Serving Algoma, Casco, Kewaunee, Luxemburg and all of Kewaunee County
ALGOMA – Von Stiehl’s Riesling, Cherry Kirsche, Dry Cherry and Cabernet Sauvignon were judged by a panel of high-profile industry professionals at this year’s USA Wine Ratings Competition. They were judged in three different categories — quality, value and packaging — where they scored highly and took home three gold medals and one silver. Winning these medals at the USA Wine Ratings Competition is the ultimate seal of approval and shows these are high-quality wine with a broad consumer appeal.
A guiding principle of USA Wine Ratings is that all the wines that receive medals in the competition should be the wines that consumers actually want to buy, whether they are shopping for a wine at a retail wine store or ordering wine from a restaurant wine list. Based on this, USA Wine Ratings has created an entirely new 100-point rating system. It takes into account three different criteria (quality, value and packaging), not just the winemaking technique and the overall taste of the wine.
For a wine to receive a gold medal, it needs to score at least 90 points. To qualify for silver, it needs to score at least 80 points.
“We are extremely delighted to learn that our Riesling, Cherry Kirsche, Dry Cherry and Cabernet Sauvignon scored so highly on the various factors that not only determine the drinkability of the wine, but also give a seal of approval from the industry professionals,” said Head Winemaker and Co-Owner Aric Schmiling. “Our wines are produced with utmost emphasis on appealing to a broad consumer base and something that wine drinkers would enjoy on different occasions. These awards are really a validation of our winemaking experience.”
CEO and Founder of Beverage Trade Network Sid Patel emphasized the importance of discovering wines that score highly across all three categories, not just one. “We feel that it offers a broad, comprehensive approach to evaluating wines the same way that consumers and trade buyers do.”
“Also, now consumers are perceiving wines as brands, just like they would perceive any other product they find in a supermarket,” said Sid Patel. “Thus, it was so important to include packaging and presentation as key judging criteria — it means that the wine is being created [while] keeping a specific type of customer or demographic in mind.”
“The judging panel at the USA Wine Ratings consisted of wine industry professionals that have a commercial buying expertise, Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine. The inclusion of so many high-profile judges ensured that the wines that were awarded medals in the competition had a high degree of commercial appeal.”
Schmiling grew up in Door County before leaving the state to learn enology and viticulture at Michigan State University. He returned from master’s work to head winemaking at von Stiehl in 1997 and has been developing a variety of vinifera and fruit wines ever since. More can be learned about the brand at www.vonStiehl.com.
The 8th Annual USA Wine Rating that took place in San Francisco this July has been exclusively created by the Beverage Trade Network. They also host industry events around the world and own media assets and platforms to connect the drinks industry globally. The USA Wine Ratings looks to recognize, reward and help promote wine brands that have successfully been created to identify with and target a specific wine drinker.
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