Twenty-four wine experts gathered August 7 in East Lansing for the 30th annual Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition. Judges included wine experts from around the country, including Doug Frost, who is both a Master of Wine and Master Sommelier. Other judges included well-known California winemaker Scott Harvey; two Master Sommeliers; and internationally known authors, winemakers and wine educators.

Judges sniffed, sipped and discussed their way through a record 365 wines, all of which were grown and made in Michigan. At the end of the day, 36 wineries won a total of 227 medals. Six Best of Class winners were selected from among the gold and double gold winners, and came from all of Michigan's major grape-growing areas.

They are:

Best of Class Dry Red:
Longview Winery - 2005 Cabernet Franc Reserve

Best of Class Dry White:
Left Foot Charley - 2006 Pinot Blanc 'Island View Vineyard'

Best of Class Sparkling: Tabor Hill Winery - Grand Mark Brut

Best of Class Semi-Dry White: Gill's Pier Winery - 2006 Riesling

Best of Class Semi-Dry/Sweet Red:
Leelanau Wine Cellars - Great Lakes Red

Best of Class Dessert Wine:
Chateau Grand Traverse - 2005 Riesling Ice Wine

Interesting details from the competition:

* Judges continue to be impressed with the quality of the 2005 red wines.
* 2006 white wines impressed for their crisp, clean and regionally typical character.
* Gold Medal winners were nearly equally spread among the wine regions.
* Two Syrah/Shiraz wines won Gold Medals for the first time.
* Best of Class winner Cabernet Franc is an important grape variety but is not as well known as its more famous progeny - Cabernet  
   Sauvignon.

A complete list of medal-winning wines is available online at www.michiganwines.com. The Michigan Wine and Spirits Competition is sponsored by the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council, which is administered by the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

For more information about the wines and wineries of Michigan, contact the council online, or by phone at (517) 241-4468.