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AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY NEWS
Promoting Appreciation of Wine Through Education
Volume 25, No. 6 www.americanwinesociety.org December 2011
Contents
Amateur Wine Compeon 14
AWS Educaonal Foundaon 19
Chapter Events 4
Chapter Spotlight 13
Compeon News 12
Conference News 8
Elecon Results 3
Government Affairs 12
Member Services 8
Naonal Office Notes 3
Naonal Tasng Project 9, 17
On‐Line Wine Classes 13
President’s Message 2
Vice President’s Notes 3
Treasurer’s Report 9
Winemakers Journal 19
Wine Expo 20
2011 Outstanding Member David
Barber & President Willis Parker
2011 Award of Merit Winner
Gordon Murchie & Willis Parker
2011 Certified Wine Judges
Congratulations to the nine AWS members who became
our newest Wine Judges at the AWS Nat ional Conference.
Eight of the graduates
completed the 3-year training
program and one successfully
challenged the final exam.
Thanks to the instructors who
worked countless hours pre -
paring materials, teaching
and grading exams: Dave
Barber, Peter Cisek, Joe Dautlick, Bob Madill, Betty Nettles,
Ivan Riggle, Mary Riggle, Nancy Slick, Barry St.
Pierre and Pat Valas.
The 2011 graduates are:
Rex Bambling, Lovettsville, VA
Jennifer Crafts, Lovettsville, VA
Rusty Hale, Winter Park, FL
Larry Jackson, Champaign, IL
Tracy Ellen Kamens, Mattituck, NY
Aaron Mandel, St. Louis, MO
Annemarie Morse, Richford, NY
Jeffrey Stabins, Webster, NY
Kathryn Webb, Evans, GA
Incoming President Jane Duralia
with the AWS Thyrsus
Outgoing Director Nick
Yankanich with Willis
Outgoing Treasurer Sam Streiff
with Willis Parker
2011 National Conference Committee

President’s Message
Willis Parker
AWS National Office
John Hames — Executive Director
Diane Chappell— Member Services Manager
P. O. Box 279
Englewood, OH 45322
Phone (888) AWS-9070
(888) 297-9070
Fax (937) 529-7888
Email ExecutiveDirector@AmericanWineSociety.org
Website www.americanwinesociety.org
AWS National Officers
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Directors at Large
IT/Education
Competitions
Membership
The American Wine Society,
founded in 1967, is the oldest and
largest consumer based wine education
organization in North America.
We are a non-profit, educational
corporation. Membership is open
to the general public and is beneficial
for those who have a keen
interest in wine, winemaking and/
or wine culture. Our mission is
“Promoting Appreciation of Wine
Through Education.”
www.americanwinesociety.org
Willis Parker
Jane Duralia
Joe Broski
Samuel Streiff
Peter Cisek
Lynne Montgomery
Nick Yankanich
This is my last AWS News article as President of
the American Wine Society. I am very proud to
have served the past two years as AWS went through many
changes. Changes included finding a new Executive Director,
cleaning up t he membership database, forming three new
Executive Advisory Board Comm ittees (Membership/Chapter
Development, Marketing and Winemakers) and, most importantly,
getting our finan cial house in order! The main objective
with all of th is was to enable us to better serve the
membership.
During the Banquet in Rochester closing out this year's Annual
Conference, I shared how proud I was to have been able to
work with the Board to put us on back on safe footing.
Thanks to Jane Duralia, Joe Broski, Samuel Streiff, Peter
Cisek, Donnie Nettles and Nick Yankanich for being a part of
the hard decisions to make changes in our National Office.
A very special thanks to our current National Office staff of
Executive Director John Hames and Member Services Manager
Diane Chappell for do ing a fantastic job in providing the
membership timely responses and acco mplishing many important
task.
The past two years have seen many cha nges and improvements.
I truly appreciate all the hard work that all of the AWS
volunteers have done to h elp get us grow ing again so tha t
AWS can remain the premier national wine consumer organization.
As always, if you have any thoughts you desire to share with
me please free to email me.
Willis Parker
2010-2011 AWS President
wparker@AmericanWineSociety.org
AWS News Staff
Pam Davey
John Hames
Lee Baldieri
Joe Broski
Editor
Davey@AmericanWineSociety.org
Publisher
ExecutiveDirector@AmericanWineSociety.org
lee@winemakerproducts.com
ChapterEvents@AmericanWineSociety.org
David Falchek dfalchek@gmail.com
The AWS News is the official newsletter of the
American Wine Society. It is published bi-monthly
in February, April, June, August, October, December.
It is also posted on our website.
www.americanwinesociety.org.
We welcome your comments, letters and articles.
Please send your contributions to the editor
davey@americanwinesociety.org.
ISSN 1543-205X
Help spread the word of how wonderful the American
Wine Society is by "liking us" on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/americanwinesociety
You can also join our LinkedIn Group by visiting
http://www.linkedin.com. Search the "Groups" section
for American Wine Society.
AWS News—December 2011
Page 2

Vice President’s Notes
Jane Duralia
National Office Notes
John Hames
My personal thanks to all who worked d iligently
to make 2011 National Conference in Rochester a
most enjoyable and education event. While in area, we explored
Niagara-on-the-Lake and found s everal exceptional
wines and such pleasant people along the way. The Culinary
School presents an excellent menu, which we t horoughly
enjoyed.
Redefining the role of the Regional Vice President
(RVP) has been on “my plate” for the past two years.
How can we possibly expect a different outcome when
we keep doing the same thing in the same way? No
plan = no action = no prog ress! I am read y to move
forward…are you?
The key areas of responsibility for our RVPs are:
‣Starting new self-governing chapters
‣Promoting the AWS to expand recognition of our group
and enhance our image
‣Serving as a resource person for educa tional/specialty
programs for chapter use through local resources and/or
winery contacts and distributors.
As you can se e, these responsibilities are neither intimidating
nor undoable. Yet year after year the same people take
the same job because “no one el se will.” History de monstrates
that, on the whole, regional elections have not been
effective in changing this mindset.
I have develo ped a one year pilot progr am that was approved
by the Exe cutive Advisory Board at their 2011 Conference
meeting. The program is scheduled to be in place by
the end of the first quarter of 2012 (March). New regions will
be defined with input from the pilot program committee, the
“volunteer RVPs” and the National Office. Every area deserves
representation and a regional support system, so we
will examine the population density in all parts of the country.
Some regions may span several states and some states
may have multiple regions. The electronic age has br oadened
our horizons and enhanced our communication capabilities.
Each region is unique, so no single formula or agenda
will work in all places.
I have spoken with many current RVPs and they support this
pilot program. Some may t ake this opportunity to resign
after serving faithfully and tirelessly for many years; others
may decide to join the new wave. We have enthusiastic people
coming forward wanting to serve as volunteer RVPs, but
we still need more.
All who are inter ested in becoming a volunteer RVP are
asked to present a “ letter of interest.” Current R VPs also
need to submit a “letter of interest.” We are evolving into a
professional society of acti on and mer it, and we need to
move forward with decisive direction and suppor tive
strength.
If you want to take a leadership role in the exciting wave of
opportunities for AWS, I want to hear fro m you. S end a
“letter of inter est” of 5 00 words or less, stating why you
want to be an RVP for your region and what you intend to do
to meet the key points of responsibility.
Include both personal as well as busin ess
attributes. Each letter will be carefully reviewed
and responded to.
Now that t he 2011 Conference is just a ple asant
memory, the N ational Office can r e-focus our efforts
on other areas to gro w and add value to AWS . Here’s
what we’re working on…
‣Updated website—We started working on this a co uple
months ago b ut had to put it on the back burner du e to
conference activity. It’s time to get it done.
‣Go back to quarterly issues of the AWS Wine Journal—This
is our goal for 2012 but it has to be done i n a “budget
neutral” fashion, meaning no additional cost to AWS. In
order to do this, we ne ed to get mo re advertisers. Th is
will be a priority in the next couple months.
‣Add more Pro fessional Members—We will be making an
effort to conta ct and add many more Professi onal Members
in 2012. AWS has a lot to offer wineries and o ther
organizations in the wi ne business. W e need to get t he
word out so they know about us and se e the ben efits of
joining AWS as a Professional Member.
‣AWS Merchandise for sale t o members—We need to ha ve
shirts, hats, and other items that members can buy to
proudly show they are part of AWS. We used to offer these
in the past but got away from it. We will be adding this
back during 2012.
That’s just a sample of what’s coming up in 2012.
Happy holidays to all AWS members. Enjoy the holidays with
your friends and family, good food and good wine, and get
ready for another exciting year for the American Wine
Society in 2012!
John Hames
ExecutiveDirector@AmericanWineSociety.org
888-297-9070
New Board Members Elected
Congratulations to the two new members of the AWS Board of
Directors:
Walt Rachele—Treasurer
David Falcheck—Director of
Membership Services
They will begin their terms of
office on January 1, 2012. Thanks
to retiring treasurer Sam Streiff
and Director Nick Yankanich.
Email the le tters to me at jane.duralia@gmail.com, or mail
them to 6136 Pl antation Pointe Dr., Granite Falls, NC 28630.
Call (828-396-1601) or email me if you have questions or want
more information.
AWS members are a wea lth of untapped talent and I am tapping
on your door. Will you answer the call?
Jane Duralia
Jane.Duralia@gmail.com
828-386-1601
AWS News—December 2011
Page 3

