Fewer wines in fair's competition this year; judges say quality is up

Swirl, smell, sip and spit are all part of the method the judges at this year's SEMO District Fair wine competition used Monday to pick a grand champion from 89 wines entered in the annual contest.

The judges' favorite was a fruit sweet variety by Mark Nagel of Jackson called "Kiwi Pear Wine," made in May. A petite Shiraz from Mike Meyer of Scott City took the honor of reserve grand champion.

Lesa Weiss, the competition's organizer and district fair board member, said the number of entries was down compared to the past.

"We usually see an average of around 130," Weiss said.

She attributes the low number to the weather conditions faced by grape growers over the past few years.

"The two main varieties of grapes grown in Missouri have seemed to be down in harvest numbers," Weiss said, "but it hasn't stopped a lot of individual winemakers from getting their wines in this year."

Weiss said wineries typically submit the driest red wine varieties, while individuals tend to make sweet fruit wines.

Chuck Mattinger, founder of Mattinger Wines in St. Louis, was one of Monday's four judges. He said as a whole the quality of the wines was better this year, despite a lower number of entries.

The competition's other judges, Fred and Tina Higdon, are the owners of a bistro restaurant and gift shop in New Hamburg, Mo., called Hilltop Creations, and have experience from personally selecting Missouri wines to offer on their menu. Doug Hileman, a certified wine specialist and liquor manager at Schnucks in Cape Girardeau, also helped judge the wines Monday morning.

Weiss said Mattinger was instrumental in developing the organization the competition now uses to judge the wines. Mattinger's wife, Pat, was also a big help to Weiss as she learned to separate classes of wines and keep the tasting running smoothly.

"We really knew nothing when we started about how to organize the tasting, and he showed us how to set up a tasting order, as well as how to chill the wines, so that the flavors and aromas come through in the best way possible," Weiss said.

Weiss and husband Chris and daughter Jennifer have run the competition since they first brought the idea to the fair board seven years ago.

"The way it works is if someone on the fair board has an idea for an event and wants to do the work, they can just go with it, since it is all volunteer time," Weiss said.

"We decided we wanted start the wine competition to shed a little light on a lot more people who are starting to grow grapes in this area, and it turns out to be a good alternative agriculture crop for them," she said. "People don't necessarily think of growing vineyards as agriculture, but it is."

Weiss said for the amateur winemaker, the competition is also a good chance to get feedback on their wine through constructive criticism from the judges.

"After it's all over, the exhibitors will get to read opinions from the judges, and they will know how they can make their wine better the next time around," she said.