Once a year consumers and avocational cellar rats come together for one of the valley’s most agreeable charity events, the Home Winemakers Classic.

The spacious lawn in front of Rutherford’s St. Supery Winery is turned into an alfresco tasting room, and hundreds gather to pour and taste the fruit of the vine crafted into wine by an earnest group of “garagistas” from hither, thither and yon (mostly hither, I believe).

Home winemakers offer the fruits of their labors to eager consumers while raising funds for the Dry Creek/Lokoya Volunteer Fire Department. This cult event was first staged 26 years ago and has been a popular fundraiser ever since.

Home winemaking attracts all manner of individuals, from casual enophile to hardcore grower, from working hausfrau to beat cop.

Actually, the law enforcement contingent taking part in last Saturday’s Home Winemakers Classic had all retired from the Napa Police and the Napa County Sheriff’s departments.

Although he does make his own wine, former sheriff’s detective John Baumgartner was on hand to lend moral support and taste the wines of his friends, retired Napa officers Frank Matulich and Terry Gonsalves. Baumgartner was not pouring his own wines last Saturday, Rather, he was chatting up the wines made by a pair of father/son teams.

Stefan Matulich has considerable experience in the hospitality industry and, we’ve observed, has a great palate, having served as sommelier in several local eateries. He  teamed up with his father, Frank, to make wine at home under the mantle of Matulich Family Wines.

Gonsalves Family Vineyards brings together father Terry and son Kurt, who both take credit for the winemaking effort. Kurt is also a graphic designer and has designed labels not only for the Gonsalves bottlings but for the Matulich family and a few others.

The Matulich team was pouring a 2005 merlot crafted from Big Ranch Road fruit into a juicy, lip-smacking wine with soft tannins and a pleasant long finish. Although this was a home winemaking event, the Matulich wine was displayed in a very sleek Kurt Gonsalves package.

Terry and Kurt Gonsalves offered a couple of wines at the event — an elegant 2004 Mt. George cabernet sauvignon that had been a prize winner in last year’s judging, plus a big, bold 2005 zinfandel made from fruit sourced in the Big Ranch Road area.

At the next stand were Napa residents Dale and Martha Lochel, who’ve been taking part in the Classic for the past 15 years. Dale had the good sense years ago to seek the counsel of a talented young man who works in the business — Jean-Emmanuel Danjoy, assistant winemaker/viticulturist at Opus One — to assist with the blends.

The Lochels poured several wines at last weekend’s event, including a syrah with ripe, generous fruit, a spicy meritage that combined syrah, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, plus my favorite, a sexy 2004 Carneros merlot with a soft, ripe black fruit finish.

A blue ribbon wine from this year’s competition, the Leap of Faith port is a blend of 2003 zinfandel and cabernet sauvignon, fortified with Carneros Alambic brandy (does anybody recall Carneros Alambic brandy?). A tasty celebratory wine from a group of friends (including John and Cyndi Kasteri, Juliana Inman, George and Andrea Clark and Jacqueline Rabner), this was a truly delicious collaboration worthy of being called port.

Another first place finisher was the 2005 Black Dog zinfandel, made from fruit harvested at a small Darms Lane vineyard by winemaker Dave Steiner. According to Glen Martin, spokesman for the group of eight behind this project, three barrels of this zin were produced. This is a “wow” wine, impressive from entry to ripe, delicious finish. A blockbuster wine with ample spice and great structure, I truly wish that it was available commercially — or, at least, some held back so this fan and others can taste it again next year. Of all the wines I tasted last Saturday, this was clearly my favorite.

But I wouldn’t want to slight the Valley Girls and their outstanding efforts. The Valley Girls are Kasandra Weinerth and Lee Dalby, plus their spouses, Greg and Larry, respectively. They always have fun with their project, planting real kisses and decal lips on anything that moves; coming up with slogans for each vintage — this year, “It’s Totally Cab.” That tasty offering was indeed 100 percent cabernet sauvignon from Coombsville. In addition, says Kasandra, “this was the first and only time we made our wine from purchased fruit.”

Hopelessly devoted

At the opening of last weekend’s event, judging coordinator Linda Champagne told attendees of one example of the dedication involved in putting on the Home Winemakers Classic.

Champagne said participants are assured the wines they submit for judging will be properly stored and handled prior to evaluation.

Chief Gary Green, who heads up the Dry Creek/Lokoya Volunteer Fire Department, was on his way to Champagne’s house with the competition wine when he got a call to respond to a fire in progress.

“The chief responded to the fire ... and left his truck running with the air conditioning on while he fought the fire, just so the wines would remain in perfect condition,” she said. “That’s dedication.

“Not only that, after he dropped the wine off at my house, the chief drove down to Santa Cruz to help fight the fires in that area.”

Apparently, the special care given to the wines this year impressed the judges. “(Submitted) wines were a lot better this year,” advised one member of the panel, Myles McMonigle.

What judges liked

The wine that took home the Best of Show ribbon this year came from one of the regular participants, Bennett Ridge, for the participants’ 2003 Russian River cabernet sauvignon. The Best of Show ribbon is termed the Nathan Fay Award, named in honor of the popular Stags Leap District grower and celebrated home winemaker who helped launch this annual fundraiser. The Bennett Ridge took home the blue ribbon in the category of 2003/2004 cabernets.  We were disappointed that Bennett Ridge didn’t bring any of its award-winning wine for tasting.

Other award winners (there are no first place awards in some categories) include:

• 2005 Oakville cabernet sauvignon — Spoto Wines, 1st place; Mevany Wines, 2nd place.

• Napa cabernet sauvignon — Forester Mount Veeder, 1st place; Double Barrel Napa, 2nd place; JFD Cellars Napa, 3rd place.

• 2005 cabernet sauvignon (miscellaneous appellations) — Fourth Avenue Winemakers Suisun Valley and Moonlighter Rockpile, 2nd place, tie; Moonlighter Alexander Valley, 3rd place.

• 2006 cabernet sauvignon (miscellaneous appellations) — Tangled Vines Suisun Valley, 2nd place.

• Pinot noir — The Ferminators 2005 Carneros, 1st; McQuib 2003 Napa Valley, Chateau Garnier 2005 Sonoma and Bennett Ridge 2006 Russian River Valley, 2nd place (tie).

• Syrah — Side Club 2006 El Dorado and Forester 2006 Mt. Veeder, 1st (tie); Double Trinity 2006 Sonoma Valley, 2nd; McQuib 2005 Carneros and Tangled Vines 2005 Carneros, 3rd (tie).

• 2004-2006 Zinfandel — J&D Vintage Wines 2004 Sonoma Valley/Valley of the Moon and Black Dog 2005 Napa, 1st (tie).

• Miscellaneous red — Glass Mountain 2006 petite sirah/zinfandel, 1st; Simboli 2005 cabernet/zinfandel/merlot, The Ferminators 2006 grenache/alicante bouchet, Side Club 2006 syrah/zinfandel and Gunn Barrel Winery 2006 sangiovese, 3rd place (tie).

• Chardonnay — Schwab & Sons 2005 Healdsburg, 3rd.

• Sauvignon blanc — Glass Mountain 2007 Napa, 2nd.

• Miscellaneous white — Bentley Cellars 2007 gewurztraminer, 3rd.

• Port — Leap of Faith 2003 Napa, 1st; S. Flotre Mt. Veeder/Oak Knoll, 2nd.