Chapter Events
Joe Broski
The Atascadero (CA) Chapter met on October
14 at the Ata scadero Library. Since our
chapter director, Alana Reynolds, selected the
wines for the club, she facilitated the blind tasting.
Breads & cheeses were provided.
2008 Golden Eye (Duckhorn), Anderson Vly. $27 (3)
2008 Etude Winery, Carneros 24 (1)
2008 Toulouse Winery, Anderson Valley 24
2009 Croix de St. Sylvestre Cotes du Rhone 12
2009 Les Arbousiers Coteaus du Languedoc 12 (2)
2009 Morin Pere & Fils Pinot Noir 12
Fourteen members of the Bucks County (PA) Chapter
met at Bob and Pat Lynam’s to taste Pinot Noir from three
regions of the world: California, Oregon and France. Although
being described as a “difficult” grape to grow, pino t noir is
grown all over the world. Th e best value rated wine was the
Pinot Project, which is a blend of Pinot Noirs from California.
2007 Gloria Ferrer Carneros, California $12
2009 A to Z Pinot Noir Willamette Valley, OR 14
2009 Auteur Sonoma Coast, Sonoma, CA 34 (1)
2006 Joseph Drouhin Chorey Les Beaune, 21
Cote de Beaune, Burgundy France
2009 The Pinot Project California 10 (2)
2008 Robert Mondavi Carneros, California 18 (3)
The Carroll County (MD) Chapter met on September 11
at the home of the Susan and Mike Barbour. The tasting focused
on the 2001 vintage and featured a selection of wines
from Rioja. It was presen ted by Lee Ste wart. Lee provided
wonderful background on the region, the climate, and the
requirements for a wine to be rated as a Crianza, Reserva, or
Gran Reserva. The warm-up wine was 2010 El Coto Rosado.
2001 Barón De Ley Gran Reserva $39
2001 Marqués de Riscal Gran Reserva 49
2001 Viña Ardanza Especial 35
2001 Marqués de Cáceres Gran Reserva 35 (1)
2001 Beronia Gran Reserva 24 (2)
2004 Beronia Gran Reserva 24 (3)
The September 25 meeting of the Cleveland (OH) Chapter
was held at the ho me of Eileen Win iasz (co-hosted by
Laraine Bailey) with 22 members and 2 guests attending. The
theme "Range of R ose," was presented blind by Wer ner &
Michele Klingbeil, with emphasis on t he composition style.
Members had to guess which one of three styles was used in
producing each wine—a Mono-Red, or a Multi-Red, or a Red
and White blend.
2010 Corail Cotes du Provence, Multi-Red $17 (2)
2010 Maysara Pinot Noir Rosé , Mono-Red 15 (3)
2010 Tres Ojos Grenache-Tempranillo, 10
Multi-Red
2009 Sutter Home White Zinfandel, Mono-Red 6
2010 Werner Klingbeil Cellar Rosé, Red&White N/A
2009 Yali Merlot Rosé, Mono-Red 10
2009 Menage a Trois Rosé, Red&White 12 (1)
The Carroll County (MD) Chapter met on October 16 at
the home of t he Ann and Jo hn Carr. Th e theme was a “ For
the Love of Amarone—An Exploration of the Composition and
Process of Making Amarone" presented by John Carr. The
tasting featured a selection of Italian win es. The warm-up
was a 100% C orvino (one of the staple grapes of Amarone),
and then a V alpolicella. Next up wer e a pair of wines produced
using the Ripassa technique. We concluded the tasting
with a specta cular pair of true A marones. John and Mike
Bareford also included a surprise in the middle of the lineup—
AWS News—December 2011
an Argentinean wine called Enamore made with alternate
grapes (Malbec, Syrah, Bonardo and Cab Franc) produced
using the Amarone technique.
2005 Villabella Montemazzano, $15
100% Corvino
2008 Zenato Valpolicella 12
Villabella Valpolicella Ripasso 17
2007 Zenato Valpolicella Ripassa 26 (3)
2006 Allegrini Bodega Renacer Enamore 36 (2)
(Argentina)
2007 Allegrini Amarone 90
2007 Zenato Amarone 75 (1)
The Detroit (MI) Chapter’s October meeting featured
“Wine Under the Radar” and was organ ized by Bob B ilenchi
and Rosemary Lauder. It represented the best and most interesting
of the wines recently discovered by Bob, who looks
for wines in many places. These wines were discovered in
wine shops both local and d istant, gained with i nformation
from magazines, news sources and the internet.
2010 La Ardilla Moscato de Valencia, Spain $8
2010 Excelsior Chardonnay, South Africa 7
2008 Toscolo Chianti, Italy 11
2007 Pasqua Amarone, Italy 19
2008 Volver La Mancha Tempranillo, Spain 13
2007 Stonestreet Momument Ridge Cab. 40
2008 Cousino Macul Antiquas Reserva 12
Cabernet Chile
The aperitif sparkling Moscato was a nice example of an increasingly
popular wine. The Chardonnay was made by the
Robertson group, a large maker in South Africa. Both w ere
good, full bodied win es at bargain prices. From Italy came
two wines: A good $11 Chianti followed by a very good Amarone.
Bob explained the Amarone process which involves
drying the grapes on racks before processing. Amarones can
get expensive—the best around $80. The Volver Tempranillo
had a rating b y Parker of 9 1 and was an exce llent example
of this varietal.
The last two wines were tasted blind. Both had very high Parker
ratings, 94 and 91, respec tively. The group rated them
quite closely, 13.3 and 12.7 with the Stonestreet higher. The
two wines were quite different in character and it was an
interesting test of value.
The Houston (TX) Chapter met on November 12th at the
home of Kim and Joe Tecca for a Blind Tasting . Twenty-five
members and guests tested their palates against Kim’s great
wine selections. Kim actually categorized eleven of o ur past
favorite varietals so a s imple process of elimination was not
possible. Could we all determine w hich type of wine we w ere
drinking? One member pretty much spoke for the major ity,
“Kim made our brains and tongues work overtime and mine
did not cooperate at all.” Wine tastin g is the sensory examination
and evaluation of wine an d this "Blind Tasting" tested
our palates on di fferentiating eight common red wines that
we have experienced before in pr evious tastings. Tasting a
wine blind is one of the best ways to form ulate an unbiased
opinion about the wine—it also forces the taster to concentrate
on every tiny aspect of the wine.
Ferrari Carano, Alexander Vallet Cab Sauv $22
Lynmar Russian River Pinot Noir 35
Willamette Valley Pinot, Pinot Noir 17
Fat Monk Merlot, Paso Robles 10
Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel 18
Guasti Barberad-Asti, Italy 15
Nozzole Chianti, Italy 24
Gascon Malbec, Argentina 13
Ole! The Hudson (MA) Chapter met on October 13 at the
home of chapter cha ir Mike Blake. After a welcome peri od of
Page 4

socializing and ge neral merriment while enjoying Viura, the
17 members in attendance sampled a selection of wines from
the Rioja region of Spain organized by Dick Phillips. A special
selection of Spanis h tapas,
including Manchego cheese,
Jamon Serrano ham, Span ish
potato omelet and empanadas,
were supplied by th e
members. Following this wonderful
line-up and tasting ex -
perience, the chapter celebrated
their 4 th anniversary with a re cap of memories and
highlights over the past 4 ye ars and cake! The icebreaker
was a 2010 Cortijo DOC 100% Viura ($15).
Flight #1- The Rioja classification system
2007 Campo Viejo Crianza $12 (3)
(aged at least 24 months/6 in oak
2006 Campo Viejo Reserva 15 (2)
(aged at least 36 months/12 in oak)
2002 Campo Viejo Gran Reserva 21 (1)
(aged at least 60 months/18 in oak)
Flight #2- 100% Tempranillo Wines
2006 LAN Reserva 18 (1)
2001 Finca Valpiedra Reserva 40 (2)
Flight #3- Blended Wines
2004 Conde de Valdemar Reserva 21 (2)
85% Tempranillo/15% Mazuelo
2007 Palacios Remondo La Montesa Reserva 26 (1)
Flight #4—Wines that don’t fit the DO/DOC rules
2005 Artadi Vinos de Gain 32
2005 Artadi Pagos Viegos 79
Seafood & Sauvignon Blanc was the theme for a wonderful
evening at Renée Wagner and Mark Berhow's home in Peoria
for the Illinois Heartland (IL) Chapter. The mild fall
weather provided a p erfect start, with a variety of prelim
wines and appetizers on M ark & Renée's backyard patio .
Mark & Renée provi ded a nice grouping of six Sauvignon
Blancs for us to taste from C alifornia, Washington, New Zealand
and France. The top rated wine was the 2008 Chate au
St. Jean Fumé Blanc. Dinner was wond erful with entrées of
both shrimp and salmon. In addition to the six tasting wines,
they also provided a Sauvignon Blanc dessert wine - a Hanna
2006 Estate Grown Russian River Late Harvest Sauvignon
Blanc.
The weather was perfect for the September 18 tasting of
the Lehigh Valley (PA) Chapter arranged by Jan Thomas.
The event was originally scheduled for August 28 th, but had to
be rescheduled due to the floods of Hurricane Irene. A hearty
group of 20 showed up to taste a selection of wines that are
carried by Si lver Creek Coun try Club and to see how t hey
paired with the food provided by the Club . It was great to
taste each wine blind and then to taste it again with the food.
Each of the four courses were accompanied by two wines and
the dessert by one wine.
2009 Chateau St. Michele Riesling $17 (3)
NV Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc 10
2009 Sycamore Lane Chardonnay 8
2009 Ironstone Red Vin Zin 11
2004 Bridalwood Syrah 11
2009 Sycamore Lane Merlot 8 (2)
2007 Arancio Pinot Noir 9
2007 Clayhouse Red Blend 13 (1)
2009 Wente The Whip
On September 26, an Au stralian wine tasting was enjoyed
by members of the Lehigh Valley (PA) Chapter at the
home of Pamela and Ken Burton in Allentown. It presented a
great opportunity to taste some great Australian reds and
stroll through the formal garden on a beautiful fall afternoon.
AWS News—December 2011
The premise of the tasting was to compare five sets of wines,
each set containing the same grape vari ety or blen d. One
sample was obtained from the “cool room” of the Cedar Crest
State Store a nd the other from th e regular shelves in the
store. The assumption to be tested was that the cool room
wines should be better beca use of the marketing and the
higher prices.
2006 Alexander Laing, Old Vine Grenache $45 (1)
Barossa Valley
2006 Yangarra Estate,Old Vine Grenache 24
McLaren Vale
2008 Ninety+ Cellars, McLaren Vale Shiraz 13 (2)
Viognier
2005 DeBortoli, Yarra Valley Estate 33
Shiraz/Viognier
2006 Graeme Leith Passing Clouds Bendigo, 28
Victoria Researve Shiraz
2009 Henry's Drive Vignerrons Morse Code 9
Shiraz
2010 Lindemans Red Cliffs Bin 43, Victoria 7
Cabernet Sauvignon
1998 Leeuwin Estate Art Series, Cabernet 45 (3)
Sauvignon Margaret River
2008 Aramas Vineyard, Shiraz Cabernet, 18
McLaren Vale
2009 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Magill, Shiraz/ 10
Cabernet
On September 10, Trey an d Adrienne Johnson hosted 24
members of the Lone Star/DFW (TX) Chapter at Grapes to
Wine in Bartonville, TX. Owner Dan Adams did a fabulous job
of choosing some unusual suspects for this comparative,
blind tasting of wines from California versus the same varietal
from another region of the world. Some of the most educated
palates in our organizat ion were stumped when it c ame to
choosing the grape varietal and its region of origin. For many
of us, it was fun as we ll as educational to see ju st how
“atypical” a wine varietal can taste, depending upon where its
grapes were grown, its fermentation process, and the type of
barrel in which it was sto red. Although we all hav e very different,
palates and preferen ces, Dan chose wines that were
well received by all. A follow-up dinner was held at Palermo’s
Italian Café, a nearby BYOB re staurant that features traditional
Italian cuisine.
2009 Cedarville Vineyard Viognier $23
2010 Bouchard Finlavson Blanc De Mar 21
2007 Tete a Tete Domaine De le Ter Rouge 21 (3)
2009 Domaine Les Aphillanthes 22
2007 Amador Foothill Sangiovese 20
2008 Antenisi Red 15
2009 Felino Cabernet Sauvignon 22 (2)
2008 Red Mare Cabernet Sauvignon 39 (1)
Bart and Meriel Springer welcomed seven members and
two guests to the annual Northampton (PA) Chapter Bordeaux
tasting held at Crave Restaurant at the A lbright Mansion
in Jim Thorpe. The ta sting started with two whi te Bordeaux
wines served blind followed by ten red Bordeaux
wines, primarily 2008 vintage. This was a great tasting that
featured excellent wines and much critical discussion and
evaluation of all the wines. This tasting confirmed a couple of
important points. First, there is a lo t of very good red Bordeaux
wine being produced at reasonable prices, particularly
the non-classified wines (cru Bourgeois and Bordeaux Superieur)
by reputable cha teaus. Second, the 200 8 vintage is
quite accessible and drinking well right now.
2008 Ch. BL de Bastor-Lamantagne,
Bordeaux Sec
2009 Le “G” de Ch. Guiraud, Bordeaux Sec
2008 Ch. Le Conseiller, Bordeaux Superieur $24
Page 5

