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11th Annual 2005 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition www.oysterwine.com |
Contact: Jon Rowley 206-283-7566
rowley@nwlink.com
Kill date: March 1, 2006
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle Panels Select
Best West Coast Wines for Oysters
"Oysters are a celebration...romantic, sexy, luminous…
The right wine makes them even more so.” Sheila Lukins
SEATTLE: One Oregon, two Washinton and eight California white wines, including eight crisp Sauvignon Blancs, a dry Chenin blanc, a bright, refreshing Pinot Gris and a light, elegant Pinot Blanc prevailed over 159 entries when a total of 36 oyster-loving writers, restaurateurs and retailers convened at the Water Grill in Los Angeles (April 26), the Waterfront Restaurant in San Francisco (April 27) and Anthony’s HomePort in Seattle (April 28) to select the winners of the 2005 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition--a popular annual dating service for West Coast wines and oysters. This year judges selected, in the closest scoring in the history of the Competition, 11 equal winners of the prestigious ”Oyster Award”. Few wines go with oysters, a vibrant combination of minerals, sweetness, and the sea. That is why the Competition identifies, on an annual basis, a group of great “oyster wines” to recommend with oysters on the half shell. Competition winners receive the prestigious “Oyster Award”, a framed golden oyster medallion.
Taylor Shellfish Farms of Shelton, Washington, sponsor of the Competition, invited West Coast wineries to submit their best "oyster wines", typically dry, crisp, clean-finishing white wines. The competition is organized and produced by its founder, Jon Rowley. Each wine is blind-tasted with a Kumamoto oyster. The judge chews the oyster well, sips the wine and rates the “bliss factor”. In a weeklong Preliminary Judging at Anthony's HomePort at Shilshole Bay in Seattle, five veteran Preliminary Judges consumed over 1000 "Kumos" in narrowing the contenders (BC 2, CA 103, ID 4, OR 18, WA 32) to 21 finalists. Scores from the 36 judges in the recent three city Finals were combined to determine the 2005 “Oyster Award” winners. Taylor Shellfish Farms is pleased to announce the 2005 “Oyster Award” winners:
**Buena Vista 03 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
*Chateau Ste. Michelle 04 Pinot Gris (WA)
*Chateau Ste. Michelle 03 Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc (WA)
**Dry Creek Vineyard 04 Dry Chenin Blanc (CA)
Dynamite Vineyards 03 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
Foris Vineyards Winery 03 Pinot Blanc (OR)
**Geyser Peak 04 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
Kunde Estate Winery & Vineyards 03 Magnolia Lane Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
*Lake Sonoma Winery 03 Dry Creek Fume Blanc (CA)
Pomelo 04 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
*St. Supery 04 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
*Prior “Oyster Award” winner
**Multiple Prior “Oyster Award” winner
"The search for wines to go with oysters adds to the excitement and culture of oysters", says Bill Taylor, president of Taylor Shellfish Farms. "The acclaim by the wine and restaurant industries as well as the media makes the oyster wine competition lots of fun for everyone.”
With the Competition gaining more visibility each year, with oysters on the half shell enjoying fast-growing nationwide popularity, Oyster Award winners receive immediate and substantial sales benefits. Restaurant response is rewarding, with interest in using Oyster Award wines on wine lists, regular by-the-glass programs and special features.
Taylor Shellfish Farms is a fourth generation family owned company producing Manila clams, Mediterranean mussels, geoduck, and live and shucked oysters for national and international markets. For information on Taylor Shellfish Farms visit www.taylorshellfish.com.
For a list of judges, technical data on the wines or other information on the Competition visit www.oysterwine.com. Photos available.
As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy and to make plans.
A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway
Jon Rowley & Associates
2920 W Boston St, Seattle WA 98199
206-283-7566, Fax 206-283-1741
rowley@nwlink.com