The
25-year-old Dallas Morning News Wine Competition is the largest
international wine competition outside the state of California. Each
year, thousands of bottles of wine are shipped to Dallas to be swirled,
sniffed and tasted by the foremost experts on wine. Judges are carefully
selected for their skill and adeptness at being able to detect the
subtle hues and notes that make a truly great wine stand out from among
the crowd and include various wine and food magazine editors, sommeliers
from prestigious restaurants and resorts and fellow winemakers from some
of the nation’s most well-known vineyards.This year, Running Hare Vineyard’s 2008 pinot grigio rose to the top from among a category of 95 entrants and received a gold medal. The competition, which was held in Dallas in February, included over 3,000 wines from 31 states and 21 countries.
Mike Scarborough, owner of Running Hare Vineyard, is thrilled by all the attention. “We couldn’t be happier with the results of this major competition,” he said. “This award is confirmation for us that Running Hare Vineyard wines can hold their own against some of the best wines in the world. It renews our dedication to the art of winemaking and speaks to the skills of our winemaker, Billy Peacock.”
Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association, said this award is an incredible achievement for a start-up vineyard. “A prize like this shows how much the Maryland wine industry has matured over the years. For Running Hare Vineyard to compete and win against major international brands in an event like this is quite an accomplishment.”