2008 Chateau Senéjac, Haut-Medoc 28
2008 Ch. Soleil “Promesse” Puisseguin, 25
St. Emilion
2008 Ch. La Tour de Mons, Margaux, 28
cru Bourgeois
2005 Ch. La Tour de Mons, Margaux,
cru Bourgeois
2008 Ch. Clos Fourtet, 1er GCC, St. Emilion 59
2008 Ch. La Grange, St.Julien GC (3 rd growth) 58
1997 Chateau La Grange, St Julien GC (1)
2008 Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste Paulliac GC 61 (3)
(5 th growth)
2002 Ch. Grand-Puy-Lacoste Paulliac GC 1855 (2)
The Northern Neck Uncorked (VA) Chapter met at
Belle Mount Vineyard in Warsaw, VA, on O ctober 7. Twenty
four members were present to hear Marie Minor’s game show
“Guess that Celebrity” as part of her topic “Wines by Celebrities.”
Marie h ad five wines which were associated with a celebrity
from various areas. All the wine bottles were wrapp ed
in disguises until her audience guessed the name of t he celebrity
from the clues which Marie gave. The br ight member
who was the first to guess the identity of the celebrity then
received a prize from Mari e. While the w ines were be ing
poured, Marie gave a brief biog raphy of each of t he celebrities
and how they became involved with the wine making
industry. The wines were accompanied by food pairings done
by Diane and Kevin Kean. The members sampled smoked
salmon, shrimp, Emmentaler cheese, black olives, Chevre
and chocolate raspberry pastries along with a se lection of
fresh breads and bagel chips.
2009 Francis Ford Coppola, Rubicon $13
Chardonnay Diamond Collection
2009 Paul Newman, Newman’s Own, Chard. 9
2009 Greg Norman, Great White Shark Chard. 12
2008 Fred MacMurray Sonoma Coast Chard. 15
NV Richard Childress Scupperdine 6
On October 23, thirty-one members and guests of the
Ocean Isle Beach (NC) Chapter met at the Silver Coast
Winery for a tasting of Affo rdable “New World” Reds. The
wine for this event came from Australia, California, Argentina,
Oregon, Washington and C hile. These wines were all purchased
locally, all were rated 85 or higher, and all cost $18 or
less.
2009 King Estate Signature Pinot Noir, OR $17
2008 Ch. Ste. Michelle, Cab. Sauv., WA 11 (2)
2008 Cousino Macul, Antiguas Reservas Cab. 12 (3)
2007 Sebastiani, Cab.Sauv. Sonoma County 13 (1)
2009 Bodega Septima, Malbec Mendoza 10
2008 Wyndham Estate Shiraz, Bin 555
SE Australia
The Piedmont Wine and Vine (SC) Chapter met at the
home of John and Lucy A ckerman in Simpsonville, SC, on
November 20. John and Lu cy have been v isiting the Finger
Lakes for the last thirty years and treat ed 28 members to
some of their favorite wines from that region. The ice breakers
were Chateau Frank Sparkling Brut 2005 ($22) and Swedish
Hill Dry Riesling ($17).
2008 Lamoreaux Landing Chard,Seneca Lk. $11
2010 Dr. Frank Gruner Veltliner, Keuka Lake 18
2009 Lamoreaux Landing Riesling, Seneca Lk. 18
2009 Dr. Frank Rkatsiteli, Keuka Lake 18
2009 Keuka Spring Lemberger, Keuka Lake 18
2007 Shalestone Lemberghini, Keuka Lake 19
2009 Keuka Lake Leon Millot, Keuka Lake 21
AWS News—December 2011
The Princeton (NJ) Chapter held a blind tasting on September
17 at the home of Rona and Rob Henry. Twelve members
compared the wines of Lodi (CA) to the wines of the
Sonoma/Napa region of California. Lodi is located in the Central
Valley of California and for years has been prod ucing
grapes that other regions (including Sonoma/Napa) have
used to supplement their wines. Within the past fifteen years
or so, an em erging winemaking industry has begun to flourish
in Lodi. The region is especially known for its Zinf andel,
which was included in this tasting along with other varieties.
The voting of the group came down to an o verall tie between
the two regions. Lodi’s Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel wines
won while Napa’s Chardonnay and Sonoma’s Cabernet Sa uvignon
won. Not part of the competition, but very much enjoyed
was the St. Amant Vintage Port produced in Lodi using
six varieties of Portuguese grapes grown in Amador County,
which is in the Sierra foothills of California.
2009 Markham Sauvignon Blanc (Napa)
2010 Van Ruiten Sauvignon Blanc (Lodi)
2009 Seven Heavenly Chardonnay (Lodi)
2009 Raymond Chardonnay (Napa)
2008 Van Ruiten Cabernet Sauvignon (Lodi)
2007 Sebastiani Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma)
2009 Castlebank Old Vine Zinfandel (Sonoma)
2009 St. Amant Old Vine Zinfandel (Lodi)
In October, the Pittsburgh East (PA) Chapter meeting
featured our f avorite presenter, Carol Pascuzzi, from Penn
Mac, reviewing an a ssortment of c heeses especially selected
for the wines being tasted. As usual, Carol provided a wealth
of information about t he cheeses along with other insights
into their storage, manufacture, purchase and prepara tion.
The cheeses were: S tella Asiago, Goat Beemster, Vallee
D’Aspe, Lou Bergier Pichin, Campo de Mo ntalban. The wines
for the evening were selected by Karen Wayner and specifically
matched with the cheeses Carol had selected.
The favorite wines were the two Chateauneuf du Pape. There
were 19 votes for the Reserve des Olivers 2008 which was a
chairman's selection purchased at the Waterworks store. This
wine is un-oaked, and fruit driven. It is the first vintage of La
Reserve des Olivers. Described as supple and rich. Soft tannins.
Fruit is first and last impression of this wine.
The 2nd favorite wine was the Chateau Cabrieres with 12
votes. According to Robert Parker. 2007 was the vintage of a
lifetime in France. This wine was rated 92 points in the Wine
Spectator. The welcome wine as 2010 Rem y Pannier Sauvignon
Blanc from the Loire ($12).
2007 Joseph Drouhin Burgundy $16
Chorey-Les-Beaune
2008 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits 20
Mongeard-Mugeret
2009 Seigneur de Fontimple Vacqueyras 14
2008 Rand Vin de Bordeaux Chateau de 24/1.5 l.
Paillet-Quancard
2008 A Favier Reserve des Olivers 30
Chateauneuf du Pape
2007 Chateau Cabrieres Chateauneuf du 34
Pape Tradition
The Rochester (NY) Chapter met on Sept. 17 for a tasting
of Sou th African wines and foods. Tw enty-seven members
and gu ests met at M ountain Rise United Church of
Christ in Fairport, NY. While South Africa is about the size of
Texas, most of the wines are made in a ha ndful of small regions
on or near t he coast within the W estern Cape. Eve n
within these small regions, climate can vary, and th ere is a
wide variety of soil types - a ll of which present considerable
challenges to the vineyard managers and winemakers. Some
of the foods served in cluded bobotie, chakalaka, yellow r ice
with raisins and gril led sausages, and me lk tert.
(Curious?? You can "Google" these for more info!)
2010 Goats do Roam (white) $7
2010 Raats Chenin Blanc 11
2009 Sincerely Sauvignon Blanc 10
Page 6

NV Graham Beck Brut 14 (3)
2007 Southern Right Pinotage 19 (1)
2009 Kanonkop Kadette 12
2009 The Left Bank 9 (2)
2007 Spice Route's Chakalacka 18
2009 Nederberg Select Late Harvest 9
NV KWV Tawny Port 8
Mike Botwin took the San Luis Obispo (CA) Chapter on a
tour of Chile and Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. Each flight contained
wine in the $10, $20 and $30 plus pri ce range. The
group’s palate seemed to favor the h igher end wines with the
top number of votes going t o Concha y Toro’s Don Me lchor.
An interesting note about the flight line‐up was that all three
wines in the first flight came from the same winery.
2008 Concha y Toro, Marques de Casa $20 (3)
Concha
2009 Concha y Toro, Casillero Del Diablo 10
2007 Concha y Toro, Don Melchor 62 (1)
2008 Santa Rita Medalla Real Grand Reserve 19 (2)
2007 Concha Y Toro, Terrunyo 35
2010 Santa Rita 120 9
2005 Montes Alpha, (Apalta Vineyard) 19
2009 Los Huertas Grand Reserve 25
2009 Los Vascos 11
The Triangle (NC) Chapter met on August 21 at The Preserve
in Wake F orest for a tasti ng hosted by Bob Butl er. We
got to taste wines that most of us were not familiar with from
France's Loire Valley.
2008 Mabileau, Frederic, St Nicolas de $18
Bourgueil, Les Rouilleres
2007 Domaine Bernard Baudry, Cinon 17
2009 Reserve des Vignerons, Saumur 13 (1)
Champigny
2010 Marionnet, Henry Premiere Vendenge 15 (2)
Touraine
2009 Le Rocher des Violettes, Xavier 22 (3)
WeisKopf (Malbec)
2006 Coteaux du Giennois, Les Tetes de 21
Chats Matheu Coste (Pinot Noir)
On August 27, 16 members of the Tucson (AZ) Chapter
met at Maynards Market and Kitchen, a restaurant and market
specializing in innovative cuisine that focuses on food supplied
by lo cal farmers a nd vendors. Maynards is lo cated in
downtown Tucson, in th e historic train depot. The theme for
our event was “Sommelier Wine Class” and was hosted by the
Maynards’ Sommelier, Lars Fasel. During the tasting, Lars
shared several tips learned from his experience as a sommelier.
He emphasized the importance of knowing your importer.
Lars also explained how he selects which wines will be served
by the glass. He tries to provide a wide selection of standard
wines, but also adds som e what he calls “geeky” wines into
the mix.
NV Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, $46
Italy
NV Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’ Alsace, 26
France
2007 Francine et Olivier Savary, France 38
2002 R. Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia, 80
Spain
2008 Joseph Hofstatter Lagrein, Sudtirol, 32
Italy
2006Chateau Roumieu-Lacoste, Sauternes, 38
France
The Walt Whitman (NJ) Chapter’s September tasting
was hosted by Leslie Dicker and Roman Luzecky. It featured
wines from Aglianico of Campania and Basilicata.
2008 Terredora Di Paolo Campania $13
AWS News—December 2011
2006 Aglianico del Taburno Fidelis 12
2004 Tenuta del Portale Aglianico del Vulture 19
Riserva
2007 Castel dell’Angelo Colli e Sole Campania 19 (3)
1997 Mastroberardino Radiei Campania 34 (1)
Tauras
2005 Mastroberardino Radici Campania 55 (2)
Taurasi
Do you see your chapter events in the AWS News? You
will if you email your tasting results to Joe Broski
chapterevents@americanwinesociety.org
THANK YOU to all the chapters who regularly
send tasting results to the AWS News!
Peter Mondavi, Jr.
Paul Wagner
Lone Star/DFW Chapter Hosts a
Special Charity Event
On September 24, 18 members of the Lone Star/DFW (TX)
Chapter participated in Dent on (Texas) first Susan G.
Komen 5K Race for the Cure. Lone Star member, Dr. Bruce
Hermann, has a practice in the North Texas Breast and Plastic
Surgery Center and sponsored all participants by paying
the walkers/runners event and registration fees. The group
raised over $900 dol lars to be allocated to breast cancer
diagnostics, treatment and education within Denton County,
Texas.
Dr. Hermann’s wife, and Lone Star Chapter’s Dir ector of
Special Events, Dr. Cyndi Hermann, organized the en tire
event and served as the team captain. Immediately following
the race, Bruce and Cyndi welcomed all participants into
their home and provided a lovely cha mpagne brunch. Because
of the success of this event, the Lone Star/DFW chapter
has decided to participate in Susan G. Komen’s Race for
the Cure in Denton as their annual philanthropic event.
We extend a big thanks to Drs. Bruce and Cyndi H ermann
for their time, fi nancial support and thei r hospitality. The
Hermann’s are very activ e members of the Lone Star C hapter
and w e are very pro ud to represent the North Texas
Breast and Plastic Surgery Center in the Susan G. Komen
Race for the Cure in many years to come.
Page 7

