District fair holds its first wine competition

The judges spit out more wine than they swallowed Monday at the SEMO District Fair.

It would have been tough to swallow even a sip of wine 83 times, they said.

The three judges sampled wines in nine categories -- everything from red and white wines to fruit wines and even a rhubarb wine.

They smelled, swished and tasted wines while seated at a table in the Arena Building for five hours, drawing the attention of passers-by and fair board members who had never witnessed a wine competition before.

Most of the time, the judges ended up spitting the wine into plastic buckets after tasting it.

Though, some of the fair volunteers couldn't resist tasting the wines after they'd been judged.

It wasn't all to their liking.

"It tastes like mouthwash," fair volunteer Lesa Weiss of Jackson said after sipping one glass of wine. Weiss' husband, Chris, organized the competition.

After marking their score sheets, the judges washed out their wine glasses, cleansed their palates with water and consumed chunks of French bread to clear their taste buds for the next glass of wine.

A dry white wine from Alto Vineyards in Alto Pass, Ill. -- the first wine tasted by the judges -- was chosen the best of show.

"We all agreed on that one," said James Allen, who operates Celebrations restaurant in Cape Girardeau.

The judges liked everything about the wine, from its taste to its color and aroma. "It was well-made wine," Allen said.

However, he didn't like the rhubarb wine. "It was nothing like rhubarb," he said of the taste. "It was a little offensive."

Judges need a good nose for wine, Allen said, because how the wine smells has a lot to do with how it tastes.

One passer-by commented that he didn't drink liquor. Wine connoisseur and judge Larry Havelock Jackson of Cape Girardeau -- dressed in an apron touting wine -- replied that he doesn't drink liquor either.

"I drink wine," he said. "It's not the same thing."

St. Louis wine merchant Charles Madinger was the third judge. Amid all the smelling, tasting and spitting, Madinger found time to crack jokes.

When a few flies buzzed the proceedings, Madinger quipped they were "bar flies."

Steve Smith of Cape Girardeau, who makes about 150 bottles of wine a year, tied for first place in sweet wines made with white grapes and second in sweet wines made with red grapes.

Smith, a towboat captain, said he's been making wine as a hobby since 1995. "I do drink a little of it," he said with a smile as he waited for the three judges to sample his two entries. But Smith said his wife is the real wine lover in the family.

In all, some two dozen individuals and wineries entered bottles of wine. Most of the entries came from individuals.

Chris Weiss, the organizer of the competition, made sure that the white wines were chilled overnight and the red wines were stored at room temperature for the judging.

Weiss said he's had little experience at wine making. "I brewed one batch in my basement," said Weiss, who admitted he wasn't sure how long the judging would take.

But Weiss said he felt the competition went well and was pleased with the number of entries in the first-year competition.

He said he hopes to make it bigger and better next year and would like to get more wineries in the competition.

"Maybe we need bigger prizes," he said.

First-place winners received $10; second-place winners, $8; and third-place winners, $5. The overall winner took home a medal.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123

FAIR WINE COMPETITION

Red Grape Dry Award Winners

Clint Van Matre, Marble Hill, Mo.

Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

Red Grape Sweet Winners

1. Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

2. Steven Smith, Cape Girardeau

3. B&B Wines, Russell Brandes, Perryville, Mo.

White Grape Sweet Winners

1. Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

2. Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

3. Fred Grabel, Cape Girardeau

White Grape Dry Winners

1. Tie, Steven Smith, Cape Girardeau, and Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

2. Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

3. Hemman Winery, Brazeau, Mo.

Rose/Blush Winner

1. Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

All Fruit Dry Winners

1. Tower Rock Winery, Altenburg, Mo.

2. Alice Rau, St. Louis

3. Bob Green, Kennett, Mo.

All Fruit Sweet Winners

1. Woodland Vineyards, Bunceton, Mo.

2. Randy Haman, Kennett, Mo.

Vegetable Winner

B&B Wines, Russell Brandes, Perryville, Mo.

All Others

1. Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

2. Alto Vineyards, Alto Pass, Ill.

3. Hemman Winery, Brazeau, Mo.

FAIR JUNIOR KARAOKE CONTEST WINNERS

1. Taylor Kathleen Miller, 10, Malden, Mo.

2. Anna Ayers, 11, Chaffee, Mo.

3. Jerrica Bendel, 13, Jackson

FAIR SENIOR KARAOKE CONTEST WINNERS

1. Tony Bendel, Jackson

2. April Hemmann, Oak Ridge, Mo.

3. Allen Hill, Jackson