year at the North Carolina state fair. The awards could not have come at a better time as the Haw River Wine Trail celebrates this year’s excellent harvest in addition to its fourth anniversary, on October 31.

"We are very excited about the results of the State Fair competition. Every year, more wineries compete and more wines are judged, so the competition gets tougher," said Nancy Zeman, winemaker at Benjamin Vineyards and Winery. "But the Haw River Wine Trail continues to do extremely well, so that says a lot about the quality of wine we are making in this region." Benjamin Vineyards an

d Winery was awarded 2 gold medals for its "Crème de Framboise" and "Cabernet Sauvignon" wines by a panel of judges at the North Carolina state fair this past weekend. It was also awarded 4 silver and 2 bronze awards. The Winery at Iron Gate Farm was awarded 1 gold medal for its "IronGate Vineyards 2007 Merlot." It was also awarded 2 silver medals and 4 bronze medals. Grove Winery was awarded 1 Double Gold medal for its "Grove Jug House Blush" wine and 1 gold medal for its "Grove 2005 Chardonnay." It also was awarded 3 silver medals and 10 Bronze medals.

Fifty-one North Carolina wineries submitted 416 wines for the state fair competition. The judges awarded 26 double gold, 39 gold, 102 silver and 122 bronze medals.

"These competition results continue to show that some of the best wine in the state is being grown in the Haw River Valley," said Max Lloyd, a winemaker at Grove Winery.

The wineries will be selling these award-winning wines, as well as newly released wines in honor of their anniversary.

The newly opened wineries approached the CVB to form a partnership to promote Alamance County and the nearby wineries.

The Haw River Valley has recently been designated as an American Viticulture Area (AVA) by the Department of Treasury. An AVA denotes an area that produces quality grapes and wine. All visitors will be able to taste each vineyard’s newly released wine selections that are certified to be of outstanding taste.

About the Haw River Wine Trail: Haw River Wine Trail, located between the triad and the triangle, is approximately 50 miles long and consists of four wineries. They are the Benjamin, GlenMarie and Grove wineries and The Winery at Iron Gate Farm. Each winery mixes the taste and sophistication of a top vineyard with a southern feel, creating a unique experience right here in the Piedmont. For more information, contact Robert Cox at Burlington/Alamance County Convention & Visitors Bureau at 336-570-1444 or toll free at 800-637-3804.