Conference News
John Hames
2011 National Conference
Rochester, NY
As I write this article, memories of the 44 th AWS conference
are still fresh in my mind. The great wines, great service by
the Radisson staff, incredible sessions and the opportunity to
talk to AWS members from around the US all mad e the conference
memorable. Thanks again to ev eryone who he lped
make the conference special—the conference committee, the
volunteers, the speakers, the wineries that provided wine,
and most of all, the 500+ attendees from 32 different states
who made the conference such a great success.
2012 National Conference
Nov. 8-10 – Red Lion Hotel on the River
Portland, Oregon
Yes, I know it’s almost a year away but we are already working
on some new ideas for the Portland conference. Ev ery
year we try to take the “lessons learned” from the previous
conference and apply them to t he next one – co ntinuous
improvement. Here are a f ew improvements we’re working
on for 2012;
‣Schedule a dedicated time period to recognize all of the
individual Amateur Wine Competition medal winners –
they worked hard to make their wines and they deserve
to be reco gnized. We tried to combine the awards wi th
the Amateur Wine Experience for the last couple of years
but we seem to run o ut of time each year. Next year
we’ll have a time slot dedicated to the medal awards.
‣Make prior arrangements with a local printer to have
posters with complete lists of amateur and commercial
medal winners ready before the awards lunch.
‣Eliminate the volunteer sign up option in the conference
registration process. Instead, contact everyone after
they register to see w hat they want to volun teer for.
This will simplify the registration process.
‣Look at having a dedicated room captain in each session
room for the entire day instead of a different one in each
session. Also, have the roo m captain be responsible for
moving the wines to the session room in time and making
sure the correct number of glasses are ready before
the session starts. T his should help all sessions start
and finish on time.
There will be more improvements, but these are a few we
know of now. It’s not too early to put a Portland vacation on
your calendar next November!
Member Services
Diane Chappell
New York, New York … wha t an amazing Conference!
As I am busy ca tching up on everyt hing, I
am still feeling the excitement from Co nference
week. We had 32 states and Canada represented this year!
That is such a compliment to all of us!
Thanks to everybody who was involved in making this years
Conference such a su ccess. It is a lways a group effort and
you are only as good as those who are on your team. Many
of you st epped up wh ere needed without questions. This is
how we are able to make this happen, thank you!
I think my favorite part was meeting so many of you in person.
Putting faces to na mes is something I really love being
able to do. I saw m any familiar faces from the 2010 Conference
and meet many more of you this year. I am already
looking forward to 2012!
I would like to summarize the growth of t he American Wine
Society for 2011.
‣We have 114 active chapters in 29 states across the
US—12 new chapters were formed in 2011!
‣We have 4323 total active members.
‣We have had 1032 new members sign up in 2011!
New Chapters in 2011
Alle-Kiski Chapter (at River Forest), PA
Austin Hills, TX
East Las Vegas Valley Chapter, NV
Green Gables Chapter, PA
Lone Star Chapter, TX
Napa Valley Chapter, Napa, CA
Ocean Isle Beach Chapter, NC
Santa Barbara Chapter, CA
Silicon Valley, CA
Space Coast Chapter, FL
Waverly Chapter, PA
Wine School of York Chapter, PA
As you can see we are growing and it is fantastic to see.
With more chapters and more members we get more word of
mouth advertising which produces more growth. With growth
we are able to add more services to you and more value to
your membership.
We are working hard to keep the AWS moving into the future
. Thanks to all of you who volunteer your time and skills
to make this happen.
The last year has been amazing but I know that it is only the
beginning. Bring on 2012!
Diane Chappell
Member Service Manager
diane@americanwinesociety.org
John Hames
executivedirector@americanwinesociety.org
888-297-9070
AWS News—December 2011
Page 8

National Tasting Project
2011 National Tasting Project
Merlot, The Wine that Gets No Respect
The 2011 NTP is complete and the results are on pages 17-
18 of this issue of the AWS News. Thanks to Dennis Cassady
and his committee for puttin g together this great group of
wines and handling all the details of the presentation materials
and data analysis. We are delighted that a record nu m-
ber of chapters and members participated.
2012 National Tasting Project
Subtle and Soft, Pinot Noir
Selecting the varietal, Pinot Noir, for this coming year, came
from two directions. First, 2002 was the last time that variety
was t asted; secondly, the location of the 2012 N ational
conference, Portland, OR, cemented the choice. I am i n the
process of ass embling a cro ss country team to select the
wine for tasting. Not only will wines come from many regions,
they will also represent different wine making styles
for an educational opportunity to enjoy. Check out the NTP
page on the AWS website to track the team’s progress.
http://www.americanwinesociety.org/displaycommon.cfm?
an=1&subarticlenbr=54.
Rege Duralia
2012 National Tasting Project Chair
ntp@americanwinesociety.org
Nominations for National Officers
Treasurer’s Report
Sam Streiff
In last year’s Treasurer’s Report I commented
on the decrease in conference attendance
and membership that had occurred over th e
3 preceding years. I am pleased to report
that conference attendance rebounded for t he 2010 Ci ncinnati
conference and that membership has started to increase.
The Board reo rganized and reloca ted the nat ional office in
2010, hiring John Ham es as Exe cutive Director. Since then,
John has worked hard to red uce our expenses - questioning
every expense and trimming many.
The conference is currently the f inancial engine that drives
our organization, and sin ce the Cincinnati conference did so
well and since John has controlled our expenses so well, we
had over $54,000 of ope rating income for Fiscal Year 2011
which ended August 31st.
Thus, at the end of fi scal year 2011 the Society again has a
reasonable (but not large) “rainy day fund.” As we l ook forward
to fiscal 2012, we see that we again have good attendance
at the Rochester conference and our budget again calls
for a profit.
This spring the Board re emphasized the importance of
providing service to our curr ent and future members by hiring
a membership services manager. With her help, we look
forward to the chall enging task of increa sing our me mbership.
As always, we remain committed to the Society’s mission of
wine education and to informing other s of the benef its of
wine.
As I am reaching the end of my term as Treasurer, I want to
thank all of you for your support and assistance.
Sam Streiff
streiff@americanwinesociety.org
Financial statements on Pages 10-11
Do you know anyone who woul d make a good AWS N a-
tional Officer? How about you? In 2012 our membership
will be electing the following officers, for terms b eginning
January 1, 2013:
Secretary to serve a 3-year term (2013–2015)
Director of Education to serve a 3- year term (2013-
2015)
Nominations deadline is May 15, 2012
Please contact Willis Parker, Chairman of the Nominations
Committee at wparker@americanwinesociety.org or Joh n
Hames at executivedirector@americanwinesociety.com for
more information on the nomination process.
AWS Website Updates
www.americanwinesociety.org
Have you visited the AWS website recently? It’s going to have
a whole new look soon, so be sure to check it out.
The complete results from the 2011 Com mercial Wine Competition
have already been posted, along with information on
Award of Merit winner Gordon Murchie and Outstanding Member
Dave Barber.
More conference photos will be added soo n. Maybe you will
see your face on the net….
AWS News—December 2011
Page 9

AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY STATEMENT OF INCOME AND FUND BALANCE
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDING AUGUST 31, 2011, 2010, 2009
2011 % Total Rev 2010 % Total Rev 2009 % Total Rev
Revenue
Membership Dues $127,494 36.4% $132,602 43.0% $160,833 37.6%
Conference Fees and Income 191,265 54.7% 138,439 44.9% 198,934 46.5%
Book & Resale Items 665 0.2% 745 0.2% 1,369 0.3%
Journal Advertising 3,307 0.9% 1,852 0.6% 2,803 0.7%
Interest Income 157 0.0% -205 -0.1% 627 0.1%
Wine & Label Competitions 24,770 7.1% 33,695 10.9% 53,688 12.6%
Other Income 2,167 0.6% 1,528 0.5% 9,195 2.2%
Total Revenue $349,825 100.0% $308,656 100.0% $427,449 100.0%
Expenses
Conference $132,023 37.7% $119,486 38.7% $237,285 55.5%
Wine Competitions 22,410 6.4% 28,624 9.3% 41,999 9.8%
Journal:
Printing Graphics and Art/Photo 14,545 4.2% 19,325 6.3% 25,335 5.9%
Mailing/ Delivery 3,688 1.1% 1,870 0.6% 2,287 0.5%
Editor and Asst. Editor Compensation 2,500 0.7% 2,500 0.8% 2,500 0.6%
Total Journal Expenses $20,733 5.9% $23,695 7.7% $30,122 7.0%
Administrative Expenses:
Director/ Officer Travel $9,278 2.7% $22,113 7.2% $12,479 2.9%
Telephone & Internet 3,285 0.9% 5,327 1.7% 5,010 1.2%
Printing/ Copying 2,233 0.6% 12,425 4.0% 7,693 1.8%
Mailing/ Delivery 1,700 0.5% 6,120 2.0% 9,359 2.2%
Membership Certifications (See Note 4) 7,562 2.2% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%
Office Supplies 1,068 0.3% 1,920 0.6% 4,439 1.0%
Books for Resale 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 3,181 0.7%
Executive Assistant 13,605 3.9% 6,606 2.1% 17,027 4.0%
Executive Director Salary (See Note 5) 40,500 11.6% 46,307 15.0% 44,100 10.3%
Payroll Taxes 5,011 1.4% 5,801 1.9% 4,693 1.1%
Executive Director Expenses 0 0.0% 2,165 0.7% 5,877 1.4%
Newsletter & Special Publications 4,435 1.3% 2,240 0.7% 8,391 2.0%
Insurance 7,236 2.1% 9,328 3.0% 9,462 2.2%
Depreciation 564 0.2% 2,096 0.7% 1,470 0.3%
Website & Database Development 9,464 2.7% 10,889 3.5% 10,182 2.4%
Bank and Credit Card Fees 7,763 2.2% 5,439 1.8% 8,185 1.9%
Office Rent & Utilities 0 0.0% 12,661 4.1% 24,674 5.8%
Miscellaneous (See Note 6) 6,412 1.8% 13,986 4.5% 10,130 2.4%
Total Administrative Expenses $120,116 34.3% $165,423 53.6% $186,352 43.6%
Total Expenses $295,282 84.4% $337,228 109.3% $495,758 116.0%
Surplus (Deficit) $54,543 15.6% ($28,572) -9.3% ($68,309) -16.0%
Fund Balance Beginning of Year $27,305 $55,877 $122,646
Restricted Donations 0 0 1,540
Fund Balance End of Year $81,848 $27,305 $55,877
Financial Statement Notes
1. The Society operates on a fiscal year ending August 31st, and the Financial Statements are prepared on the accrual basis.
2. Membership dues are collected on a calendar year basis and recognized as income on a prorata basis during the fiscal year.
Lifetime dues are amortized yearly based on annual dues amounts until exhausted.
3. Depreciation is on a straight line basis over 3 and 5 years.
4. The Membership Certifications account was started in 2011 to show the cost of items denoting membership sent to members.
5. During the 2010 transition of Executive Directors, 1 month termination was paid to the previous Executive Director.
6. The 2010 Miscellaneous category includes $ 4,202 of extraordinary expenses related to the transition of Executive Directors.
7. In 2010 old fully depreciated assets in the amount of $33,723 were written off as they had been disposed of and had no economic value.
AWS News—December 2011
Page 10

