The United States had a record-breaking year at the world’s largest wine awards, with two Best in Show, five Platinum, and 32 gold medals. California, Oregon, and Washington continued to dominate, but Texas had a landmark year with its first-ever gold medals.

US Wine Industry on the Rise

Texas Hill Country was a standout region, with three wines from the area winning gold medals: AB Astris, Souzao 2022; Turtle Creek, Tannat 2023; and Adega Vinho, Estate Tempranillo 2021. The final gold was awarded to Spicewood Vineyards, Las Montañas 2022.

Virginia won five gold medals, with winners including Chestnut Oak Vineyard, Chestnut One, Monticello 2023; and Early Mountain Vineyards, Quaker Run Cabernet Franc 2022. Pennsylvania also bagged a gold medal for Benigna’s Creek, Chambourcin 2024.

Pierre Mansour, a judge and regional chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards, said, ‘Although it is the fastest-growing wine market in the world, it’s still a relatively newish wine market, and so there’s just so much opportunity.’ Mansour also noted that great wines are coming from ‘pretty much every corner of the world,’ with countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Japan also having record-breaking years.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.