NJ wineries bring home 45 medals in Finger Lakes competition

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New Jersey wineries shined at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition this year, taking home 45 medals including a best of show in the Cabernet Franc category for Plagido’s Winery of Hammonton.

“It’s good to have them recognize that our wineries are being honored for the wines they’re producing,” said Garden State Wine Growers President Tom Cosentino. “[FLIWC] always been a prestigious competition, and it’s just a small glimpse of how our wines are being recognized across the country.”

Plagido’s Winery also took home a double gold for its 2016 Coeur d’Est red blend and an additional three silver medals. They weren’t the only Hammonton winery to be recognized, however. Sharrott Winery of Hammonton earned two gold medals for their NV Pinot Grigio and 2016 Wicked Port wine, four silver and seven bronze medals; and DiMatteo Vineyards took home six silver and three bronze medals.

Other winners include Fox Hollow Vineyards of Holmdel with two silver and six bronze medals; Old York Cellars of Ringoes with a silver and two bronze medals; Villari Vineyards of Deptford with three silvers and a bronze and Far Hill’s Sky Acres Winery with two bronze medals.

New Jersey wine enthusiasts like going to wineries for the experience, Cosentino said, but winning awards at shows like FLIWC show that the Garden State can go head to head with any wine producer domestically.

“To have a wine from New Jersey win best of show; it’s another sign that we’ve arrived as a wine-producing state,” Cosentino said. “It gives us the credibility.”

The FLIWC is the biggest charitable wine competition in the country. Master sommeliers, wine educators, wine journalists, winemakers, and other internationally certified wine judges evaluate thousands of wines every year over two days of blind judging. This is its 19th year.