AMERICAN WINE SOCIETY BALANCE SHEET
AS OF AUGUST 31, 2011, 2010, 2009
2011 2010 2009
Assets
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash - Checking $176 $4,334 $91,649
Cash - Savings 311,096 217,513 87,550
Total Cash 311,272 221,847 179,199
Accounts Receivable 20 5,100 3,497
Conference and Committee Advances 12,731 12,742 25,416
Prepaid Expenses 16,415 13,864 17,424
Total Current Assets 340,438 253,553 225,536
FIXED ASSETS
Equipment (at cost) 14,032 9,909 43,632
Accumulated Depreciation (8,447) (5,520) (34,783)
Total Fixed Assets 5,585 4,389 8,849
Total Assets $346,023 $257,942 $234,385
Liabilities and Fund Balance
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts Payable & Wages Payable $876 $4,589 $213
Accrued Payroll Taxes 2,307 2,247 1,313
Deferred Revenue - Membership Dues 68,220 62,269 66,504
Deferred Revenue - Annual Conference 192,614 161,374 110,478
Total Current Liabilities 264,017 230,479 178,508
FUND BALANC E
Unrestricted 27,463 15,923 44,337
Restricted 54,543 11,540 11,540
Total Fund Balance 82,006 27,463 55,877
Total Liabilities and Fund Balance $346,023 $257,942 $234,385
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN FINANCIAL POSITION
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDING AUGUST 31, 2010, 2009, 2008
2011 2010 2009
SOURCES OF WORKING CAPITAL
Current Surplus (Deficit) $54,543 ($28,572) ($68,309)
Items Not Affecting Working Capital:
Fund-Raising Donations 0 0 1,540
Depreciation 2,927 4,618 2,652
$57,470 ($23,954) ($64,117)
USES OF WORKING CAPITAL
Purchase of Equipment (4,123) 0 (4,090)
NET CHANGES IN WORKING CAPITAL $53,347 ($23,954) ($68,207)
CHANGES IN ELEMENTS OF WORKING CAPITAL
Cash $89,425 $42,648 $1,526
Conference and Committee Advances (11) (12,674) (5,625)
Accounts Receivable (5,080) 1,603 218
Prepaid Expenses 2,551 (3,560) (4,959)
Accounts Payable 3,713 (4,376) 40,902
Accrued Payroll Taxes (60) (934) (32)
Deferred Revenues (37,191) (46,661) (100,237)
NET CHANGES IN WORKING CAPITAL $53,347 ($23,954) ($68,207)
AWS News—December 2011
Page 11

Government Affairs
CARE (Community Alcohol Regulatory Effectiveness)
HR 1161—Fortunately the House of Representatives has had
other topics before it recently and th e so-called CARE Act
hasn’t gotten out of co mmittee. Despite its name, this bill
presents a direct threat to direct shipping of wine to consumers
and could trump the existing state laws that allow such
shipments.
Massachusetts—Unfortunately, little progress has been
made on adopting HB 1029, which would permit winery direct
shipping into the state. The bill conforms to the Family Winemakers
of CA v. Jenkins ruling that overturned an onerous
capacity cap. Wineries that produced more than 30,000 gallons
per year were prohibited from shipping directly to MA,
which excluded 98% of the US wine production. HB 1029
removes the capacity cap and attempts to resolve a licensing
issue with the common carriers (FedEx, UPS) that has prevented
wine from being shipped directly to consumers under
the current statute.
New Jersey – Following the US Court of Appeals ruling that
declared “satellite” tasting rooms illegal, legislation has been
introduced to restore “satellite” tasting rooms and allow limited
direct wine shipments to consumers. Unfortunately both
S.2782 and A.4303 include capacity caps that would not allow
consumers to receive direct shipments from 90% of the wine
producers. This type of cap was declared unconstitutional in
January 2010 in the Family Winemakers of CA v. Jenkins case
in Massachusetts.
Pennsylvania—New legislation (SB 790) was introduced in
March that would change the existing law, approved in 1951,
that prohibits direct shipping into the Commonwealth. Since
then 3 other bills have been introduced on the same topic. All
4 bills are similar to direct shipment laws in place in the majority
of states that a llow winery direct shipping to consumers.
Among other provisions, these bills require wineries and
retailers to purchase a s tate-issued shipping license, to pay
PA taxes, to mark boxes as requiring signature at delivery,
and to limit the quantity of wine shipped to individuals.
Washington voted overwhelmingly to end the state’s 78-
year monopoly on liquor sales by about a 6 0% majority in
November. The number of spirits retailers is expected to
more than quadruple. The new law will now put spirits on the
shelves of Cos tco’s nearly 30 stores a cross Washington. Retailers
will now be permitted to purchase directly from suppliers,
so Costco can effectively act as its own distributor.
Washington must now sell off its Sea ttle-area central warehouse
and inventory, and also auction off its 328 retail stores,
about half of which are st ate-run. Contractors operating the
franchised stores must buy back their inventory in order t o
continue doing business. Private sales of liquor are s et to
begin on June 1, 2012.
For more information,
visit
www.freethegrapes.org
AWS News—December 2011
Competition News
Lynne Montgomery
This edition will be s hort – still very busy with
final things to be done following the great 2011
Rochester Conference. As those of us who have
been working all year preparing, listening, and gathering expected,
there were pros and cons to be sure. With MUCH
hard work we increased both numbers and awards g iven for
both the Amateur and Co mmercial competitions – c lose to a
25% increase for Commercial entries. W ith most co mpetitions
losing numbers, we feel pretty d arned proud of our efforts.
My very great thanks to the committees of M artha
Gioumousis, Joe Dautlick, Lorraine Hems and Harvey Reissig,
as well as the few other hard working volunteers. Thanks to
David Falchek, who spent many hours over the past months
to achieve this increase. In addition, the behind the computers
team of Alice and Ethan Irwin, Larry Lavery and Linda
Schuler did a super job of coordinating all the techie things
that make events run smoothly. Kudos to the Cellar Rats including
the warehousing team of Dolores and K en Fanton,
Linda Lavery, Deb Huckle, Gail Eyer, Wanda Wood and Chuck
DiFasi. Finally, the on site folks who kept things moving for 3
days that include d all those already mentioned as well as a
dozen or so more, including those strolling by who vo lunteered
to help! Our goal is to continue to increase the participation
in both these events.
It’s no surprise to those of us clo se to the organization that
there is still more to do and areas i n need of seriou s attention.
We have been and are at work. Now get ready
to celebrate the coming holidays – with wine!
Monty
DirectorCompetitions@AmericanWineSociety.org
New Members by State from 1/1/2011
AL 9 NJ 41
AZ 13 NM 9
CA 128 NV 11
CO 47 NY 130
CT 30 OH 28
FL 64 ONT 9
GA 14 PA 187
IL 8 RI 4
IN 6 SC 19
KY 14 TN 3
MA 28 TX 78
MD 23 VA 57
MI 12 WA 4
NC 25 Other* 14
ND 10 TOTAL 1032
*DE, Bogata, Brazil, Korea, MN, MO, NE, OR, Japan,
UT
Page 12

North Alabama Chapter
By Karl Starkloff
2011 Grape Harvest at the Collier’s
On Saturday, September 10, several couples from the North
Alabama Chapter spent a wonderful day at the Collier’s picking
their 2011 harve st and stomping the grape s for ne xt
year’s wine. Walt and Therise Collier have a beautiful plantation-style
home and v ineyard close to Huntsville, in Mooresville,
AL. Needless to say, this magnificent late 1860’s home
with its adjacent vineyard provided a picturesque and romantic
setting for the work to be done. We should also m ention
that the Collier’s are building a pavilion to hold weddings and
receptions.
Besides the Collier’s friends and f amily, three AWS couples
tried their grape-harvesting skills: Steve and Beth Young,
Karl and Judy Starkloff, and Edwin and Marisol Núñez. After
receiving instructions, shears and bins, the “workers” divided
into several groups and sta rted picking grapes on different
sides of th e vines rows. There were many beautiful Norton
(aka Cynthiana) clusters, but Judy Starkloff got what appeared
to be the largest bunch of the morning.
By noon we were all done with the picking as the “workers”
became more nimble at cutting the grape clusters. Once the
harvesting process finished, everybody moved to the house
where Therise had prepared a delic ious lunch for the group.
Walt toasted us with great wine from last year’s vintage. The
good food and wine enhanced the conversation.
After lunch, we moved to s tomping the grapes. Only lad ies
volunteered to try this process. After a thorough cleansing of
the feet, several ladies took turns crushing the grapes with
their feet. Initially they were timid, but after a sho rt time
they became quite enthusiastic. The famo us “I Love Lucy”
episode, where Lucy stomps grapes, was mentioned several
times and served as a inspiration for the ladies.
If you asked the participants, they all got great enjoyment
from the a ctivity. Great surroundings, excellent food, g ood
wine, and enjoyable company: can anybody ask for more?
On-Line Wine Classes
Coming
To provide ad ditional benefits to AWS members, the Bo ard
has approved the development of a seri es of on-l ine
"classes" available to he lp members with their understanding
of the world of wine. The goal of these self-paced classes
is to provide well researched, authoritative information on
the world of wine. The information will serve to expand the
knowledge of both wine novices as well as more experienced
winos. Each topic will include text, graphics, multi-media
and on-line resources to expand our understanding of various
topics, as well as su ggested practical tasting s. These
classes can help individual members develop their understanding
of the wine wor ld, as well as h elp chapters with
background information and ideas for their local tastings.
We are looking for volunteers to help with wr iting these
educational materials. Most of the ar ticles will be a few
pages on a sp ecific topic, so no one is expected to wr ite a
thesis or be a the next Hugh Johnson or Jancis Robinson. If
you can use email, a word processor or a manual typewriter
(remember those), we can use your expertise.
The initial focus will be on the 100-Series introductory materials.
The 100-Series is meant to provide a basic u nderstanding
of t erminology, wine growing and making, a nd
grape varietals. The 200-Series courses focus on the New
World, with 300-Series covering the O ld World. The 400-
series features a variety of more advanced topics related to
other aspects of the wine and beverage world. The purpose
of these classes is not to replace the Wine Judge Certification
Program or make you into a award winning amateur
winemaker, but help the membership improve their ability
to be a knowledgeable consumer.
We are looking for exper ienced wine tasters from d ifferent
regions, certified win e judges, wine travelers, and w ine
makers to help in write these informative articles. If you are
interested in h elping with this project, please email me. A
few people vo lunteered to help during the Chapter C hairman's
Breakfast at the Rochester Conference, but we a re
looking for a b road cross-section of the membership to help
share their knowledge and t he workload. You will be co n-
tacted with more specifics about the particular classes needed,
topic outline, etc. We are planning to have th e initial
series of cl asses available through the AW S website b efore
next year's conference. We expect this to be an evolving,
growing source of wine k nowledge useful to all members of
the AWS community. No co mputer website or formal train -
ing is required. We will take care of the formatting and web
issues. If yo u have any q uestions, please
contact me. Thanks for your help.
Dennis Hall
dennishall59@sbcglobal.net
937-233-6152
Obituary
Jeff Hondo, a member of the AWS Kylix (NY) Chapter,
passed away on Oc tober 19, 2011. He was also member
of the Dionysian Society International and was to be elevated
to Tastevin member status at the March 2012 gathering.
He and his wife, Tula, were very well liked and active
in local, regional and national wine groups. Jeff lived
in Absecon, NJ and worked in New York City.
AWS News—December 2011
Page 13

