Entries are being sought for the 11th annual Yolo County Fair Amateur Wine Competition, set to be judged Tuesday, Aug. 16.
The competition is open to home wine makers from Colusa, Solano, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba Counties over the age of 21, and the deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 12.
According to the fair guidelines, an “amateur” is considered a person who does not work in, or own, a commercial winery. Entry numbers have stayed consistent over the years, around 12 to 15 home winemakers, with 32 bottles last year.
“As a home winemaker myself, and as a fan of small fairs like the Yolo County Fair, I thought (the amateur wine competition) would be a neat thing to add to this fair,” said Dirk Brazil who founded the event. Brazil began making his own small batches of wine more than two decades ago, mostly zinfandels. He is also Yolo County’s Deputy Administrator.
Three Nugget Market wine stewards judge the entries using the UC Davis 20-point scale, an industry standard, with categories for appearance, aroma and bouquet, astringency, body, color, flavor, general quality, sugar and total acid.
“The Nugget wine stewards have been the lynchpin of this event for the last eight years,” Brazil said. “We couldn’t do it without them. They’re terrific.”
Classes include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Zinfandel, other white wines and other red wines. Awards include first, second and third places, honorable mention and “Best of Show.” Last year, Danyal Kasapligil of Davis earned the “Best of Show” award for his Petit Syrah.
“The judges know these are home wine makers and not professionals,” Brazil said.
While trends change each year, according to Brazil a usual constant is seeing about a five to one ratio of red to white wine entries. White wines, he said, are more difficult and delicate for a home winemaker to create. He’s also noticed an increase in using different red grape varietals to make a blended wine than a straight Cabernet, for instance.
“The scoring illustrates that there are some really good wines in the competition,” Brazil said. “It also shows there are some winemakers who need improvement. Ultimately, what the home winemaker is looking for is not selling the product for $40 a bottle, but for someone to open it and say, ‘wow. This is good!’”
For additional information, or to place an entry, contact Dirk Brazil at dbzin@aol.com or call 219-5930.