Almost three hundred canned wines from all over the world flexed their aluminum muscles at the fourth annual International Canned Wine Competition held July 19-21 at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds in Boonville, California. Wines from twenty foreign countries competed with their compatriots from all corners of the United States.
The judges awarded 97 gold medals.
Veteran wine industry judges included Dan Berger, Laura Ness, Jonathan Cristaldi and Greg Richtarek, who were joined by social media wine evangelists Brooke Martin, Brielle Buckler, Ali Nemo and Dennis Doorakkers. (Doorakkers, from Holland, floated the idea of holding a partner canned wine competition in the Netherlands in 2023.)
Best of Show honors for 2022 went to:
- Maker Wines 2021 Chardonnay from Handley Cellars, Anderson Valley, California
- Djuce Wines 2021 Rosé, Famille Chaudié, Provence, France
- Joiy 2018 The Gryphon Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand
- The OBC Wine Project Rosé with Bubbles, American
- Riot Wine Co. Rosé Spritz, South Australia
Rogante Wines of Italy won the Sweepstakes Award, winning eight gold medals, more than any other winery. Other multiple medal winners included Devonian Coast Wineries, Canada; Suntory Wines, Japan; Bridge Lane Wines, New York; and Leelanau Cellars, Michigan.
Plans are in the works for the fifth annual International Canned Wine Competition, to be held in July, 2023. Competition director Allan Green promises it will be "aluminating!"
Complete results and photographs are available at https://cannedwinecompetition.com/2022-results.