Results of the 2022 Santé Wine & Spirits Competition

Introduction

The 2022 Santé Wine and Spirits Competition received hundreds of high-quality wines and spirits. These are exciting times, with innovation abounding in the industry. This year we judged ready-to-drink spirits as well as wines and spirits.

While we target an on-premise readership, we also reach out to serious foodies and beverage enthusiasts. We hope these awards inspire you to try these products and for the producers to continue to produce high-quality beverages for a discerning readership.

In the Santé Wine and Spirits competition, the wines and spirits are not compared to each other. Rather, they are judged against a standard. Exceptional products receive gold awards. The next level receives silver awards, and the third level is rewarded with bronze. We had three main categories, wine, spirits, and RTD (Ready-to-Drink). Wines were subdivided into Red, White, Rosé, and Sparkling, and there is a Best-in-Show in each category. The differences between the awards are subtle – often the result of a small imperfection in the expression of the wine or spirit. This should be interpreted as room for improvement and definitely for you, the restaurateur, to add the products to your restaurant menu.

The Judging Process

Judging was conducted completely blind. All wine and spirit bottles were obscured in plain paper bags. An event manager poured, ensuring proper protocol was followed. The judges did not discuss their impressions with the other judges until all judging was complete, and the products they judged were not revealed until after they cast their votes.

Judges assigned a value to each wine or spirit based on its merits. Awards are assigned based on that absolute value rather than simply comparing it to other products.

And the Winners Are!

BRAND	VARIETY AND BLEND	CATEGORY	AWARD	TASTING NOTES
Tolosa	Chardonnay	White Wine	Best in Show	Excellent mouth feel with a long fruit finish. It’s got a great nose, is complex, the palate is perfectly in balance, and the finish goes and goes and goes. Hurray!
Diora	La Splendeur du Soleil Chardonnay	White Wine	Gold	Oaked beautifully. High on the alcohol spectrum. A little weird on the nose but it’ll blow off. Round, zippy with some great wheaty and grassy notes under yellow fruit. Great!
Whitehaven	Sauvignon Blanc	White Wine	Gold	Smells like jalapenos and delivers spicy greenness on the palate. A plethora of peppers!
Winemaker’s Selection	Chardonnay	White Wine	Gold	Wow! Really beautiful. Everything it should be.
Director’s Cut	Chardonnay	White Wine	Silver	Appealing and approachable. Soft with good acid and complex.
Diamond Collection	Chardonnay	White Wine	Silver	Lots of tropical notes, very good. It shows so much promise! A great, complex white with all of the layers of finessed oak.
JOLO Winery & Vineyards	65% Traminette, 20% Vidal Blanc, 15% Sauvignon Blanc	White Wine	Silver	Something herbal on the palate, lovely!
Black Box	Pinot Grigio	White Wine	Bronze
Cannonball	Chardonnay	White Wine	Bronze
Moiselle	Moscato	White Wine	Bronze
Le Chemin Du Roi Brut Rose	40% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Noir, 45% Pinot Meunier	Sparkling	Gold	Muted red fruit and nice acid. Different. Very interesting and unique.
Barefoot Bubbly	Prosecco	Sparkling	Silver	Good stone fruit, nice acid, great finish. Round and fruity. Delightful finish.
Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé	Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay	Sparkling	Silver	Very good.
Angels & Cowboys	Brut	Sparkling	Bronze
Angels & Cowboys	Brut Rosé	Sparkling	Bronze
Barefoot Bubbly	Extra Dry	Sparkling	Bronze
Crémant de Bourgogne Brut Réserve	Chardonnay, Pinot Noir	Sparkling	Bronze
Barefoot Cellars	Red Moscato	Rosé Wine	Gold	Nice color and texture with bright red fruit and acid. It is zippy with a touch of residual sugar – a refreshing sip.
Tiny Umbrellas	Ripe Peach	Rosé Wine	Gold	Nice balance of acid and residual sugar. It is fun with spritz, good acid, and a kiss of sweet.
Barefoot Cellars	Pink Moscato	Rosé Wine	Silver	Zippy and light with simple fruit. A crowd pleaser.
Barefoot Cellars	Pink Pinot Grigio	Rosé Wine	Silver	Lots of red fruit and watermelon. This is what a rosé should be –  nose of rosé, a palate of rosé, and an excellent finish.
Angels & Cowboys	Rosé	Rosé Wine	Bronze
Barefoot Cellars	White Zinfandel	Rosé Wine	Bronze
Burlwood Pacific Fruit Vineyards	Sweet Peach	Rosé Wine	Bronze
Tiny Umbrellas	Pink Moscato	Rosé Wine	Bronze
Barefoot Cellars	Cabernet Sauvignon	Red Wine	Gold	Really nice, big but balanced. It has a really good finish. This wine is absolutely delicious right now, but will improve over 5 years. It is a balanced wine that is ready to drink. A crowd pleaser for wine drinkers
Zironda	80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella	Red Wine	Silver	Very Good. Outstanding.
EHRET	Hillside Reserve Red Wine (74.89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.20% Merlot, 6.95% Cabernet Franc, 5.22% Petit Verdot, 3.74% Malbec	Red Wine	Silver	This is really beautiful, complex and balanced wine. I wanted a longer finish. Amazing!!
Director’s Cut	Cabernet Sauvignon	Red Wine	Bronze
EHRET	Zinfandel	Red Wine	Bronze
J. Lohr Cuvée ST. E	Cabernet Franc 71%, Cabernet Sauvignon 27%, Merlot 2%	Red Wine	Bronze
J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon	Cabernet Sauvignon 92%, Saint-Macaire 7%, Malbec 1%	Red Wine	Bronze

