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12th Annual |
April 28, 2006
Contact: Jon Rowley 206-283-7566
rowley@nwlink.com
Kill date: April 1, 2007
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle Panels SelectBest West Coast Wines for Oysters
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
SEATTLE: 36 oyster-loving food and wine writers, restaurateurs and retailers convened at the Water Grill in Los Angeles (April 25), One Market Restaurant in San Francisco (April 26) and Anthony’s HomePort in Seattle (April 27) to select the ten equal winners of the 2006 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition--the popular annual dating service for West Coast wines and oysters. Few wines go with oysters, a vibrant combination of minerals, sweetness, and the sea. That is why oyster lovers are eager to learn which wines will receive the prestigious 2006 “Oyster Award”, a framed golden oyster medallion.
One Oregon and nine California white wines, including seven crisp Sauvignon Blancs, two bright, refreshing Pinot Gris and a dry Chenin Blanc prevailed over 154 entries in this year’s Competition.
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”, the wine’s affinity with the oyster. In a weeklong Preliminary Judging at Anthony's HomePort at Shilshole Bay in Seattle, five veteran Preliminary Judges consumed over 1200 "Kumos" in narrowing the contenders (BC 4, CA 100, ID 1, OR 24, WA 25) to 20 finalists. Scores from the 36 judges in the recent three city Finals were combined to determine the 2006 “Oyster Award” winners:
Blackstone Winery 05 Monterey County Pinot Grigio (CA)
**Dry Creek Vineyard 05 Dry Chenin Blanc (CA)
**Geyser Peak 05 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
*Guenoc 05 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
Kathryn Kennedy Winery 05 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
Kelson Creek Winery 05 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
**Kenwood 05 Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
*Kunde Estate Winery & Vineyards 05 Magnolia Lane Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
Wattle Creek 04 Sauvignon Blanc (CA)
Willamette Valley Vineyard 05 Pinot Gris (OR)
*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 Taylor president Bill Taylor. "The acclaim by the wine and restaurant industries as well as the media makes the oyster wine competition fun for everyone.”
With oysters on the half shell enjoying 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.
"Oysters are a celebration...romantic, sexy, luminous…
The right wine makes them even more so.” Sheila Lukins
Jon Rowley & Associates
2920 W Boston St, Seattle WA 98199
206-283-7566, Fax 206-283-1741
rowley@nwlink.com