2015 Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition: Organic Winners

Sunset is carving a deeper niche in the wine space, in an effort to promote its role as the voice of authority for wines from supermarket aisles to fine wine departments - as well as wine tourism. The current issue's cover focuses on "The Best of Wine Country," a feature focusing on Napa, Santa Barbara County and Southern Oregon.

The Napa wineries feature a number of wines from $85-150 - pretty pricey for what I would expect to find in Sunset magazine.

Four years ago, the magazine launched its own wine competition, and brings together an all star panel of judges to judge the wines.

Like most wine competitions, the results can sometimes be surprisingly odd, making you wonder...

• Barefoot Cellars $7 Cabernet (from Argentina) getting a gold? Higher than the $125 world famous, Fay Vineyard Cabernet from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, which only got a silver?

• There were almost no wines from Oregon producers (despite the fact that the magazine included a special on touring southern Oregon wineries)

• There's no mention of the number of wines submitted and how many awards were given, so you don't really know how many wines did not win any award or how much wineries had to pay to have their wines considered.

But never mind.

Here are the organically grown wines that took top awards and gold or silver medals. A few of these are personal faves. I've underlined those.

TOP AWARDS

Red Blend

Oakville Ranch - 2012 - Field Blend ($55)

WHITES

ALBARINO

Silver

Bokisch Vineyards - 2014 ($18)

CHARDONNAY

Gold

Medlock Ames - 2013 - Lower Slope ($40)

Silver

Retzlaff ($22) **

PINOT GRIS

Gold

Handley - 2014 ($20)

SAUVIGNON BLANC

Gold

Voss - 2014 ($19)

Silver

Petroni Vineyards - 2013 ($24)**

REDS

BORDEAUX BLEND

Silver

Benziger Family Winery - 2012 - Oonapais ($49)*

Benziger Family Winery - 2012 - Tribute ($80)*

Wilridge Winery - 2013 - Melange Noir ($40)*

CABERNET FRANC

Silver

Oakville Ranch - 2012 ($110)

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Gold

Oakville Ranch - 2012 ($80)

Silver

Benziger Family Winery - 2012 - Sunny Slope ($59)*

Frey Vineyards - 2013 ($17) ***

Hawk and Horse Vineyard - 2011 ($65)

Medlock Ames - 2012 - Bell Mountain ($45)

Medlock Ames - 2012 - 50 Tons ($60)

Muscardini - 2012 - Cassata Vineyard ($42)

Petroni Vineyards - 2012 ($40)**

MERLOT

Silver

Medlock Ames - 2012 - Snake Pit Red ($60)

PINOT NOIR

Gold

Benziger Family Winery - 2013 - Bella Luna ($49)*

RED BLEND

Gold

Benziger Family Winery - 2012 - Joaquin's Inferno ($60)*

Frey - 2013 - Field Blend ($16)*, ***

McEvoy Ranch - 2011 - Red Piano ($35)

Oakville Ranch - 2012 - Field Blend ($55)

ZINFANDEL

Silver

Carol Shelton - 2013 - Wild Thing (85% organic grapes) ($19)

Frey - 2013 ($20)*, ***

SPARKLING WINE

Silver

Domaine Carneros - NV - Pompadour (Brut Rosé) ($37)

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CERTIFICATIONS

* = Biodynamic Wine (labeled)
** = Ingredients: Organic Grapes (labeled)
*** = USDA Organic Wine (labeled; no sulfites)
Wines with no stars = estate wines from wineries with 100% organic estate vineyards