The winners of the inaugural Savor Southern Oregon wine competition, sponsored by the Coquille Indian Tribe, were announced on June 10th at an industry awards ceremony. A panel of expert judges, including Dr. Liz Thach, MW, Jonathan Cristaldi (Decanter), and Ron Acierto, travelled to the Rogue Valley mid-May, where they tasted and ranked 158 submissions from 45 Rogue Valley wineries on style, taste, and more.

Speaking of the competition, judge Dr. Liz Thach, MW, remarked, "Being part of the first-ever Savor Southern Oregon competition allowed me to interact with the incredible products and winemakers that make the Rogue Valley such a one-of-a-kind region. I was largely impressed by the wide variety of styles crafted in the area, with up-and-coming wineries coming up neck and neck with established names. This new festival allows for a celebration of a vibrant wine community, where there's truly something for everyone."

For those of you who couldn't make the classes and events held to celebrate the winners on June 13th & 14th, we thought we would bring the winners to you. This month, in addition to raising our glasses to ALL of the winners of this years competition - we would also like to send out a heartfelt "Thank You" to Carole, Dana and the entire Travel Medford team for ensuring that no one in our industry gets left behind.

This project was partially funded by an Oregon Wine Country License Plates Matching Grant.