BRAND	SPECIAL DESIGNATION	AWARD	TASTING NOTES
Familia Camarena	Reposado	Best in Show	A gem! Bright nose, peppery finish. Very nice. Complex aromas and flavors, peppery!
Highclere Castle Gin		Gold	Slightly thin mouthfeel with bright florals.Very refreshing with natural aromas, not pinesol. Could use a little more oomph in the mouth, but great!
The Community Spirit Co.		Gold	Super smooth. Clean, balanced.
Fior		Gold	Nice nose, late smokey finish. Balanced, restrained and finessed.
Ugly Mug		Gold	Balanced coffee flavor, very smooth. Well done. I love that the coffee is incorporated and not burnt.
Branson Cognac		Silver	Notes of caramel, beautiful bouquet of nuts, caramel, and white blossoms. Wow.
E&J Distillers	XO	Silver	Very nice with notes of maple!
E&J Distillers	Apple	Silver	Good mouthfeel with bright flavors. The flavor is complex but not cloying. It has good mouthfeel and finish.
Millstone		Silver	Solid across the board. Smooth and flavorful with some delightful warmth. Mouth is a little thin.
Royal Mash Vintage Vodka		Bronze
Keeper’s Heart	Irish + Bourbon	Bronze
Familia Camarena	Anejo	Bronze
Familia Camarena	Silver/Plato	Bronze
New Amsterdam	Original	Bronze

BRAND	SPECIAL DESIGNATION	COMPOSITION	AWARD	TASTING NOTES
High Noon Sun Sips	Lemon	Vodka Based Hard Seltzer	Best in Show	Lemon shines in this category. This is an excellent hard seltzer. Very very good! Wow!
Knox & Dobson		Bourbon, Cane Sugar, Bitters	Silver	A slightly non-traditional take on an old-fashioned but will delight.
High Noon Sun Sips	Peach	Vodka Based Hard Seltzer	Silver	An interesting, really ripe peach flavor.
High Noon Sun Sips	Guava	Vodka Based Hard Seltzer	Bronze
High Noon Sun Sips	Kiwi	Vodka Based Hard Seltzer	Bronze
LIQS	Mojito	premixed wine cocktail	Bronze

Ferme de Romilly cider dry brut

Cider

Apple Cider – Dry

Special Mention

Yeasty, wild, open-top fermentation characteristic. Olives are heavy on the palate. Complex with a funky nose, olives (canned on the palate, kalamata on the finish), and some mint. Very interesting!

