West Lafayette, Indiana - Easley Winery in Indianapolis won Wine of the Year in the Indy International Wine Competition for its 2014 Traminette, beating out nearly 2,100 other wines for the top honor.
Wines from 40 states and 12 countries and as far away as France, Australia, Spain and Greece were judged on appearance, aroma, taste and aftertaste by 42 international judges in the in one of the nation's largest wine competitions. It was held July 29-31 on the Purdue University campus.
Other winners:
* Red Wine of the Year: Peace Water Winery of Napa, California, for its 2012 Grateful Red Cabernet Franc.
* White Wine of the Year: Dr. Franks Vinifera Wine Cellar of New York, 2014 Gruner Veltliner.
* Rosé Wine of the Year: Falconer Vineyards of Minnesota, 2014 Frontenac Rosé.#160;
* Sparkling Wine of the Year: Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards of Sonoma, California, 2007 Royal Cuvee.
* Dessert Wine of the Year: Dr. Franks Vinifera Wine Cellar, 2013 Riesling Late Harvest Wine.
* Fruit Wine of the Year: Dubuque Heritage Winery of Iowa, 2014 Washington Park Montmorency Cherry wine.
* Winery of the Year: Trinchero Family Estates of St. Helena, California. The trophy honors the best international brand of the entire competition.
* Winemaker of the Year: Ted Huber of Huber's Orchard, Winery & Vineyards, Borden, Indiana. The award goes to the vintner who wins the most gold medals by brand at the competition.
The Indy International Wine Competition has been organized by the Purdue Wine Grape Team since 1992.
"The 2015 Indy is a tribute to the vibrant success of the American wine industry and to modern agriculture's great contribution to our national and local economies," said Christian Butzke, professor of enology at Purdue and chairman of the competition. "The creativity we saw this year in regard to label and packaging design, varietal blending techniques and stylistic diversity among the more than two thousand wines was truly remarkable."
Indiana wineries won 316 medals - 31 double gold, 45 gold, 158 silver and 82 bronze.
"Indiana continues to win many medals and trophies at this international competition," said Jeanette Merritt, marketing director for the Purdue Wine Grape Team. "This year we are so excited to recognize an array of outstanding wineries and encourage Indiana wine consumers to find your favorite wine at one of our nearly 80 wineries."
Huber's Orchard, Winery & Vineyards won the Indiana Winery of the Year for the Governor’s Cup, which recognizes the winningest Indiana winery.
Country Heritage Winery of LaOtto won Indiana's Farm Winery of the Year. The award honors wineries that produce less than 50,000 gallons of wine.
Indiana Wine of the Year was awarded to Huber's Orchard, Winery & Vineyards for its Catawba Rose.
French Lick Winery of French Lick won Indiana Traminette of the Year, an award that honors Indiana's signature wine and grape.
Additional awards this year included Wine Packaging Design of the Year and Wine Label Design of the Year. They were won by Albertoni Vineyards of California and Danenberger Family Vineyards of Illinois, respectively.
A list of all medal-winning wines is available at www.indyinternational.org.
