From Texas to Virginia, winning wineries span the U.S.

While a majority of wines entered in the annual San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition hail from California, each year more and more national wineries submit their prized bottlings. It’s a badge of honor — and an excellent marketing tool — to have the panel of more than five dozen professional judges sample and score the wines.

This year, three out-of-state wineries took home the most coveted awards of all, the Sweepstake medals. These are wines selected in the competition’s final tasting “for the best of the best.” Along with five California wines (plus a California wine that won the best label category), Sweepstake winners came from Texas, New York and Virginia.

TEXAS: SPECIALTY SWEEPSTAKE WINNER

4R Ranch Vineyards & Winery 2017 Texas Nectar Nero ($15.99, 456 cases of 375ml 12-packs produced)

This is the first time 4R has participated in the competition, and winemaker Willem Johnson said he was “delighted to be at the tip-top of the list of entrants.” Already, the award has boosted sales, he noted.

“The website has been busy, and the phone started ringing shortly after the competition results came in,” he said.

Johnson makes his distinctive dessert wine in his Red River Valley ranch Barnhaus, a historic hay barn turned into a

MICHAEL SHORT Three out-of-state wineries received American AgCredit Sweepstake awards this year, including Goose Watch Winery in New York, 4R Ranch Vineyards & Winery in Texas and Trump Winery in Virginia, at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.