2011 Amateur Winemaking Competition Winners
Best Red Vinifera &
Best of Show
Don Gisolfi - 2010 Zinfandel 70%, Cab Sauv 30% Best Estate Marion Krauss - 2010 Black Raspberry 100%
Best White Vinifera Lamont Beers - 2009 Viognier 100% Best Native Scott Montgomery - 2010 Norton 100% American Oak
Best White Hybrid Steve Kampers - 2008 Vidal, Traminette, Geisenheim Best Fruit Marion Krauss - 2010 Red Raspberry, Red Currant
Best Sparkling Carl Shively - 2009 Chardonnay 60%, Pinot Noir 40% Best Kit Joe Fao - Blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry
Best Dessert Luke Capotosto - 2009 Apple Cider
Double Gold
Beers, Lamont NY 2009 Viognier 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Strawberry 75%, Red Currant 25%
Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Strawberry 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Red Raspberry 75%, Red Currant 25%
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Zinfandel 100% Longo, Ralph NY 2010 Chenin Blanc 100%
Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Apple Cider Mikals, Jack OH 2010 Vignoles 90%, Traminette 10%
Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Black Currant 100% Montgomery, Scott AL 2010 Norton 100% European Oak
Cisek, Peter CT 2009 Cab Sauv 100% Montgomery, Scott AL 2010 Norton 100% American Oak
Fao, Joe PA 2009 Blueberry, Raspberry, Cranberry Piancone, Louis NJ 2009 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Petite Verdot
Gisolfi, Dan NY 2010 Zinfandel 70%, Cab Sauv 30% Riggle, Ivan PA 2010 Locust Blossom 100%
Gisolfi, Dan NY 2009 Sangiovese 75%, Petite Syrah 25% Scahill, James PA 2010 Port, Raspberry, C hocolate
Gisolfi, Dan NY 2009 Camenere 100% St. Pierre, Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Cab Sauv 100%
Kampers, Stephen ON 2009 Vidal, Chardonnay, Sauv Blanc, Chenin Blanc Szaro, Robert MA 2010 Strawberry 100%
Kampers, Stephen ON 2008 Vidal 50%, Traminette 25%, Geisenheim 25%
Gold
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Syrah 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Red Raspberry 100%
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Petite Sirah 100% Shively, Carl NY 2009 Chardonnay 60%, Pino Noir 40%
Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Seyval 100% Sperk, Jim OH 2010 Cherry 100%
Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Cayuga 100% St. Pierre, Barry/Sissy CT 2008 Primitivo 100% (Zin.)
Keating, Lana TX 2009 Port Sweatt, Glen IN 2010 Piesporter 100%
Klein, Danny NJ 2007 Barbera 80%, Syrah 20% Wilen, Bill OH 2009 Grenache, Syrah, Cab Sauv
Klein, Danny NJ 2005 Grenache 44%, Cab Sauv 32%, Syrah 24% Wilen, Bill OH 2006 Cab Franc Port 100%
Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Black Raspberry 100%
Baldieri, Lee CT 2007 Cab Sauv 75%, Merlot 25% Frelllsen,David/Betty AR 2009 Cab Sauv 80%, Merlot 20%
Baldieri, Lee CT 2008 Zinfandel, C arignan, Syrah, Petit Sirah Frelllsen,David/Betty AR 2010 Vidal Blanc 100%
Baldieri, Lee CT 2008 Zinfandel 100% Furfaro, Darrel PA 2008 Riesling 100%
Baldieri, Lee CT 2008 Zinfandel 100% Furfaro, Darrel PA 2009 Concord 100%
Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Diamond 100% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Chardonnay 100%
Booth Brian PA 2009 Cab 80%, Carmenere 20% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Gewuztraminer 100%
Booth Brian PA 2010 Cab 70%, Carmenere 20%, Malbec 10% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Ortega 100%
Booth Brian PA 2010 Cab 73%, Carmenere 18%, Malbec 9% Gauntner, Donald PA 2009 Pinot Noir 100%
Boykin, Dan CA 2009 Malbec 100% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Ortega, Muller Thurgau, Kerner, Gewurz
Browning, Doug NJ 2010 Muscat 100% Gisolfi, Dan NY 2010 Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Zinfandel
Browning, Doug NJ 2010 Vidal Blanc 96%, Traminette 4% Gisolfi, Dan NY 2009 Pinot Noir 75%, Petite Syrah 25%
Browning, Doug NJ 2010 Traminette 100% Gower, Charles CO 2006 Cab Sauv 100%
Browning, Doug NJ 2010 Chadonnel 100% Gower, Charles CO 2008 Cab Sauv 100%
Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Zinfandel 85%, Petite Sirah 15% Gower, Charles CO 2009 Cab Sauv 100%
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2010 Merlot 100% Gower, Charles CO 2010 Pinot Noir 100%
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Syrah 60%, Cab Sauv 40% Graves, Gary IN 2009 Vieux Chateau du Roi 100%
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2008 Cab Sauv 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Zinfandel 67%, Cab Sauv 33%
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2009 Sangiovese 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Petite Syrah 100%
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2008 Cab Franc 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2008 Sangiovese 100%
Cameron, Paul/Leslie MA 2011 Strawberry 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Blueberry 50%, Cab Sauv 50%
Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Cab Sav, Syrah, Merlot, Cab Franc Kampers, Stephen ON 2008 Syrah, Grenache, Carignan
Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Pinot Grigio 100% Kampers, Stephen ON 2008 Riesling 50%, Gewurztraminer 50%
Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Merlot 80%, Cab Sauv 15%, Cab Franc 5% Kampers, Stephen ON 2008 Gewurztraminer 100%
Carson, Frank MI 2010 Zinfandel 100% Klein, Danny NJ 2010 Cab Sauv 100%
Cisek, Peter CT 2009 Merlot 75%, Cab Sauv 20%, Syrah 5% Klein, Danny NJ 2008 Zinfandel 100%
Cowan, Larry R. PA 2010 Blueberry 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Fredonia 100%
Czyrny, John NY 2010 Reisling 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Strawberry 100%
Dershem, Ron MI 2010 Merlot, Black Raspberry Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Gooseberry 60%, Strawberry 40%
English, Errol OH 2009 Syrah 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2009 Red Currant 75%, Red Raspberry 25%
Fao, Joe PA 2010 Carmenere 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Gooseberry !00%
Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2008 Chardonnay 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Red Raspberry 75%, Gooseberry 25%
Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2007 Chambourcin 98%, Cab Sauv skins 2% Le Roux, Tom MI 2009 Cab Franc 100%
Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2008 Vignoles 100% Le Roux, Tom MI 2009 Chambourcin 100%
AWS News—December 2011
Best In Class
Silver
Page 14

Silver (continued)
Mikals, Jack OH 2009 Mulberry 100% + honey St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Marquette 88%, Pinot Noir 12%
Mitchell, Thomas NY 2008 Riesling 100% St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Primitivo 80% (Zin.), Syrah 20%
Moore, Phil SC 2010 Palomino 100% St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Syrah 50%, Cab Sauv 50%
Nettles, Donnie FL 2011 Raspberry 100% St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Syrah 100%
Nettles, Donnie FL 2010 Noiret 100% St. Pierre,Barry/Sissy CT 2009 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Primitivo
Oren, Rett PA 2009 Gewurztraminer 100% Stinger, Kenneth OR 2009 Merlot 100%
Oren, Rett PA 2007 Cab Sauv, Chambourcin, Cab Franc Stinger, Kenneth OR 2009 Pinot Noir 100%
Oren, Rett PA 2010 Seyval Blanc 85%, Traminette 15% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Niagara 100%
Oren, Rett PA 2010 Kerner 100% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Concord, Stueben, Catawba
Piancone, Louis NJ 2010 Sauv Blanc 100% Napa V. Szaro, Robert MA 2010 Blueberry Port 100%
Prendergast, Larry NJ 2008 Kerner 100% Topolski, Mark NC 2010 Blackberry, Orange Blossom Honey
Roccograndi, Frank PA 2010 Zinfandel 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2010 Chardonnay 100%
Schlachter, Mel IA 2010 Chardonnay 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Syrah 100%
Scovil, Ron CO 2010 Orange Blossom Honey, Plumcot Traxler, Tim PA 2010 Riesling 100%
Seluk, Larry MI 2007 Syrah 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2008 Niagara 100%
Seluk, Larry MI 2009 Zinfandel 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Zinfandel 100%
Seluk, Larry MI 2009 Pinot Noir 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Red Raspberry 100%
Spaziani, Gene CT Chardonnay 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Black Raspberry 100%
Spaziani, Gene CT 2008 Riesling 100% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2009 St. Pepin, Cayuga, Vignoles
Sperk, Jim OH 2007 Noiret 60%, Cab Franc 40% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Chancellor 100%
Sperling, Leslie PA 2010 Cynthiana 100%
Bronze
Baldieri, Lee CT 2008 Sangiovese 90%, Merlot 5%, Cab Franc 5%, Eisberg, William MD 2008 Cab Sauv 100%
Baldieri, Lee CT 2005 C ab Sauv 75%, Merlot 25% English, Errol OH 2009 Cab Sauv 100%
Beers, Lamont NY 2009 Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Traminette Fao, Joe PA 2009 Elderberry 50%, Gamay Port 50%
Beers, Lamont NY 2008 Merlot 100% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2007 SK 77-5-3 100% (like Gewurztraminer)
Beers, Lamont NY 2009 Gewurztraminer 60% Traminette 40% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2007 Tinto Cao, Nebbiolo, Cynthiana, Rougeon, Vidal
Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Catawba 100% Fiola, Joseph A. MD 2010 Apple 100%
Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Catawba 100% Fisher Donna/Jeff PA 2006 Merlot 100%
Beers, Lamont NY 2010 Vignoles 100% Fisher Donna/Jeff PA 2005 Sauv Blanc 100%
Beers, Lamont NY 2007 Vignoles 50%, Riesling 30%, Traminette 20% Frelllsen,David/Betty AR 2010 Seyval Blanc 100%
Bourcy, Joseph NY Zinfandal 100% Furfaro, Darrel PA 2009 Gewurztraminer 100%
Bourcy, Joseph NY Pinot Noir 100% Furfaro, Darrel PA 2009 Elderberry 100%
Bourcy, Joseph NY Cab Franc 100% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Pinot Grigio 100%
Boykin, Dan CA 2009 Syrah 88%, Petite Sirah, 8%, Merlot 4% Gauntner, Donald PA 2008 Chambourcin 100%
Boykin, Dan CA 2009 Petite Sirah 96%, Syrah 4% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Kerner 100%
Boykin, Dan CA 2009 Merlot 61%, Cab Franc 34%, Petit Verdot 4% Gauntner, Donald PA 2010 Mulller Thurgau 100%
Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Petite Sirah 90%, Zinfandel 10% Gauntner, Donald PA 2009 Merlot 100%
Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Cab Sauv 90%, Merlot 5%, Cab Franc 5% Ghent, John CT 2010 Malbec 80%, Carminere 15%, Cab Sauv 5%
Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Petite Verdot 60%, Merlot 20%, Cab Franc 20% Gisolfi, Dan NY 2009 Cab Franc 100%
Browning, Doug NJ 2009 Cab Franc 45%, Petit Verdot 45%, Merlot 5% Gower, Charles CO 2010 Cab Sauv 100%
Chambourcin, Noiret, Chancellor, Cab Franc,
Browning, Doug NJ 2009
Viognier
Gower, Charles CO 2007 Cab Sauv 60%, Pinot 40%
Brunkhorst, S & M MO 2010 Chardonel 100% Graves, Gary IN 2009 Australian Petit Verdot 100%
Buell, Larry WI 2009 Marquette 100% Green, Thomas OH 2009 Zinfandel 100%
Buell, Larry WI 2008 Frontenac 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2010 Vignoles 100%
Calcagni, Dominick NY 2004 Merlot 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Muscat 100%
Cameron,Paul/Leslie MA 2011 Blueberry 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2009 Cab Sauv 100%
Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Raspberry 100% Gribble, Gordon W. VT 2010 Blueberry 50%, Cab Sauv 50%
Capotosto, Luke RI 2009 Red Currant 75%, Raspberry 25% Kenney Kahler PA 2010 Chardonnay 100%
Carson, Frank MI 2009 Zinfandel 100% Keating, Lana TX 2010 Cab Sauv 100%
Chrzan, Terry NY 2010 Cayuga 100% Keating, Lana TX 2009 Malbec 100%
C ollier, Walter AL 2009 Tempranillo 100% Kerswill, Randy WI 2007 Elderberry 100%
C onlin, Roger VA 2010 C ab Franc 100% Kerswill, Randy WI 2008 Frontenac 100%
Consorte, Mark CT 2007 Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Malbec Klingbeil, Werner OH 2010 Pinot Grigio 100%
Consorte, Mark CT 2007 Malbec 100% Koempel, John PA 2008 Cab Franc 100%
Consorte, Mark CT Malbec 100% Koempel, John PA 2010 Sangiove 100%
Cowan, Larry R. PA 2010 Black Raspberry 100% Koempel, John PA 2009 Chambourcin 100%
Czyrny, John NY 2009 Traminette 100% Koempel, John PA 2010 French Columbard 100%
Czyrny, John NY 2010 Valvin 60%, Riesling 40% Koempel, John PA 2008 Riesling 100%
Czyrny, John NY 2008 Valvin Sherry 100% Kourofsky, Kevin NY 2009 Cab Sauv 90%, Merlot 10%
DeLa Pena, Jose A. PA 2008 Chancellor 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Dornfelder 100%
DeLa Pena, Jose A. PA 2008 Gamay 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Cayuga 100%
DeLa Pena, Jose A. PA 2008 Zinfandel 100% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Strawberry 75%, Red Raspberry 25%
Dershem, Ron MI 2010 Piesporter 98.5%, Raspberry 1.5% Krauss, Marion PA 2010 Blackberry 100%
AWS News—December 2011
Page 15

