The 15th Annual Bacchus Awards Party on Saturday, August 6th, 2022 at The Orleans Hotel & Casino was a smashing success. Winemakers, friends, family & Grape Expectations School of Winemaking staff filled the ballroom with excitement & anticipation as the results of the top wines of the 2021 Winemaking season were announced.
Wines were judged in a blind tasting administered by The American Wine Society East Las Vegas Chapter at Grape Expectations in July of 2022. The judges are a mix of wine experts, amateur judges, AWS members from the East Las Vegas and Sin City AWS, as well as volunteers from Grape Expectations.
There are hundreds of bottles of wine in the competition. Every winemaking barrel group is invited to submit wine. If the group chooses to participate, two excess bottles of wine are held & numbered. The wines are then sorted into 1 of 12 categories based on the primary (or dominant) grape varietal to be compared. The wine has 5 areas of interest in the judging. These characteristics are:
- Appearance
- Aroma or Bouquet
- Taste & Texture/Mouthfeel
- After Taste
- Overall Impression
After a Gold, Silver, Bronze & Meritorious wine is selected from the wines in each category, a panel of 8 experienced judges will then do a double-blind evaluation to select Best in Show. Best in Show includes a Gold, Silver, Bronze & Meritorious winner. Winners of both the first judging & Best in Show are awarded medals at the Bacchus Party.
The results of the Best Varietals of the 2021 Season are:
CHILEAN BLENDS
Gold: Tara Traynor-Grimes #1
Silver: Mary Scott
Bronze: Erika Watanabe
Meritorious: Travis Streck #2
SOUTH AFRICAN CABERNET
Gold: Alice White
Silver: Tara Traynor-Grimes #2
Bronze: Keri Stanish
Meritorious: Social Barrel #17
CALIFORNIA WINES
Adventurous Blends
Gold: Jenah Victor #2
Silver: Jenah Victor #1
Bronze: Cheryl Odell #2
Meritorious: Mary Nobis
Bordeaux Style Blends
Gold: Bob Hevel
Silver: Duane Williams #1
Bronze: Jeff Dunn
Meritorious: Tom Gaede
Old Vine Zinfandel
Gold: Julie Wilcox
Silver: Stacy Cohen
Bronze: Dan Gouker
Meritorious: Steve Kennedy
Cabernet Blends
Gold: KC Camis
Silver: Bob Path #2
Bronze: Jerry Edgerton #2
Meritorious: Matt Engle #2
Italian Blends
Gold: Justin Pilon
Silver: Robert Walden
Bronze: Tara Traynor- Grimes #2
Meritorious: Don Pike
Malbec
Gold: Rebecca Bang
Silver: Ben Parks
Bronze: Tony Mahoney
Meritorious: Gene Lowe
Syrah
Gold: Mark Swaffer #1
Silver: Sheila Grosse
Bronze: Jim Vakos #2
Meritorious: Jim Vakos #1
Super Tuscan Style Blends
Gold: Darren Gillett #2
Silver: Mint 400/John Pellissier
Bronze: Frank Burke
Meritorious: Cheryl Odell #1
Merlot
Gold: Marcus Diaz
Silver: Chris Carroll
Bronze: Holly Hand
Zinfandel Blends
Gold: Cynthia Ann Kreutz
Silver: Jason Coleman
Bronze: Laura Hess #1
Meritorious: Jamie Knight
Petite Sirah
Gold: Linda Spacil
Silver: Julie Jackson
Bronze: Chris Carroll
Meritorious: Lori Vargo
Cross Continent
(Chilean/South African Blends)
Gold: Cherrica Whitaker
Silver: Candice Michels
Bronze: Gina Del Gandio
Meritorious: Don Pike
BEST IN SHOW 2021 VINTAGE
Secondary judging of all the Gold Winners happened a few days after the overall results were determined. The 2nd Blind Tasting of the Gold Winners determines the Best in Show standings. The TOP WINNERS are as follows:
MERITORIOUS
Marcus Diaz
85% Merlot, 15% Cab Franc
BRONZE
KC Camis
80% Cabernet, 5% Cab Franc, 5% Barbera, 5% Mourvèdre, 5% Primitivo
SILVER
Justin Pilon
80% Sangiovese, 20% Petite Sirah
GOLD
Linda Spacil
55% Petite Sirah, 45% Tempranillo
We congratulate all the WINE WINNERS of the 2021 Winemaking Season! One rule of thumb which always rings true is as follows: You cannot WIN if you don’t MAKE WINE. Now is the time to signup to make wine in the 2022 Fall Winemaking Season. Go to MAKE WINE to sign up now. Call 702-806-3383 if you have any questions.
But wait! There’s more! It is not just the Winemakers who receive recognition for their efforts in our Wine School. Each year, wine bottle labels are submitted for judging on artistic merit. Winners enjoy both recognition and a beautiful flattened wine bottle with their label affixed. The wine bottles are created by Rehab Bottle Company. Additional bottles may be ordered by contacting Rehab at THIS LINK.
The notable labels for the 2021 Season are as follows:
NOTEWORTHY WINE LABELS
Rioja
- Kari Thompson/Jana Pleggenkuhle
DeVine
- Alicia Brown (Clyburn)
BlackJack
- Linda Spacil by Tracy
Red River Gang USAF
- Mel and Linda Faulk
Solitary Refinement
- Jamie Knight
Delirium
- Dave Gruzin
Chateau George
- Cindy George
Thanks a Latte!
- Amber Diskin
Just Chillaean
- Colin Purcel/Mary Scott
Low Hangin’ Fruit
- Tara Traynor-Grimes
Legs for Daze
- Las Vegas Executive Association (LVEA)
The Community
- John Silva/David and Kasia MacLeod
Windmill Wines
- Bill Marion
The Best is Yet to Come
- Albert Castellan/Jan Palmer
Wine Anatomy
- Cheryl Odell
Solace
- Steve Averitt
Zinderella “The Perfect Fit”
- Paige Senior (Wasted Space Wino’s)
Last Call
- Bob Hevel/Andy Lewis
Elegant Red
- Randy Donald
Tempra-Mental Journey
- Sheila Grosse
