If you love oysters, you may have found that pairing them with wine can be somewhat challenging.
“Not many wines work with oysters,” said Lane Hoss, Vice President of Marketing for Anthony’s Restaurants, in a press release. “That is why we are thankful to have this competition. Oysters are popular. We wait for the results every year.”
The competition of which Hoss speaks is the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition, sponsored by Taylor Shellfish Farms and organized by founder Jon Rowley of Jon Rowley & Associates in Seattle.
“The search for the best wines to go with oysters adds to the excitement and culture of oysters,” said Taylor’s Bill Taylor. “The acclaim by the wine and restaurant industries as well as the media makes it fun for everyone.”
How does the competition work? Judges are served Kumamoto oysters, which they chew well. A wine is then tasted “blind”‐meaning its identity is not divulged to the judges—and those that have a clean and crisp finish are noted. In pairing wine with oysters, the idea is for a sip of wine to “not get in the way” of the next oyster, as Taylor put it.
This year’s competition took place at three locations—Water Grill in Los Angeles, Kuleto’s in San Francisco, and Anthony’s HomePort in Seattle—and scores from 25 judges in the three cities were tallied to determine the list of 10 winning wines.
And the winners for 2012 are (drum roll, please)…
- Brandborg 2010 Pinot Gris, Oregon
- Cedergreen Cellars 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, Washington
- Dry Creek Vineyard 2011 Dry Chenin Blanc, California
- Foris Vineyard Winery 2010 Pinot Blanc, Oregon
- Hogue Cellars 2010 Pinot Grigio, Washington
- Kenwood Vineyards 2011 Pinot Gris, California
- Kenwood Vineyards 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, California
- Millbrandt Vineyards 2010 “Traditions” Pinot Gris, Washington
- Sockeye 2010 Pinot Gris, Washington
- Van Duzer 2011 Pinot Gris, Oregon
Congratulations to all the winners. And if any of the wineries are looking for help in writing a short and sweet acceptance speech for their Oyster Wine Competition award, may we suggest: “Aw, shucks…”
