Paraiso and Alexander-Smith Wines Win Gold, Double Gold and Bronze at San Francisco International Wine Competition
SOLEDAD, CA - 7/30/2015 (PRESS RELEASE JET) -- The Smith family, owners of Paraiso and Alexander-Smith wines, announced both brands were recently honored in the 2015 San Francisco International Wine Competition, held June 12-14 and considered one of the largest, most influential international wine competitions in America.
Paraiso 2014 Rosé of Pinot Noir (Monterey AVA) received a Gold medal and a score of 92 points.
Paraiso 2012 Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands AVA) received a Bronze medal.
In the event’s International Wine Label Competition, Alexander-Smith 2011 Pinot Noir Clone Pommard (Santa Lucia Highlands AVA) received a Double Gold medal, a distinction given when a wine unanimously wins a gold medal by all the judges evaluating it.
“We’ve been intentionally quiet about big changes happening at the winery over the past year,” said Jason Smith, president and CEO. “We’ll be rolling out those announcements soon, but the news of these medals is too exciting to keep to ourselves. It’s a good indication of the hard work our team has been doing and the direction we’re heading,” Smith said.
“The Rosé of Pinot Noir was specially made for our tasting rooms and only 149 cases were produced,” said Mike Berntsen, winemaker and general manager. “The grapes were picked late in the season, and the vines had ample time to collect sunlight and convert it into ripe flavors and soft tannins. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks, and it has the aroma of strawberries and roses with a balanced acidity giving crispness and dry complexity.”
The 2012 Pinot Noir and 2014 Rosé of Pinot Noir are available online at paraisovineyards.com, and at the tasting rooms located at 38060 Paraiso Springs Road in Soledad and Court of the Golden Bough in Carmel-by-the-Sea on Ocean Avenue between Lincoln and Monte Verde. The 2011 Pinot Noir Clone Pommard is sold out. The 2014 Pinot Noir Clone Pommard will be released in late August.
Of the 152 entrants in the 2015 Label Competition, twelve, including Alexander-Smith, merited a Double Gold award for excellence in label design. The 2015 Label Design judges included Joel Blum of the San Francisco International Wine Competition, Thomas Gronbukt of the Academy of Art University, and Patti Mangan from Imagine That Design Studio.
The San Francisco International Wine Competition has been setting the standard for professional wine judging since its debut in 1980, maintaining the highest level of integrity with a blind-tasting system performed by an experienced and knowledgeable panel of 50 internationally acclaimed wine experts. Judges from around the U.S. as well as Australia, Germany and New Zealand, including the sectors of retail, restaurants, winemaking, media, and consulting, judged over 4,902 wines from 26 countries and 29 states.
For more information about the competition visit sfwinecomp.com. For more information about Paraiso and Alexander-Smith wines, visit paraisovineyards.com.