The 24th annual Home Winemakers Classic

By JACK HEEGER, Register Staff Writer

The Home Winemakers Classic is traditionally one of the most enjoyable events in Napa Valley, and the 2006 edition, the 24th annual event, was no exception.

Some 400 people filled the grounds at St. Supery Winery Saturday to taste wines made by more than 60 amateur winemakers, and they were amply rewarded with an array of excellent wines made from grapes sourced throughout California wine country. Many of the names were familiar to those who have attended in past years, as many winemakers are repeaters year after year, seeking the coveted ribbon awards signifying the best of each varietal.

Preliminary estimates indicated that about $20,000 was raised for the Dry Creek/Lokoya Volunteer Fire Department, according to Assistant Chief Paul Momsen. "This event is great," he said. "It brings a lot of people from the community together."

It brings the winemakers together, too, Momsen said. "(The home winemakers) are a close-knit group. They come early and hang out together, and the regulars know where the shady spots are. Some have their own following -- people come to see them every year." This was evident by the number of small groups that seemed to linger around the same tables for lengthy periods.

The Best of Show award was captured by Bentley Cellars of Walnut Creek, producer of a late harvest muscat canelli dessert wine. "We're very excited," said Barbara Bentley, who, along with partner Rex Johnson, also poured a gewrztraminer and a petite sirah. "We were surprised that (the muscat canelli) won. It's hard to win even a first place in this (competition). The gewurz has been winning all the awards," Johnson said, and pointed to a printed sheet listing 24 honors the winery had received previously at various competitions around the state.

"This was our fifth or sixth year at this (event)" he said. "Last year we won a second place." Johnson, who said he was the winemaker, and Bentley, who acknowledged that "I'm the label maker," said the muscat grapes came from near Modesto, and "there's a little viognier in it" that came from Lodi.

Gordon Lopez, of G and G Cellars, Napa, won a first place award for his merlot. He's been making wine since 1992 and has participated in the Home Winemakers Classic since 1994, when "I won a Purple Teeth Award for my cab," because they didn't have any first, second or third awards then, he said. Lopez, whose day job is working as an electrician on high-voltage projects, makes about 100 cases annually, both merlot and cabernet sauvignon.

Another participant who has been in the competition since 1994 is JR Cellars, of Napa, which took third place for its Hilgendorf Private Reserve Meritage. It's a joint venture of the Hilgendorf family, with brothers John and James handling winemaking duties, and sister Jill, who now lives in Seattle, coming to Napa each year to help out during the Classic.

Jan De Volder, of St. Helena, won a third place ribbon for his pinot noir made from grapes sourced from a vineyard on Big Ranch Road. "Last year I won first place for my cab that came from Rutherford," he said.

A perennial favorite at the Classic is the Valley Girls, three women from Browns Valley who always come up with a catchy name for their vintages. One year it was "Bad Hair Day Cuve" because it rained on the day they harvested -- this year it was "Desperate Housewines." Each year they bring some self-adhesive lips to pass out to guests and this year they offered the lips in different shades of red and pink.

One vintner is turning professional -- Craig Senders, who makes wine with his partner James Beckwith under the Serene Cellars label. They're from El Macero, just outside Davis, and Beckwith, after acknowledging that Senders, a professor at UC Davis medical school, "was going commercial," said, "I'm Bobby Jones." For younger folks, he explained that Bobby Jones, a champion golfer, remained an amateur for his entire life. They took a second place ribbon for their 2002 cabernet sauvignon from made from grapes from Steltzner Vineyard, off Silverado Trail.

Guests at the Home Winemakers Classic always enjoy asking about the origin of some of the names participants give to their wines.

One unusual name was the Ferminators, also known as Orinda Cellars, and the label features three pair of sunglasses similar in style to those worn by the original Terminator -- now Governator. The owners are Jonathan Blackie, Jim Michaels and Mokhtar Mered, all biotech scientists who specialize in fermentation techniques. "The name evolved out of that," Blackie said. "And we started making wine just about the same time (Arnold) Schwarzenegger was elected governor."

Another was Tadpole Vineyards, born out of a marriage that combined two families. Dynie and Dana Sanderson, of Napa, met while they were hiking in the Yountville area with their daughters (he has three, she has two), and the girls spent time catching tadpoles in a stream. When the couple was married eight years ago, the girls also were "married" symbolically, to become sisters, Dynie Sanderson said. "It was like a Meritage, a blend of the families."

Leap of Faith Vineyards is a venture of four families who decided to make wine together after being a part of a wine tasting group at a Lutheran Church. They started in 1993, and have entered the Home Winemakers Classic since 1996. In keeping with the religious connotation, they named their Bordeaux-style blend "Trinity."

Jim McCully, a police officer from Suisun City, makes wine under the Gunn Barrel Winery, but said the name doesn't reflect his occupation, explaining that he's from the Family of the Clan Gunn of Scotland. He's a 10-year veteran of the Classic, and has been making wine for some 17 years.

A complete list of the prize winners follows:

Best of Show: Bentley Cellars, muscat canelli

Sauvignon blanc: Tie for second, 2005 Mockingbird Cellars and 2005 Glass Mountain

Chardonnay: Tie for first, 2004 Tangled Vines and 2004 Rare Avis; third, 2005 De Jac

Other whites: Third, 2003 Mt. Pisgah Folle Blanche

Pinot noir: Tie for third, 2003 Back 40, and 2004 Wheaten Palm

Meritage: Second, Leap of Faith; tie for third, 2003 JR Cellars and 2003 Valley Girls

Zinfandel: Second, De Jac; Tie for third, Wildside and Trotta-Bradford

Merlot: First, G & G; second, W & D

2002 cabernet sauvignon: First, tie, Hair of the Dog and B.S. Brothers; second, Orinda Cellars

2003 cabernet sauvignon: First, B.S. Brothers; second, Mitchell Family

2004 cabernet sauvignon: Second, Serene Cellars

2003 syrah: First, Nathan Cellars

2004 syrah: First, Skyclad; second, Hair of the Dog

Petite sirah: Honorable mention, Froeb McCord

Other reds: First, Crowley De Smet

Dessert/late harvest: First, Bentley Cellars; Second, Carlson Family Vineyards

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