Prairie Berry Winery Awarded Double Gold at America's Most Prestigious Wine-Judging Event

POSTED: AUG 06, 2001

RAPID CITY, SD—August 6, 2001—Prairie Berry Winery, a South Dakota winery, has been awarded a double gold medal for their 2000 Native American Red Vitis riparia (Wild Grape) wine in the 2001 San Francisco International Wine Competition, America’s most prestigious wine judging event.

The Double Gold Medal is awarded to wines receiving a unanimous vote of Gold from the judging panel consisting of 36 top judges. These judges tasted 3,160 wines from 735 wineries representing 26 states and 19 countries. The judging panel consisted of internationally recognized wine industry professionals, sommeliers, and wine writers. In all, 67 double gold medals were awarded, 119 gold medals, 399 silver medals and 739 bronze medals.

Prairie Berry Winery is a family owned and operated winery located in Rapid City, SD. The winery uses ingredients native to the American Great Plains to handcraft their wines. Sandi Vojta, a fifth generation winemaker, states, “It is an incredible honor to receive a double gold medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, not only for our winery, but also for the state of South Dakota. This award proves that South Dakota can produce international caliber wines that can compete with the world’s top wineries from France, Italy, Australia, and the United States.”

Anthony Dias Blue, director of the wine competition, noted that the judges this year awarded more medals than in the past. "It certainly is a credit to wineries both in the United States and overseas that wine quality is continuously improving. We taste the wines blind and impartially and award medals strictly on merit. We love it when we are surprised-- when small, little-known wineries achieve superb results.”

The double gold medal winners are invited to participate in the Bon Appétit Magazine’s Wine and Spirits Focus in six cities. This year, the Wine and Spirits Focus brings its bounty to all wine and food enthusiasts nationwide. From the Deep South to the East Coast, from the shores of Lake Michigan to the Nevada desert, Bon Appétit crosses the continent, uncorking six of America's great cities.

For information on the San Francisco International Wine Competition: http://www.sfwinecomp.com

Click here to see Prairie Berry Winery's complete awards list. 

 

 

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