The 2006 Wine Literary Award Tasting and Banquet — Friday, April 28.

  • Kevin Zraly Wins 2006 Wine Literary Award
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  • 2006 Awarded Wines and Wineries

  • Previous Wine Literary Award Winners
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  • Previous Press Tasting Winery Winners
  • Frequently Asked Questions
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  • The 2007 Wine Literary Award Tasting
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  • The 2005 Wine Literary Award Tasting
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  • The 2004 Wine Literary Award Tasting
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  • The 2003 Wine Literary Award Tasting



    •  Bestselling Author Kevin Zraly Becomes the 16th Wine Literary Award Winner

    On Friday April 28, Kevin Zraly received the sixteenth Wine Literary Award in front of a sold-out audience at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Zraly joins the ranks of WLA laureates Hugh Johnson, Robert M. Parker, Jr., Harry Waugh, Leon D. Adams, Dan Berger, Jancis Robinson, Gerald Asher, Tom Stevenson, Gene Ford, Michael Broadbent, Robert Lawrence Balzer, and, graduate of Zraly’s Windows on the World Wine School, Andrea Immer-Robinson.

    Keynoters Immer-Robinson and Larry Stone, CEO of Rubicon, spoke to Zraly’s ability to turn beginners into lifelong devotees.

    “His importance to my career, and my life, can’t be overestimated,” said Immer-Robinson. “He is simply the best teacher I have ever had.”

    “Kevin’s early work was the founding influence on my career,” said Stone. “This is how to write about wine.”

    At the age of twenty, Kevin Zraly got his start at the top of One World Trade Center, as cellar master of Windows on the World Restaurant. Soon after, he founded Windows on the World Wine School, which, at current tally, has graduated 16,000 students. The companion textbook, Windows on the World Wine Course, now in its twentieth edition, has sold over 2,000,000 copies, making it the best selling wine-instructional book ever published. His new project, Kevin Zraly’s American Wine Guide, is due for release May 28, 2006, and is the only all-inclusive American wine guide, representing the wines and wineries of all fifty states.

    Since 1986, the WLA, a lifetime achievement award, has been recognizing wine writers who have made substantial contributions to the literature of wine in the English language.


    The 2006 WLA Press Tasting Showcases the Quality of American Winemaking

    On Friday members of the wine press crowded the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco for the Sixteenth Annual Wine Literary Award press tasting, sampling wines from across the U.S., and awarding nine wineries with top honors.

    The results of the balloting are as follows:

    Best Wine Discovery (Red)

    Winner:
    Brys Estates, 2004 Cabernet Franc, Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan

    Cum Laude:
    Hawley Wines, 2004 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley
    Willowbrook Cellars, 2004 Pinot Noir, Dutton Morrelli, Russian River Valley


    Best Wine Discovery (White)

    Winner:
    Bray Vineyards, 2005 Verdelho, Lodi

    Cum Laude:
    Dr. Konstantin Frank, 2005 Reserve Riesling, Finger Lakes, New York
    Truchard Vineyardsm, 2003 Roussanne, Napa Valley


    Best New Winery

    Winner:
    Owl Ridge Wines, Sonoma

    Cum Laude:
    Summerland Winery, Central Coast
    Elyse Winery, Napa


    Best Package/Label

    Winner:
    Scott Aaron, 2003 “Integrity,” Paso Robles

    Cum Laude:
    Fantesca Estate & Winery, 2004 Chardonnay, Los Carneros
    Viansa Winery, 2004 “Athena,” Dolcetto, Sonoma Valley


    Best Rosé

    Winner:
    Acorn Winery, 2005 “Rosato,” Alegria Vineyards, Russian River Valley

    Cum Laude:
    Tablas Creek Vineyards, 2005, Paso Robles
    Roshambo Winery, 2004 “Think,” Sonoma County


    Best Sparkling Wine

    Winner:
    Schramsberg Vineyards 2000 Reserve, Napa Valley

    Cum Laude:
    Mumm Napa Valley, 2001 Blanc de Blancs, Napa Valley
    Chateau Frank, 2000 Brut, Finger Lakes, New York


    Best Of Show (Red)

    Winner:
    Sullivan Vineyards 2002 Reserve Merlot, Rutherford

    Cum Laude:
    Viader, 2003 “Dare,” Cabernet Franc, Napa Valley
    Col Solare, 2002 Red Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington


    Best Of Show (White)

    Winner:
    Stuhlmuller Vineyards 2003 Reserve Chardonnay, Alexander Valley

    Cum Laude:
    Paul Hobbs 2004 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley
    deLorimier 2004 Sauvignon Blanc, Alexander Valley


    Best Dessert Wine

    Winner:
    Chateau Chantal, NV “Cerise,” Old Mission Peninsula, Michigan

    Cum Laude:
    Quady Winery, NV “Deviation,” California
    Samson Estate Winery, NV Blueberry Port, Washington


    The winners were chosen by secret ballot from among 1,000 American wines.

    According to event Chairperson Elliott Mackey, The Wine Literary Award is a standout in the industry for the regional breadth of its showcased wines. “Wine tastings tend to organize themselves by district, for obvious marketing-related reasons. The Wine Literary Award tasting isn’t restricted by the same motives. Here you will find a Riesling from Lake Michigan Shore sitting side by side one from Paso Robles. Here you see the extent of what the country has to offer.”



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