Bronze (continued)
Le Roux, Tom MI 2010 Cab Franc 100% Spaziani, Gene CT Niagara 100%
Lewis, John PA 2009 Malbec 100% Sperk, Jim OH 2005 Pinot Noir 100%
Longo, Ralph NY 2009 Zinfandel 100% Sperk, Jim OH 2009 Syrah 100%
Mikals, Jack OH 2009 Zinfandel 100% Sperk, Jim OH 2010 Vignoles 100%
Mikals, Jack OH 2010 Fredonia 100% Sperling, Leslie PA 2010 Volunteer 100%
Mikals, Jack OH 2010 Malvasia Bianca 100% Sperling, Leslie PA 2007 Cynthiana 60%, Chambourcin 40%
Mikals, Jack OH 2010 Catawba 65%, Fredonia 35% St. Pierre Barry/Sissy CT 2010 Cayuga, Chardonnay, Vignoles
Mikals, Jack 2010 Catawba 65%, Fredonia 35% Stallard, Matthew PA 2010 Cab Sauv, Malbec, Camenere
Mitchell, Thomas NY 2009 Noiret 90%, Cab Sauv 5%, Carmine 5% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Peach 100%
Nardelli, Joseph PA 2009 Mix Black 50%, Pettit Syrah 50% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 St. Pepin 100%
Nardelli, Joseph PA 2010 Malvasia Bianca 100% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Stueben 100%
Oren, Rett PA 2010 Sauv Blanc 80%, Pinot Grigio 20% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Concord 100%
Oren, Rett PA 2010 Traminette 85%, Seyval Blanc 15% Stopper, Edward PA 2010 Red Raspberry 100%
Pauszek, Michael IN 2010 Cranberry 100% Tomaiuoli, Catherine NY 2010 Cab Sauv 100%
Pavluk, Jonathon VA 2009 Vignoles 50%, Honey 50% Topolski, Mark NC 2010 Blackberry 100%
Piancone, Louis NJ 2010 Sauv Blanc 100% Wash St. Traxler, Tim PA 2010 Gewurztraminer 100%
Powell, Noel MA 2006 Chardonnay 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Traminette 100%
Powell, Noel MA 2009 Syrah 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Nero De Avola 75%, Shiraz 25%
Powell, Noel MA 2009 Apple 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Riesling 100%
Powell, Noel MA 2010 Maple Syrup 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2010 Niagara 100%
Prendergast, Larry NJ 2008 Traminette 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2009 Tempranillo 85%, Raspberry 15%
Prendergast, Larry NJ 2009 Kerner 100% Traxler, Tim PA 2008 Pinot Noir 100%
Prendergast, Larry NJ 2009 Traminette 100% Verde, James RI 2009 St. Croix 100%
Riggle, Ivan PA 2010 Strawberry 100% Washburn, Dan NY 2010 Diamond 100%
Roccograndi, Frank PA 2008 Syrah 100% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Vignoles 100%
Schlachter, Mel IA 2005 Chancellor, Chambourcin, Chelois Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Plum 100%
Schlachter, Mel IA 2010 Vidal 95%, Traminette 5% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Cab Franc 100%
Schlachter, Mel IA 2010 Chardonnay 100% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 St. Pepin 56%, Cayuga 44%
Schnarr, Alan CO 2009 Cab Franc 100% Westman, Mike/Sue PA 2010 Chancellor 52%, Leon Millot 48%
Scovil, Ron
Orange Blossom Honey, Strawberry, Passion
C O 2010
Fruit
Wilen, Bill OH 2009 Rosette 90%, Syrah 10%
Siegle, Mark/Ginny PA 2010 Syrah 80%, Petite Syrah 20% Zoghlin, Mindy NY 2009 Gewurztraminer 100%
Spaziani, Gene CT Cab Sauv, Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel Zoghlin, Mindy NY 2008 Merlot 100%
Major Award Winners receiving plaques from Joe Dautlick
Lamont Beers, Best White Vinifera
Luke Capotota, Best Dessert
Joe Fao, Best Kit Wine
Steve Kampers, Best White Hybrid
Mickey Krauss, Best Fruit & Best Estate
Scott Montgomery, Best Native
AWS News—December 2011
Page 16

2011 National Tasting Project
Merlot – The Wine that Gets No Respect
The National Tasting Project gives chapter across th e US th e opportunity to sample the same group of wines in a
blind tasting. This year 53 chapters, representing 1,145 tasters in 22 different states participated in the NTP. This represents
the largest number of tasters and chapters participating in the event.
Each participating chapter selected 6 wines from a list of 15, representing 4 geographical areas – France, California, Washington
State and Australia. The wines were tasted blind and scored on the AWS 20-point scale.
The Washington State wines garnered the highest scores
The Aussie wines were great values.
The overall scores were very close, with 4 wines scoring 14.8-14.9 points and 5 wines scoring 14.5-14.6 points.
The top-rated wines for all participants were: Columbia Crest H3, Ste. Michelle Indian Wells, Columbia Crest Grand Estates
and Christian Moueix.
The top-rated wines for the AWS Graduate Wine Judges were: Chateau Souverain, Ste. Michelle Indian Wells, Columbia
Crest Grand Estates, Columbia Crest H3 and Frei Brothers.
All of the wines scored in at least the AWS bronze medal range (13.0-14.9)
The wine judges would have awarded silver medals to 6 of the wines.
The following table shows the average scores and standard deviation (Std. Dev.) for the participants and the graduate wine
judges (WJ). Thanks to all the groups who participated and submitted results.
Dennis Cassady
No. Wine Region Tasters
Avg.
Cost
Avg.
Score
Std.
Dev.
WJ
Score
WJ
Std.
Dev.
F1 2006 Chateau Pipeau France 497 $35 13.5 2.9 13.5 2.9
F2 2005 Christian Moueix France 338 $15 14.8 2.8 14.8 2.1
C1 2006 Saint Francis California 704 $18 14.3 2.8 13.9 2.5
C2 2006 Chateau Souverain California 227 $16 14.6 2.8 15.6 1.7
C3 2007 Frei Brothers California 702 $18 14.4 2.8 15.0 2.0
C4 2006 Robert Mondavi California 547 $16 14.5 2.8 14.7 2.1
C5 2007 Beringer Napa California 198 $16 13.7 3.1 14.8 1.4
W1 2008 Ch. Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Washington 691 $20 14.8 2.8 15.2 2.0
W2 2007 Columbia Crest Horse Heaven Hills Washington 405 $17 14.9 2.7 15.0 1.2
W3 2008 Hogue Genesis Washington 372 $17 14.8 2.7 14.9 0.9
W4 2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Washington 641 $14 14.5 2.7 15.1 2.0
W5 2007 Snoqualmie Washington 119 $13 14.1 2.5 13.5 1.4
A1 2008 Casella Yellowtail Reserve Australia 707 $10 14.6 2.5 15.0 1.5
A2 2008 Little Penguin Australia 380 $11 14.6 2.4 14.9 1.4
Las Vegas
Cleveland
Space Coast
Jean-Jacques Dufour
AWS News—December 2011
Mohawk Valley
Phoenix
Page 17

