Expert judges join forces to evaluate 7,000 wines

T he San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition takes the evaluation of all wines entered into its competition very seriously, trusting only the best palates to taste and judge. During the second week of January, 67 judges from all aspects of the wine industry, including media, restaurant and hospitality, education, winemaking and retail, gathered together to take part in a blind judging of almost 7,000 wine entries. Over four days, the judges determined the best of each category. Each panel of judges was strategically coordinated by co-directors Bob and Scott Fraser and was designed to be balanced and diverse. Jessica Altieri, Certified Sommelier, CEO, Wine Channel TV Digital Network, Chicago, Ill. Michael Apstein, Columnist, WineReviewOnLine.com, Newton, Mass. Kathleen Arnink, Lecturer for Wine and Enology, Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Jeff Binney, Educator and Tour Director, Grape Creek Vineyards, Fredericksburg, Texas Sue Bonzell, Realtor, Author, Local Radio Host, 100.1 KZST, Santa Rosa, Calif. Carl Brandhorst, President Emeritus, Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association, Fairfax, Va. Greg Burns, Jessie’s Grove Winery, 5th generation grape grower, 1st gen winemaker, Lodi, Calif. Chip Cassidy, Wine Educator, Florida International University, Miami, Fla. Jim Caudill, Director of Marketing Communications, Treasury Wine Estates, Napa, Calif. Mark Chandler, Principal, Chandler & Company Wine Consultants, Lodi, Calif. Stephanie Cruz Green, Sommelier, Owner, Focused on Wine, Kelseyville, Calif. Eric Degerman, CEO, Writer, GreatNorthwestWine.com, Kennewick, Wash. Laura Donadoni, Wine Journalist, Wine Educator, Los Angeles, Calif. Martha Dunne, Wine Enthusiast Sacramento, Calif. Mike Dunne, Contributing Wine Columnist, The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Calif.

Bob Ecker, Freelance Wine Writer and Photographer, Napa, Calif. Chantee Edwards, Wineland Destinations Concierge Services, Windsor, Calif. Mark Elcombe, Homeplace Manager, Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, Windsor, Calif. Michael Faulk, Chemist Tech, Enartis-Vinquiry, Sebastopol, Calif. Bob Foster, Assistant Editor, California Grapevine Wine Newsletter, San Diego, Calif. Rick Fraga, Wine Educator, Wilson Winery, Santa Rosa, Calif. Alexandra Fraser, Lab Technician Consultant, Cloverdale, Calif. Dustin Fults, Proprietor, Fults Family Vineyards, Lower Lake, Calif. Penelope Gadd-Coster, Director of Winemaking, Rack and Riddle Cusom Wine Services, Healdsburg, Calif. John Giannini, Winemaker/Production Manager, Van Ruiten Family Winery, Lodi, Calif. Denise Gill, Tasting Room Manager, Alexander Valley Vineyards, Santa Rosa, Calif. Barry Gump, Professor, Florida International University, Aventura, Fla. Jane Halahan, Assistant Winemaker, Beringer Vineyards, Stags’ Leap Winery, Santa Rosa, Calif. Bill Hayes, Wine Category Manager, Bevmo!, Concord, Calif. Pat Henderson, Winemaker, Kenwood Vineyards, Kenwood, Calif. Barry Herbst, Wine Director, Bottle Barn Liquors, Santa Rosa, Calif. Jennifer Jespersen, Lead Sommelier, Farmhouse Inn & Restaurant, Forestville, Calif.

