July 26 2006
Naptown,known for being a sleepy metropolis where the sidewalks roll-up at night, hasbeen working hard for the last decade or so to shed its staid midwestern reputation. But, Indy goes International forthe second time in two months after June’s Formula One race as we take thestage for a couple of glorious days for the Indy International WineCompetition.
The14th annual event is the 3rd largest event of its kindbehind San Francisco and Los Angeles based on number of entries. The Indy competition also boasts being thelargest competition of its kind for amateur winemakers.
TakingPlace July 28th – 30th, the competition takes place as aprelude to the Indiana State Fair. Ahem, State Fair notwithstanding, this is a great opportunity for theMidwest to show its wine chops.
With3,600 entries to San Francisco’s 3,900 entries it is possible that we couldovertake them and become the largest competition in the U.S.
Retired Enology Professor from Purdue University, wineconsultant to American Airlines and Competition Chairperson, Richard Vine hasthe heart of champion and a competitive streak when he says, as quoted in theIndianapolis Star, "Down deep in my soul, I’d really like to throttle SanFrancisco and Los Angeles."
Right on, Richard. We can show those guys a thing or three about wine here in theheartland!
Despite having winecategories that are distinctly Midwestern like Catawba and Concord, some of thevinifera wines are California—for example, the Incognito Viognier won a “Bestof Class” in ’05.
The Judges are a mix of regional reporters, distributors,retailers and the like. Dan Berger isprobably the most prominent judge. Thelist of ’06 Judges can be found here.
Despite mytongue-in-cheek deprecation, the competition is world class and goes to provethat the wine industry outside of CA, WA and OR is healthy and growing.
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