Nine Lakes Wine Country Vintner Wins One of Tennessee's First "Governor's Cups" For Best Wine
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (PRWEB) June 01, 2018 -- The Governor’s Cup for the eastern division of Tennessee – a giant silver and gold cup to go with it – was presented May 18 at the second annual Nine Lakes Wine Festival in Oak Ridge, TN, to Don Collier, owner of Hillside Winery in Sevierville, TN, for a sparkling muscadine wine.
“On behalf of the State of Tennessee, it is my pleasure to recognize the awarding of the inaugural Governor’s Cup Trophy,” said Governor Bill Haslam, via a letter presented by Tom Womack, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, at the VIP event of Nine Lakes Wine Festival.
“The establishment of this honor is an important milestone in raising awareness of the contributions of Tennessee Agriculture to the Grape and Wine Industry, as only Tennessee Appellation Wines are eligible for this most prestigious honor,” Haslam wrote.
The definition of a Tennessee Appellation Wine is one that is made from at least 75% Tennessee fruit. (The word appellation is not the same as Appalachian, which refers to the larger region encompassing East Tennessee and beyond).
The winning wine for the eastern division was Muscadine Spumante, made by master winemaker Doug Seitz for Hillside Winery, owned by Don Collier. This sparkling wine was crafted with muscadines grown on three vineyards in Monroe County, TN: Tsali Notch Vineyards owned by Cary Cox; Beaver Creek Vineyards owned by Jason McConkey; and Foxcreek Vineyards owned by Randy Givens.
According to Collier, Hillside Winery is the largest consumer of Tennessee grapes in the state, purchasing 1.3 million pounds from more than 35 local growers in 2017. “Grapes grown in Monroe County have produced many award winning Tennessee wines,” said Adam Acampora, executive director for the Tennessee Farm Winegrowers Alliance. Acampora noted that the Governor’s Cup wine for the middle division of the state was also produced from grapes grown at Tsali Notch Vineyards in Monroe County.
The Governor’s Cup celebration was part of Nine Lakes Wine Festival and Tennessee’s “Grape and Wine Appreciation Month” during May, and is open to recognizing the best wines from East, Middle and West Tennessee.
The Nine Lakes Region of East Tennessee (the 16 counties surrounding Knoxville) has more vineyards and wineries than any other part of the state, according to James Riddle, president of the Appalachian Region Wine Producers Association.
“With nine lakes between two Appalachian mountain ranges — the Great Smoky Mountains and the Cumberland Mountains — the region of Middle East Tennessee called Nine Lakes creates a climate unique to anywhere in the United States. This climate is dominated by the “rain shadow” effect, offered by the geography of the Cumberland Plateau and the Appalachian Mountain Valley of East Tennessee. This, combined with the lake influences, soil, elevation and physical features, imparts a unique character to the grapes,” said Riddle.
Nine Lakes Wine Festival featured three days of events celebrating Tennessee wines. It was produced by the Appalachian Region Wine Producers Association and presented by Celebrate Oak Ridge.
Wines from the region will be available at several upcoming regional festivals, including Secret City Festival June 8-9, Lavender Festival June 16, the Daylily Bloom Festival June 22-23, and the Great Smoky Mountain Hot Air Balloon Festival, Aug. 18. See more information at http://www.NineLakesWineCountry.com.
Rebecca Williams, Appalachian Region Wine Producers Association, http://ninelakeswinecountry.com, +1 865-483-9124, [email protected]
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