JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Stone Hill Winery was awarded top honors at the 2022 Missouri Wine Competition held July 12-14 in Columbia, Missouri. The Missouri Governor’s Cup and Best of Class dry red was awarded to their 2020 Chambourcin. This year’s C.V. Riley Award for best Norton was presented to two wines, Stone Hill Winery’s 2020 Norton and the 2020 Norton from Les Bourgeois Vineyards at The Blufftop at Rocheport.
The top honorees were recognized [last] week at the Governor’s Mansion for their winning wines. They were accompanied by the Governor and First Lady, Lieutenant Governor, Director Chinn and the Missouri Wine and Grape Board.
“With every vintage, you question how the consumer will react, so it is awesome to have these accolades showcase that our team made the right calls with the wine and grapes all year,” says winemaker for Stone Hill Winery, Shaun Turnbull. “Everyone from the vineyard and the cellar came together to make something special yet again.”
Stone Hill Winery celebrated their 175th anniversary this year. Owner, Jon Held notes that these awards make celebrating this year even more special.
“It is such an honor to receive the top two awards from the Missouri Wine Competition for a third year in a row,” said Jon Held, owner of Stone Hill Winery. “Watching this industry grow and evolve alongside us has been gratifying while also keeping the pressure on us to always improve.”
Les Bourgeois Vineyards rebranded under the name The Blufftop at Rocheport this year. Jacob Holman, president and head winemaker, is excited to add the C.V. Riley Award to this year’s accolades for the winery.
“We are honored to have won the C.V. Riley Award for our 2020 Norton and to share this accolade with our friends at Stone Hill Winery,” Holman says. “The local wine industry is full of diverse varieties and winemaking styles, and I’m so grateful our hard work on The Blufftop was deemed worthy of this award.”
The Missouri Wine Competition is an elite contest intended to honor and showcase the exceptional wines produced throughout the state. Seven judges blindly tasted 239 wines during the two-day competition. Judges awarded 48 gold, 102 silver and 70 bronze medals.
The Missouri Governor’s Cup winner was selected from the 12 Best of Class champions:
- Sparkling: Stone Hill Winery – Brut Rosé
- Dry White: Noboleis Vineyards – 2021 Dry Vignoles
- Semi-Dry White: Augusta Winery – 2021 Vidal Blanc Estate Bottled
- Sweet White: Augusta Winery – 2021 Vignoles
- Dry Red: Stone Hill Winery – 2020 Chambourcin
- Semi-Dry Red: Adam Puchta Winery – Hunter’s Red
- Sweet Red: James Winery – Velvet Red
- Dry Rosé: Noboleis Vineyards – 2021 Dry Rosé
- Sweet Rosé: Augusta Vineyards – River Valley Blush
- Fruit: Adam Puchta Winery – Berry Black
- Dessert: Adam Puchta Winery – Signature Port
- Late Harvest/Ice Wine: Augusta Winery – 2021 Icewine
The label competition accompanied traditional judging for the second year. This portion of the competition recognizes wineries who have stand-out labels, design elements and overall bottle appearance. Label winners were awarded in the following categories:
- Traditional Label: Les Bourgeois Vineyards – Rocheport Reserve Aged 20 years
- Contemporary Label: Eagles’ Landing – Rosalia Chambourcin Pet-Nat 2021
- Alternative Packaging: Noboleis Vineyards – Cranberry Lemon Rosemary Swirl Sangria
- Best Wine Series: Noboleis Vineyards – Swirl Botanicals & Sangria (Apricot Thyme Botanicals, Cranberry Lemon Rosemary Botanicals, Elderberry & Black Cherry Sangria, Raspberry & Papaya Sangria, Citrus & Peach Sangria)
- People’s Choice Award: Dale Hollow Winery – Holloween
Learn about the Missouri wine industry at missouriwine.org.
— Missouri Department of Agriculture