Ellen Landis, Wine Journalist, CS, CSW, Vancouver, Wash. Ken Landis, Retired Chef Consultant, Landis Shores, Vancouver, Wash. Joseph A LaVilla, PhD, Food and Beverage, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, Calif. Tony Lawrence, Owner, The Global Wine Chef/The World is Kitchen, Philadelphia, Pa. Ann Littlefield, International Wine & Spirits Marketing, Napa, Calif. Teejay K. Lowe, Former CEO, G&G Supermarkets, Santa Rosa, Calif. Charles F. Mara, The Mara Wine Group, Palm Springs, Calif. Tim McNally, Host, The Wine Show, Wine and Spirits Editor, New Orleans Magazine, New Orleans, La. Brian Miller, Owner, Amador 360, Amador, Calif. Ann Miller, Marketing, Les Bourgeois Vineyards, Rocheport, Mo. Esther Mobley, Wine Beer & Spirits Writer, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Calif. Kristi Mohar, Wine Buyer, Pacific Markets, Santa Rosa, Calif. Amy Mullally, Buyer, Certified Sommelier, WSET Diploma, The Wine Country, Long Beach, Calif. Christopher O’Gorman, Director of Communication, Rodney Strong Wine Estates, Healdsburg, Calif. Monty Paulsen, Winemaker, Pat Paulsen Vineyards, Napa, Calif.

Nadia R. Pavlevska, Wine Consultant, NP Wine Consulting, Manhattan Beach, Calif. Bill Pesonen, Owner, William Gordon Winery, Cloverdale, Calif. Charlene Peters, Calistoga Chamber of Commerce, Calistoga, Calif. Dr. Dick Peterson, Winemaker, Richard Grant Wine, Napa, Calif. Dave Rogers, Senior Wine Consultant, Vintage Wine Estates, Forestville, Calif. Dr. Kent Rosenblum, CEO, Rock Wall Wine Company, Alameda, Calif. Christopher Sawyer, Journalist, Sommelier, Founder of SawyerSomm. com, Petaluma, Calif. Tom Simoneau, KSRO Wine Guy and Owner, Simoneau Vineyards, Healdsburg, Calif. Jeff Slankard, Wine Director, Baron Markets, San Diego, Calif. Clark Smith, Winemaker of Two Jakes of Diamonds, Owner, Wine Smith, Santa Rosa, Calif. Eric Stine, VP Winemaking, Foley Family Wines and Langtry Estate and Vineyards, Middletown, Calif. Sue Straight, Wine Buyer, Oakville Grocery, Wine Wench Productions, Healdsburg, Calif. Miro Tcholakov, VP/Director of Winemaking, Miro Cellars, Cloverdale, Calif. Marguerite Thomas, Writer, The Wine News, Baltimore, Md. Jim Trezise, President, WineAmerica,

Canandaigua, N.Y.

Spreti Valente, CS, Wine Buyer, Anne’s Boutique Wines, Costa Mesa, Calif.

Larry Van Aalst, Host of The Sonoma Wine Report CRN Digital Talk Radio, Sunland, Calif.

Bill Ward, Writer/Journalist, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn. Wilfred Wong, Chief Storyteller at Wine.com, San Francisco, Calif.

BRENDA HAWKES Bill Hayes is a wine buyer at BevMo! in Concord, Calif.

BRENDA HAWKES Wilfred Wong is the Chief Storyteller at Wine.com from San Francisco, Calif.

MICHAEL SHORT Amy Mullally is a certified sommelier, a WSET advanced sommelier and a buyer for The Wine Country. She lives in Long Beach, Calif., and was one of 67 judges.

BRENDA HAWKES Spreti Valente is a certified sommelier, wine consultant, educator and wine buyer at Anne’s Boutique Wines in Costa Mesa, Calif.

BRENDA HAWKES Bill Ward is the wine columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the author of wine blog Decant-This.com from Minneapolis, Minn.

BRENDA HAWKES Sixty-seven judges from across the country met in Cloverdale in January to evaluate thousands of wines for the 2018 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

MICHAEL SHORT The blind judging included experts from all aspects of the wine industry, including media, restaurant and hospitality, education, winemaking and retail. They gathered at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in January for the four-day competition.

BRENDA HAWKES Laura Donadoni, the “Italian Wine Girl,” is a wine journalist and wine educator originally from Bergamo, Italy and now located in Los Angeles, Calif.