The results of the most respected San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition were just released.

Thousands of bottles of wine are entered each year. It is the biggest judging of its kind in North America. Distinguished panels of the most respected judges in the entire worldwide wine community have awarded a record number of best of class, double gold, gold, silver and bronze medals, validating the hard work and growing quality of all styles of wines grown and produced in Ohio.

There are winners from across the state, but the majority are from the Grand River Valley and Lake Erie Regions.

Ohio took 94 total medals, the most ever collected by our wine industry. For complete results, e mail dwinchell@ohiowines.org or dhammond@OhioWines.org or call the OWPA office at 440-466-4417. Complete results are at www.OhioWines.org

Knowing a little about some of the major competitions can help guide wine lovers. There are dozens of competitions: large and small, prestigious and very localized, state, national and even international. They are generally held at a time of year when wines from the prior two or three harvest seasons are being released.

In the United States, probably the most prestigious is the San Francisco Chronicle judging.

One of the “perks” of becoming a wine expert is to be invited to become a judge as the sign of a truly important competition is the composition of its panel. And for this granddaddy of the category, a judge’s slot often does not open up until someone dies.

This makes medals from the annual San Francisco competition one of the most sought after anywhere. Because many of the oldest competitions take place on the West Coast, there has been some concern about “bias” against non-California vinifera and eastern hybrids. The results of the SFC competition this year erased those concerns.

The largest percentage of the Ohio, Grand River and Lake Erie wine winners at SFC were in the white wine categories. Since we are a typical, cool climate growing region, that makes sense. Rieslings, Gewurztraminers and Chardonnays, along with some less well known varietals, dominated the medal listings.

However, while a surprise to some, a number of red wines were recognized. Several years ago, David McIntyre, then the wine writer at the Washington Post (he writes for Substack now) visited our region and tasted several reds. His response to the experience: “Who said Ohio could not produce some great reds!?”

The results of SFC this year reinforced his observation. While most of our reds received “only” silvers and bronzes, it is important to understand they were in the same class categories as some of the greatest red wines produced anywhere in the world from those famed California valleys and Northwest Pinots.

As a consumer, medals can serve as a guide to help discern both quality and style. One major caveat is that a gold medal dry red may be intrinsically great, and appeal to a cadre of wine professionals, but if you love, love sweet whites, no award will make a big, robust, chewy wine more pleasant on YOUR palate.

At one time, medals were seldom awarded to sweeter wines.

That is no longer the case. You will discover some amazing wines you will love from the 2026 SFC winners’ list.

But again, as with any wine, the BEST wine is the one you most enjoy. So use the golds and silvers as a guide, but never as the be-all-end-all for your purchase preferences.

For additional information, email Donniella at dwinchell@ohiowines.org

Regional winners are below:

The Vineyards at Pine Lake, Columbiana:

2024 Moscato- American – Best of Class

NV Columbiana Red- Ohio – Best of Class

2020 Syrah- American – Double Gold

2024 Medium Sweet Riesling- American – Gold

2024 Vignoles- Ohio – Gold

2024 Chardonnay- American – Silver

2024 White Blends, Vineyard White- Ohio – Silver

Baci Winery, Madison:

2024 Pinot Grigio- Grand River Valley Best of class

2024 Chardonnay- Grand River Valley Gold

2024 Riesling- Grand River Valley Silver

2023 Cab Franc- Ohio Silver

Ferrante Winery, Geneva:

2024 Chardonnay- Grand River Valley – Double Gold

2024 Vidal Ice Wine- Grand River Valley – Double Gold

2024 Dry Riesling- Grand River Valley – Double Gold

NV Bubbly Blanc- Grand River Valley -Double Gold

2024 Riesling- Grand River Valley – Double Gold

2023 Gewurztraminer- Grand River Valley -Gold

2024 Gruner Veltliner- åGrand River Valley -Gold

2024 Cab Franc- Grand River Valley – Silver

NV Rose- Grand River Valley – Silver

2024 Pinot Gris- Grand River Valley – Silver

2024 Chardonnay- Grand River Valley – Silver

Gervasi Vineyard, Canton:

NV Aromella- America – Double Gold

NV Malbec- America – Gold

NV Sangiovese- American – Gold

NV Red Blend Cab Sauv leading- California – Gold

NV Riesling- American – Silver

NV Dry Rose- American – Silver

NV Dry/Sweet Rose- American – Silver

NV Marquette- Ohio – Silver

Laurello Vineyards, Geneva:

NV White Blend- Grand River Valley – Best of Class

2020 Cab Sauv- Lake Erie – Bronze

NV Off-Dry Riesling- Grand River Valley – Double Gold

NV Vidal Blanc- Grand River Valley – Gold

Laurentia Vineyard & Winery, Madison:

2022 Cab Franc- Grand River Valley – Bronze

2022 Cab Sauv- Grand River Valley – Bronze

2023 Chardonnay- Grand River Valley – Gold

2024 Gewurztraminer- Grand River Valley – Gold

2024 Chardonnay- Grand River Valley – Silver

2022 Petit Verdot- Grand River Valley – Silver

M Cellars, Geneva:

2024 Pinot Noir- Grand River Valley – Bronze

2024 Pinot Gris- Grand River Valley – Gold

2023 Speravi- Grand River Valley – Gold

2024 Riesling- Grand River Valley – Silver

2023 Meritage- Grand River Valley – Silver

2024 Rkatsiteli- Grand River Valley – Silver

North Coast Cellars/Buccia Winery Conneaut:

NV Sparkling- Central Ohio – Bronze

2024 Pinot Gris/Grigio- Ohio Lake Erie – Double Gold

North Coast Wine Club LLC, Solon:

2023 Red Blend, Going; Going; Gone – Grand River Valley Gold

2021 Red Blend, Cab Sauv leading- Columbia Valley – Bronze

2023 Pinot Noir- Columbia Valley – Silver

Silver Crest Cellars, Madison:

2023 Rose- Grand River Valley – Bronze

2021 Cab Sauv- Grand River Valley – Bronze

2024 Rose- Bronze

2021 Medium Dry Riesling- Double Gold

NV Native White- Double Gold

2021 Cab Sauv- Grand River Valley – Silver

2021 Merlot leading, Meritage- Grand River Valley – Silver

2023 Dry Riesling- Grand River Valley – Silver

2020 Cab Sauv- Grand River Valley – Silver

2020 Cab Sauv-Grand River Valley – Silver

For a complete list of SFC winners https://www.winejudging.com/