Ohio wine industry recognizes winners

COLUMBUS – If you want to support Ohio winemakers, you can take your pick from those who lead the pack.

Friends of the Ohio wine industry joined the Ohio Department of Agriculture and the Ohio Grape Industries Committee in recognizing the “best of the best” with a People’s Choice Award to complement the Director’s Choice Awards during the Ohio Wine Competition.

This year’s event was held June 24 at the Ohio Agricultural Research & Development Center in Wooster.

More than 250 wines. A total of 256 wines were entered this year, the largest number in the competition’s history, with 147 Ohio wines receiving either a gold, silver or bronze medal from a panel of seven independent judges.

Wines are judged based on their relative merits within a class of similar wines. Gold medals were awarded to 14 wines; 43 won silver and 90 received bronze.

Awards. In addition to the medal awards, seven outstanding wines were designated with either a Director’s Choice Award or a People’s Choice Award.