The Judges

Nancy Koziol is a Bennington-based internationally-certified wine expert, author, and journalist. She is the founder and owner of couch + cork, a global brand providing in-person and virtual wine tastings, including corporate tastings for clients like Square, Amazon, DoorDash, and GoDaddy. Her goal is to make wine accessible and fun while highlighting historically marginalized groups. 

Koziol is active in her community, serving on The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce boards and Better Bennington Corporation. She is the Business Community Representative to Alliance for Community Transformations. As couch + cork and an individual, she has donated to causes, fundraisers, galas, and benefits for Bennington Performing Arts Center/Home of Oldcastle Theater, Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning, Bennington Museum, Billsville House Concerts, The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Better Bennington Corporation, Project Against Violent Encounters and many others. Nancy is a proud Rotarian.

She was The Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year (2020). 

Nancy lives in downtown Bennington with her husband, Kris, their cat and dog, and more wine corks than they know what to do with. She enjoys live music, being outdoors, travel, beer, and reading. 

Philip S. Kampe is a writer and consultant for U.S.-based wine, travel, food, and spirits. At a very early age, he developed a discerning palate. He followed his path through his palate at a young age, later recommending to established food and ice cream shops to improve their products.

Philip spent four years in Europe in a VW camper, following the wine and cheese trails of France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Greece, and Spain. 

Upon returning to America, he opened an ice cream and candy shop with his recipes, credited as one of the cookie dough ice cream co-inventors. His Fabulous Phil’s shops achieved a top ten rating of all of the ice cream shops in the United States. 

Philip also holds several wine certificates from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and France. He is a certified Armagnac teacher, as well. He was a jury member for numerous prestigious worldwide wine competitions, including Antiprima Amarone, Languedoc Millesime, The Bar Show, Star Chefs Sommelier Competition, Southwest Wines of America, Berkshire Tasting Panel, and TAP Airlines Business Class Wines, to name a few. He has also attended nearly fifty wine press trips around the world. Philip is a current member of the Wine Media Guild and a wine consultant for the two branches of Sparrow Wine & Liquor of New Jersey. Philip taught several wine classes, created wine lists for restaurants, was a brand ambassador for Domodimanti Wines of Italy at Vinitaly, set up the cheese and gourmet food section of the Wine Library, and renovated the cheese department at Sickles Market.

He has published hundreds of articles, and he authored a wine-by-the-glass column for restaurants. 

Philip lives in western Massachusetts and metro New York City with his wife, Maria, and Daisy Mae, their two-year-old Boston Terrier.

Kaiya Kirk is a Los Angeles native and graduate of Bennington College in Southern Vermont. She is many things, including a wine expert, and holds a Wine and Spirits Education Trust level 2 Certification with Distinction. She works with couch + cork as the Lead Tasting Educator and enjoys sharing and teaching about wines from emerging regions. She lives in North Bennington, VT, where she drinks wine and takes care of foster kittens in equal amounts. 

Sean Dunleavy is the owner, head brewer, and executive chef at Harvest Brewing in Bennington, Vermont.  Founded in 2016, Harvest Brewing has established itself as an eclectic centerpiece of downtown Bennington. It provides a destination for visitors and locals to enjoy in-house craft brews, high-quality food, and music. 

Dunleavy began working in the restaurant business at age 15. He has worked as a bartender, chef, and owner in bars and restaurants in Boston, Cape Cod, New York City, Portland (Oregon), Tampa, and beyond.  

Although best known as a founding member and lead guitarist of the early 2000’s alt-rock pop punk band Drugs In The Alley, he has become a staple in the craft beer, spirits, and cocktail scene throughout the northeastern United States.

Notifications

Winners will receive an official email notification with their badge that can be used for promotion.

Feature photo by Carolyn on Unsplash