Derek Wilber and Zach Pegram, winemakers for Swedish Hill and its sister wineries, Goose Watch and Penguin Bay, were recently honored with the Andre Tchelistcheff Winemakers of the Year award at the 2017 San Francisco International Wine Competition.
Swedish Hill, Goose Watch and Penguin Bay received a number of top awards, leading to their winemakers receiving the top honor of all wineries that entered, from more than 30 countries from around the world. Among the wines receiving high honors were the 2016 Goose Watch Cabernet Franc Rosé which received 96 points and the “Best Rosé” in the competition (in what is one of the hottest categories in the United States today), Goose Watch 2016 Diamond which received 97 points and the honor for the “Best Wine Made From Native American Grapes,” Goose Watch 2013 Lemberger which received a Gold Medal and was the only Finger Lakes dry red wine receiving a Gold, Penguin Bay 2016 Pinot Grigio which was awarded a Double Gold Medal, the top award for any Finger Lakes Pinot Grigio, and Swedish Hill 2016 Blue Waters Dry Riesling, which received a Double Gold Medal, the only one awarded to a Finger Lakes Riesling.
“We are thrilled to receive the 2017 Andre Tchelistcheff Award at the San Francisco International Wine Competition” remarked Winemakers Derek Wilber and Zach Pegram.. “It is a tribute to our entire team of cellar staff, vineyard staff and growers. This award reflects our winery’s overarching goal to produce distinctive wines across our entire portfolio and the efforts of the Finger Lakes’ winemaking community to enhance the reputation of our region.”
David Peterson, President and Co-Owner of Swedish Hill, Goose Watch and Penguin Bay indicated that “this is a huge tribute to the commitment of our team to produce outstanding wines of many types, and is yet another testament to the quality of the wines that we produce as well as what is being accomplished by wineries in the Finger Lakes region.”
The largest and most influential international wine competition in America, the San Francisco International Wine Competition (SFIWC) has been setting the standard for professional wine judging since its debut in 1980. Now in its 37th year, the SFIWC maintains the highest level of integrity with a blind-tasting system performed by a highly experienced panel of internationally acclaimed wine experts.
Swedish Hill Winery produces all of its wines at the Romulus, NY facility that was founded and remains in operation today by the Peterson family. The Romulus location features a tasting room and gift shop that is open year round for visitors to experience their wines. Customers can also taste Swedish Hill wines at two satellite tasting rooms located in Saratoga Springs and Lake Placid, NY. For more information about Swedish Hill's wines, awards, and tasting rooms visit www.SwedishHill.com.