2006
Chateau
Pipeau
2005
Christian
Moueix
AWS News—December 2011
2006
St.
Francis
2006
Chateau
Souverain
American Wine Society
2011 National Tasting Project - Merlot
2006
Robert
Mondavi
2007
Beringer
Napa
2008
Ch. Ste.
Michelle
Indian
W ells
2007
Columbia
Crest H3
2006
Hogue
Genesis
2007
Columbia
Crest
Grand
Estates
2007
Frei Brothers
2007
Snoqualmie
2008
Casella
Yellowtail
Reserve
Baltimore-Towson, MD 13.0 12.9 12.8 14.1 14.1
Bill Tuller, SC 11.0 13.6 13.9 14.0 13.5 14.6
Bucks County, PA 12.4 13.7 13.1 15.5 15.4 13.9
Carroll County, MD 13.1 14.6 14.5 14.6 14.9 14.6
Cleveland, OH 12.9 13.4 15.2 15.2 14.1 14.8
Clos Friends, SC 12.6 16.8 14.3 14.6 16.1 14.7
Dayton, OH 10.7 12.9 13.6 14.4 14.8 13.9
Electric City, PA 13.3 13.8 13.9 14.4 15.5 15.0
Frederick, MD 11.9 12.1 14.8 14.8 15.4 13.7
Glacier Ridge, NY 12.8 14.9 13.2 12.8 13.5 12.9
Hartford, CT 13.8 14.5 15.6 16.0 15.6 14.1
Heritage Hunt, VA 10.2 13.4 13.6 13.3 14.3 15.0
Houston, TX 11.3 13.6 9.1 13.4 12.5 12.6
Hudson, MA 13.0 14.8 14.1 14.0 14.2 14.2
Illinois Heartland, IL 13.2 14.8 14.5 15.1 15.4 13.3
Indian Valley, PA 13.6 16.0 14.3 12.7 14.7 13.5
Jean-Jacques Dufour, KY 16.4 18.2 15.6 16.5 13.7 16.4
John Marshall, VA 14.9 14.6 15.7 14.9 14.2 14.4
Keuka, NY 12.7 15.8 14.4 15.1 14.3 14.3
Lancaster, PA 12.0 15.4 15.1 16.4 15.8 14.5
Las Vegas, NV 11.2 14.5 16.2 13.4 14.7 15.1
Laurel Highlands, PA 16.1 16.6 16.8 15.3 16.5 16.2
Lone Star, TX 11.6 14.9 15.8 14.0 15.8 14.3
Maitland, FL 12.8 16.5 14.8 14.9 16.7 14.8
Mesilla Valley, NM 12.9 16.6 13.3 16.4 13.8 15.2
Metro Detroit, MI 12.8 13.6 14.1 15.2 14.2 13.9
Mohawk Valley, NY 15.2 14.7 14.5 15.6 15.1 17.0
Mt. Nittany, PA 13.2 14.3 16.8 15.8 16.4 15.9
New Haven, CT 14.6 15.5 13.6 14.7 13.6 14.3 15.0
Nittany Valley, PA 17.8 16.5 16.3 16.6 16.0 17.0
No. Neck Uncorked, PA 12.4 14.0 11.9 13.4 13.6 13.2
North Alabama, AL 13.3 14.1 14.2 16.0 14.7 15.7
Northampton, PA 14.7 14.5 14.0 16.2 15.7 14.8
Ocean Isle, NC 12.0 14.4 12.1 15.7 14.7 13.5
Omaha, NE 15.0 16.9 14.8 15.9 17.3
Perkiomen Valley, PA 13.2 15.0 14.3 15.9 17.1 15.9
Philadelphia, PA 11.6 13.6 16.3 14.8 15.3 13.8
Phoenix, AZ 13.7 16.1 13.6 15.4 15.0 15.8
Pioneer Valley, MA 13.0 14.5 11.0 14.4 14.8 14.5
Pittsburgh , PA 14.2 15.1 16.7 13.6 14.2
Pittsburgh East, PA 13.5 12.6 15.3 12.7 14.0
Rhode Island, RI 14.0 14.5 14.0 15.1 13.8 14.5
Rochester, NY 12.6 15.0 14.8 13.8 14.0 14.7
Space Coast, FL 14.2 13.2 15.4 17.1 13.9 15.6
Suffolk, NY 12.5 13.9 14.1 14.9 15.4 13.9
Syracuse, NY 14.2 12.8 14.7 14.2
Tellico/E. Tenn., TN 13.4 14.9 14.9 16.7 15.4 14.9
Tippie Tasters, TN 13.5 14.0 14.4 14.7 13.6 13.3
Triangle, NC 11.5 15.1 14.9 15.6 14.1 14.8
White Clay, PA 12.6 12.8 13.7 13.8 14.9 15.4
Winston-Salem, NC 9.8 12.5 14.9 14.3 14.1 13.5
York, PA 11.5 12.4 15.9 10.6 11.5 12.4
Average Score 13.5 14.8 14.3 14.6 14.4 14.5 13.7 14.8 14.9 14.8 14.5 14.1 14.6 14.6
Wine Judge Average 13.5 14.8 13.9 15.6 15.0 14.7 14.8 15.2 15.0 14.9 15.1 13.5 15.0 14.9
Average Price $35 $15 $18 $16 $18 $16 $16 $20 $17 $17 $14 $13 $10 $11
2008
Little
Penguin
Page 18

AWS Educational Foundation
Dick Marsden
Winemaker’s Journal
Lee Baldieri
Greetings from the AWS Educational
Foundation Trustees
The Rochester Conference is over and with it the
2011 AWSEF Annual Meeting held at the Saturday
breakfast. We sincerely appreciate all those who came to participate
in th is meeting, the checks that were received from
chapters and regions at this meeting, and the s ilent auction
participants! Funds received at the annual meeting and the
auction will go directly to scholarships in 2012 and furt her
into the future! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR DEDICATED SUP-
PORT!
The following promised contributions were also accepted:
Cleveland Chapter $3,500
North Alabama Chapter $2,000
Pittsburgh Chapter $1,000
Donation in memory of Dr. Shady $100
Total promised $6,600
I want to especially recognize the major contributions of outgoing
AWSEF Trustee Eileen Tobias who will be completing a
four-year term as a trustee at the end of 2011. Eileen took
on the responsibility of cond ucting the silent auction held at
conference each year of her term. This meant devoting considerable
time soliciting donations, finding a plac e to ho use
the items, and then devoting the entire first day of conference
to setting up, monitoring bids and answering qu estions.
Following the close of ea ch auction, she located each of the
winning bidders to let them know of their success and ensure
their winnings were tak en with them. Eileen performed this
exhausting task with great skill and ultimate grace. Eileen
had wonderful AWS supporters who helped her in many ways
including Jack Tatum, Julie Hasson, Patricia Green and Joyce
Vecchioli. The l ast 4 s ilent auctions netted over $18,000 to
fund AWS Ed ucational Foundation scholarships! Our thanks
go to Ei leen and her work er/supporters, and to her AWS
member supporters.
In 2012, 3 new members will join the Foundation: Incoming
AWS President Jane Duralia, former and new Trustee Carl
Shively, and new Trustee and Treasurer Elisabeth Tozin.
All AWS Regional Vice Pr esidents know J ane well for her recent
work to strengthen the RVP roles. Carl was a member of
the initial AWSEF Board of Trustees from 1994-1997 and has
been elected to serve ano ther four-year term. We’re extremely
pleased to have his experience both as a many -time
AWS amateur wine award winner and as a former trustee.
Elisabeth comes to us from the Huntsville (AL) Chapter/
Southeast Region. A nat ive of Brooklyn, New York, Elisabeth
worked for Tiedemann Investment Group (TIG) on Wall Street
AWS News—December 2011
2011 Grape Harvest Update
By the t ime this Newsletter is publ ished, the
2011 California grape harvest will be over. This year was a bit
difficult for the growers a s well as the winemakers—the harvest
came 2-3 weeks later than normal and California grape
growers are experiencing shortages in grape output.
Jon Ruel, Director of Vi ticulture & Winema king at Trefe then
Family Vineyards recently reported, "Early in the season it was
very wet and very cool , cooler t han usual. That really slowed
down the development of the grapes and that is why w e were
in a few weeks later, two to three weeks later than average."
Here is a breakdown of monies received during conference:
At Cakebread Cellars, President Bruce Cakebread says, "We
Silent Auction $5,525
started the Sauvignon Blanc harvest, and we're see ing nice
Named Scholarship Funds $3,362
fruit thanks to a moderate gr owing season. We are seeing
Other General Fund $1,050
good quality but not a big crop. 2011's smaller crop and later
Total $8,937
harvest is due to this year's spring rainfall during the bloom
period. The moisture combined with the coolness meant there
One of the Named Scholarship Fund checks received was
was less than average fertilization and not every flower turned
from the C entral Pennsylvania Region, which directed the
into a grape. Looser grape clusters equals fewer grap es at
AWSEF to open a new scho larship in their name wi th the
harvest.” (Reported by Kerrie Cassini, weather.com)
$1,000 check written from the Mt. Nittany Chapter. The Foundation
was a sked to initially identify this scholarship in
memory of Tom Pelick and Fred Coombs.
From a personal point of vi ew, the quality of t he grapes we
purchased and fermented so far was excellent,
as Bruce Cakebread reported. We fermented 30
cases of Peti te Syrah and 3 0 of Old Vine Zin -
fandel and made very few adjustments to either
of the gr apes. The grape numb ers (brix,
pH, TA) were very good right out of the case.
(Continued on Page 20)
As of October 27, 2011, and we haven’t received the Cabernet
Sauvignon or Merlo t grapes we previously ordered. Hopefully
the grapes will show up by week’s end. Normally this would
not be a be a problem bu t we ferment ou tside and the evenings
on the east coast are becoming very cool. This presents
a new challenge for a winemaker beca use maintaining heat in
the fermenter and s electing the correct yeast that w ill work
under colder temperatures makes additional work for the winemaker.
I’m hoping all will go well and the fermentation will
complete as normal.
Since the last issue I received questions from two winemakers.
AM from Milwaukee, WI asked, “I noticed that yeast packages
show expiration dates, how important are these dates? If I
continue to use the yeast beyond the expiration date, will it
affect the fermentation?” I don’t like using yeast that is either
close to or has gone beyond the expiration date becau se fermentation
is the foundation of the winemaking process and it
is best to use fresh and quality products. Prior to harv est we
take an inventory of our wi nemaking supplies and order new
products that will make the winemaking process successful.
From JJM, Cranston, Rhode Island, “I’m new to wine making
and I would like to ask if recycling corks is a good idea? Will I
run the risk of ruining my newly bottled wine?” Recycling corks
not a good th ing. Used corks can carry mold and wh en the
cork contacts the newly bottled wine it can create a nasty aroma
making the wine undrinkable. Also, older corks dry out and
may cause the wine bottle to leak while it is resting on its side
or allow air to enter the bottle and turn t he wine into vinegar.
Recycling corks sounds noble, but it is not a good idea.
Happy Holidays to my winemaking readers. Serve your best
wines over the holidays to your family and friends.
Lee Baldieri
Winemaker@AmericanWineSociety.org
Page 19

AWS News
American Wine Society
P. O. Box 279
Englewood, OH 45322
Address Service Requested
AWS Members Offered Discount to
Wine Expo
David Falchek
AWS members have the opp ortunity to a ttend
the Eastern Wine Winery Ex position in Lancaster,
PA, March 7 and 8, 2012, at the Lancaster
County Convention Center (Lancaster, PA).
Through a special relationship between the AWS and the expo,
AWS members are entitled to receive a 10 percent discount on
the admission to the Expo events or activities using discount
code AWS1. AWS members will find some familiar faces and
names at the expo and conference.
This is the inaugural year for the event and the American Wine
Society is an offi cial supporter. Through the ye ars, several
AWS members have made th e leap from amat eur to commercial
winemaking and now operate successful wineries.
American Wine Society Executive Director John Hames said the
AWS and Expo have many of the sa me goals: Education and
improving the quality of wine.
“Attending the expo wil l benefit our profess ional members,
amateur winemakers and anyone with an i nterest in eastern
wines,” he said. “At the AWS, we k now great wine can come
from anywhere. We are pro ud our memb ers have a ro le in
growth and success of the eastern wine industry.”
The expo offe rs existing and aspiring growers and vintner s
access to a b road range of winery and vineyard suppliers.
Many of the suppliers are a ccustomed to dealing w ith both
professional and amateurs, such as AWS professional members
Presque Isle Wine Cellars. The AWS will have a booth at the
expo and members are welcome to stop by, say hello, and see
the exciting developments in the organization. AWS Member
Service Manager Diane Chappell will be staffing the booth with
other AWS off icials, offering samples of w ine entered in t he
American Wine Society’s commercial and amateur wine competitions.
The venue, the Lancaster Convention Center, co-located with
the Marriott hotel, is two-years-old. The agenda covers areas
of viticulture and enology of import ance to the east. Some
topics focus on improving the quality of hybrid reds and cabernet
franc, for example. Other sessions focus on the new
products and techniques for the vineyard and cellar.
Many speakers will be familiar to AWS members. Some are
AWS members themselves, including Dr. Peter Oldak of Jewell
Towne Vineyard, Brad Knapp of Pi nnacle Ridge Winery and
Jerry Forest of Buckingham Valley Vineyards.
Expo Program D irector Richard Leahy, himself a ho me winemaker,
grape grower and A WS member, said the conference
is ideal for people between amateur and commercial winemaking.
For more information and registration to the conference, visit
www.easternwineryexposition.com and remember the discount
code: AWS1.
AWS Educational Foundation
for 8 years as an Analyst. One of her job functions was to analyze
company fundamentals to make trading decisions. Elisabeth
is in a ca reer transition, and ser ves as financial advisor
for the Board of Tennessee Haitian Voices, a non-profit organization
formed to provide aid to Haitian schools.
Thank you again to all AWS members, chapters and regions
that directly support AWSs mission in wine education!!
Dick Marsden
AWSEF President
marsdendick@gmail.com
(Continued from page 19)