5,000+ Visit Sold-Out 2012 SFCWC Public Tasting!

"The 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting was a smashing success", reports Bob Fraser, Executive Director. "There were over 5,000 people in the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason Center, San Francisco enjoying the wonderful warm day and great food/wine... Additional pictures will be available online so please come back to visit", Fraser adds.

Click here for more photos from the 2012 Public Tasting »

More Than 5,000 People Attend Sold-Out 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting

Over 300 Wineries Poured Award-Winning Wines for the Largest Competition of American Wines in the World

(San Francisco, Calif., February 2012) --- The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, the largest competition of American Wines in the world, held another sold-out Public Tasting with more than 5,000 patrons from all over the country at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center on Saturday, February 18.

Guests from all over the country, including California, Kentucky and Hawaii, were greeted with a commemorative wine glass, complimentary bread from Costeaux Bakery, beverages from Smartwater and Zico and KIND health bars. They then meandered through a line-up of more than 300 wineries to taste the winning wines of this year’s competition, including the prestigious sweepstakes contest winners – chosen as the best of the best by all 65 judges, whom are all professionals in the wine industry. read more »

SFCWC Announces Winners

The 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Sweepstake winning wineries hail from three different states! Dr. Konstantin Frank 2010 Finger Lakes Gewürztraminer Reserve $24.99 from New York took the White Sweepstake Award. Barnard Griffin 2011 Columbia Valley Rose of Sangiovese $12.00 from Washington state won the Sweepstake Pink category. Four wineries representing four different American Viticulture Areas took the four remaining Sweep Awards. Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards 2006 Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine $28.00 from the Carneros region of California took the Sparkling Sweepstake category. McGrail Vineyards & Winery 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve $36.00 from the Livermore AVA of California captured the Red Sweepstake Award. Castello di Amorosa from the Napa Valley took the Dessert Wine Sweepstake Award with their 2010 Anderson Valley Late Harvest Gewurztraminer $35.00. Sweepstake Wine Label Winner Mutt Lynch Winery from Healdsburg, California 2009 Out of Reach, Muttitage takes the second year Sweepstake Wine Label Contest. All sweepstake, Best of Class, Double Gold, Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal winning wineries from over 5,500 entries are listed on the site.

	Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards 2006 Carneros Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine $28.00
	Dr. Konstantin Frank 2010 Finger Lakes Gewürztraminer Reserve $24.99
	Barnard Griffin 2011 Columbia Valley Rose of Sangiovese $12.00
	McGrail Vineyards & Winery 2008 Livermore Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve $36.00
	Castello di Amorosa 2010 Anderson Valley Late Harvest Gewurztraminer $35.00
	Sweepstake Wine Label Winner Mutt Lynch Winery 2009 Out of Reach…Muttitage

A comprehensive list of the wines & awards »

Taste many of these wines at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition Public Tasting at Fort Mason Center on February 18th. Tickets are available on this site.

2012 SFCWC Sets New Record

The 2012 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition has set a new American wine competition record with an astounding 5,500 entries, surpassing its previous record of 5,050 last year. For nine consecutive years, this prestigious competition holds strong as the “Largest Competition of American Wines in the World.”

“This new record serves as an affirmation that every year wine consumers look toward the SFCWC award medal winning wines as a barometer when purchasing their wines," said Bob Fraser, SFCWC Executive Director. "We are thrilled that wineries all over the United States understand and respect the outstanding caliber of our 65 judges from throughout the wine industry and the country."

Results were announced online at www.sfgate.com and www.winejudging.com on Friday afternoon, January 6, 2012. A public tasting of these award winning wines will be at the Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center in San Francisco from 2-5 pm on February 18, 2012.

Watch a video overview of the wine judging!

San Francisco's KGO 810 Media Sponsor

KGO 810 has been the exclusive radio sponsor for the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition since its inception, reports Bob Fraser. "The media support of promotional spots on KGO and the recognition of the Sweepstake Winemakers has been tremendous for the consumers of not only the Bay Area but throughout California and into some areas of the Pacific Northwest. They add special excitement to the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition..."

NBC Bay Area is proud to be the Television media sponsor of the 25th anniversary of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. NBC Bay Area has supported SFCWC for the past six years and you can see the last year’s webisode just visit NBC Bay Area.com and search San Francisco Wine Competition 2010.

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Wine & Spirits Magazine is the official magazine of the competition.

Keeping with the liveliness of the Public Tasting, our magazine partner invites everyone to “Live well, Drink well”! Wine & Spirits Magazine is back as the official magazine of the 2011 Public Tasting, presenting best of more than 10,000 wines screened by panels and critics, along with top destinations for wine and food, perspectives on distinctive wine regions and news. Subscribe today and gain immediate access to their online database of ratings and reviews. In addition, they have generously provided a *SPECIAL OFFER* 2011!

Visit www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/subscriptions, and enter SFC11 code for a discount subscription rate of $19.95 (Regular price $29.95).

Please see more of our Sponsors »