CLPA raises $6,500 at wine festival
From staff reports
KELSEYVILLE ? Between 400 and 500 people attended the fourth annual Lake County Home Winemaker”s Festival, which was held Saturday afternoon on Main Street in the downtown.
The event was a fundraiser for the Clear Lake Performing Arts and the Kelseyville Business Association.
Conn Murray, who headed the event for the CLPA, said, “We sold the most wine glasses we”ve ever sold and each year the event is a little better than the year preceding. We had commercial sponsorships that we”ve never had before, all of which helps to raise the exchequer.”
The amount raised was $6,500, which will be used to help support the music programs in Lake County schools and in the community.
Murray added, “I think we had a broad spectrum of winemakers and wines among the amateurs, consequently the judges were able to award prizes to nearly everyone.” Thirteen people judged the wines from the amateurs and honorary judges Supervisor Rob Brown, Record-Bee publisher Gregg McConnell and Frank Maxwell, winegrape grower, judged the best booth and best wine label.
Best booth winners were Lurine and Leo D”Agostino, Hidden Valley Lake, for a booth decorated in the style of a Tuscan taverna. The award for the best label was given to Char and Ed Bublitz. The label titled “Full Moon Rising” was a photo of the moon over Clear Lake, taken from their front yard and transferred to their wine label.
Murray said the CLPA already is looking forward to next year”s event. “We are going to delay the wine festival by one week to avoid graduation exercises,” he said. “A good many amateur winemakers were unable to attend” because of graduations. “We didn”t think about that,” he said.
Fourteen amateur winemakers brought their wine for judging. The judges were: John Adriance and Robert Johnson of Snows Lake Vineyard; Don Bocca and Valerie Ramirez, of Wildhurst Winery; Jeff Buege, Steele Winery; James Hendon, Tulip Hill Winery; Joey Luis, Shannon Ridge Winery; Dana Kirkpatrick, Big Valley Winery; Theresa Lyndall, Konocti Realty; Kathy Maguire and Anita McKee, of Lakeside Realty; Rian Sommerfield, Nestegg Investments; and Frank DeMayo.
Winners were as follows:
CABERNET SAUVIGNON: Ken Ellis, Kelseyville, first; Ron Chips, Kelseyville, second; and Danny Morrow, Davis, third.
SAUVIGNON BLANC: Lurine and Leo D”Agostino, Hidden Valley Lake, first; Frank Maxwell and Bill Craig, Kelseyville, second; Patricia Mattina, Kelseyville, third.
BARBERA: John and Thomasine Griesgraber, Kelseyville, first and second place for ”03 and ”04 vintages; June and Conn Murray, Kelseyville, third place.
SYRAH: June and Conn Murray, Kelseyville, first; Gloria and John Coyne, Kelseyville, second; Paul Spillane, Clearlake Oaks, third.
PETITE SYRAH: Shirley Kadlacek and Patricia Mattina, Kelseyville, first; John and Thomasine Griesgraber, second; Char and Ed Bublitz, third.
MERLOT: Danny Morrow, first; and Patricia Mattina, second.
GAMAY: Maxwell and Craig, first; Kadlacek, second; and Murrays, third.
In the category of OTHER REDS the first-time entrant from Davis, Danny Morrow, swept the field, taking a first place for his Tannat, second for a Malbec and third for Dolcetto.
