Swisher, Iowa—July 13, 2011–Cedar Ridge Vineyards, Winery and Distillery received top honors for “Best Iowa Grown Wine” for its La Crescent wine, as part of 26 total awards for the winery, at the Fifth Annual Mid-American Wine Competition. Cedar Ridge Vineyards’ awards include two sweepstakes awards, two additional gold medals, 12 silver medals and 10 bronze medals at the three-day competition—the highest number of awards granted to any Iowa winery.
The event, judged by professional wine judges from all over the United States, included wines from 14 Midwestern states. Over 530 wines were entered by 82 different wineries. A broad array of Cedar Ridge Vineyards’ products received awards, including many produced solely from grapes grown in Iowa.
“The Mid-American Wine Competition shines the light on the great products being made in our region. We are humbled by the quality and quantity of our awards,” noted Cedar Ridge Vineyards founder Jeff Quint. “We chose the site for our vines for the silty, loam soil and steep hills. We don’t irrigate, and the terrain is difficult to cultivate. But this land produces superior fruit, allowing us to create unique, handcrafted wines. These awards support this vision.”
Cedar Ridge Vineyards began cultivating vines on Swisher, Iowa hillsides nine years ago. The first wines were released in 2005. “We continue to learn, grow and perfect our wines every year. My goal is to create local wines that drink as well as, some would say better than, nationally-branded wines. I hope everyone will give us a try,” shared Kolin Brighton, Winemaker.
Cedar Ridge Vineyards’ wines received these prestigious awards:
La Crescent, Best Iowa Grown Wine, Gold Award
Reserve, Best Food Pairing Wine, Gold Award
Edelweiss, Edelweiss, Gold Award
Cedar Ridge Line, Best Series Label Design, Gold Award
Marechal Foch, Foch, Silver Award
Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Silver Award
White Cross Knights Red, Blends in which the primary grape is red vinifera, Silver Award
St. Pepin, Late Harvest White, Silver Award
Port Lot #9, Port Hybrid, Silver Award
White Cross Stormy Night, Port Hybrid, Silver Award
White Cross Mittler Kabinett, Cayuga White, Silver Award
Brianna, Briana, Silver Award
La Crescent, Sauteed Shrimp, Silver Award
Candlelight, Poached Sole, Silver Award
La Crosse, Pizza Margherita, Silver Award
White Cross Oktoberfest, Riesling, Silver Award
White Cross Monks Red, Blends, primary grape is red hybrid, Bronze Award
Reserve, Blends in which primary grape is red vinifera, Bronze Award
Harvest Blush, Any other fruit wines, Bronze Award
White Cross Cranberry Bog, Any other fruit wines, Bronze Award
St. Croix, Smoked pork ribs, Bronze Award
La Crosse, LaCrosse, Bronze Award
Candlelight, Chardonnay, Bronze Award
Demi-Sec, Riesling, Bronze Award
White Cross Chateau Blanc, All other white vinifera, Bronze Award
White Cross Ebenezer Lieblich, All other white vinifera, Bronze Award
To learn more about the Mid-American Wine Competition go to www.midamericanwine.org.
About Cedar Ridge Vineyards, Winery & Distillery
Cedar Ridge Vineyards is a family-owned winery and distillery nestled in the beautiful Iowa countryside between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, Iowa, near Swisher. Cedar Ridge produces wines from its own estate-grown grapes. As Iowa’s first distillery since Prohibition, it also crafts its award-winning spirits in small batches in its European-engineered 80-gallon pot still. At first just a dream of Proprietor and Master Wine Maker and Distiller, Jeff Quint, the now lush 5,000 vines and 7,000 square foot winery, distillery, tasting room and event center provide the highest quality wines, spirits and entertainment experience in the area. Visit www.crdistillery.com or www.crwine.com for more details.
