Grand Harvest Awards
About the Competition
2009 Grand Harvest AwardsLocation: Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, California
Dates: February 18-20, 2009
Deadline to Enter: January 16, 2009
Download Brochure with Entry Form
The Search For Terroir in the North American Market Begins Here
Truly one of a kind! Established in 1990, it is the only wine-judging event in North America that is based on terroir - a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.
In other competitions, this factor is ignored. At the Grand Harvest, judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen without the influences that sometimes eclipse even a wine of very high quality.
All wines are judged in the context of their viticultural region in order to accomplish two things: greater sensitivity to the complexities and nuances of regional wines and also to measure the influence of regional soil and weather characteristics on the taste and quality of individual wines.
A goal of Grand Harvest is to learn more about how terroir contributes qualities of excellence and distinctiveness to wines. Over the course of this event, judges have learned to recognize when terroir is - and is not - a factor of wine quality. We think the bar has been lifted a little, and as a result, each year we perceive greater interest in terroir by winemakers and critics alike. Favorable awards support increased local and regional sales. A win in Grand Harvest can put your wine into a whole new sales category.
This year's judging panel includes:
-Gerald D. Boyd, Free Lance Writer
-Tim McDonald, Wine Spoken Here
-William S. Bloxsom-Carter, Playboy Mansion West
-Dr. Richard Grant Peterson, Ph.D
-Jim Trezise, President of the New York Grape & Wine Foundation
-Eric Degerman, Wine Press Northwest
-Charles F. Mara, Mara Wine Group
-Rene Chazottes, The Pacific Club
-Peter Granoff, Master Sommelier of OXBO Wine Merchant/Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant
and many more of the "industry's best".
We are pleased to welcome Sonoma Mountain Village as an official event sponsor for 2009.
