February 24, 25, and 26, 2006
Newport, Oregon
It wouldn't be winter on the coast without the Newport Seafood & Wine
Festival. It's the premier seafood & wine event of the west coast and
the original Northwest seafood and wine festival.
Since 1978 the Newport Seafood & Wine Festival has attracted
visitors from around the world to the central Oregon coast. This year's festival
promises to be packed with all of the fun, food and wine you've come to know and
love at the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival!
Commercial Wine Competition
This will be the nineteenth year we have staged a Commercial Wine competition as part of the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival. Since this is one of the earliest competitions in the year, it has been cited in the press as an important preview of the better wines for the public to seek out in the coming year. Wines that do well in Newport, do well at other competitions throughout the year. Only festival participants from Oregon, Washington and Idaho are eligible to enter. Last year 142 entries were received. Of the 142, 77 received awards including 20 Gold, 22 Silver, and 35 Bronze. Best of show was a 2000 Troon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvigon. This winery is located in Applegate Valley, just south of Grants Pass, Oregon. Judges are selected on a basis of wine knowledge, experience in wine judging, and a general familiarity of the northwest wine region. The results are released to the press, judges, and the public after the judging is completed.
Amateur Wine Competition
From its humble beginning when only a few bottles of amateur wine were entered, this contest has grown both in size and in prominence to become one of the premier events of its type in the Northwest. During last year's tournament over 160 wines were entered from Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. More than 90 medals were awarded demonstrating the quality home winemakers have achieved in recent years.
Wines are collected around the state at designated merchants specializing in home wine making and brewing supplies and brought to Newport for judging. Judging is "blind" which means the bottles are completely covered and known only by the number. Judging is based on a 20 point system with values awarded for color, clarity, bouquet, style and taste. Bronze, Silver, and Gold ribbons are awarded and an overall Best-of-show is selected as an additional honor for one outstanding wine.
Unique and unusual wines like blueberry, apricot, and potato join more traditional types such as Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir to give a special variety of tasting challenges to the judges. Although amateur wines are displayed at the Festival, these wines cannot be purchased or sampled during the event.