LOUISVILLE, KY – Kentucky’s own Napa Valley continues to flourish. Four wineries were awarded with the Commissioner’s Cup – the highest recognition awarded to the top Kentucky wine of the year. In a new partnership between the Kentucky Derby Festival and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the winning wines will be featured at the 2018 Kentucky Proud WineFest.
“We established the Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition and Commissioner’s Cup as a way to recognize as well as bring consumer attention to the top quality wines being produced throughout the state each year,” said Tyler Madison, Kentucky Department of Agriculture. “Partnering with the Kentucky Derby Festival not only exponentially increases our platform to help us get the word out to the public about Kentucky’s rapidly expanding wine industry but also adds to the prestige of the competition with many added benefits to the competing wineries.”
In order to be eligible for the Commissioner’s Cup, a wine must be awarded a gold medal in the Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition and must be produced with a minimum of 75% Kentucky fruit. 162 wines were entered in the Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition with 18 receiving gold awards, making them eligible to compete in the 2017 Commissioner’s Cup.
The awards were given in each of the following categories: Dry Red Wine, Rose/Blush, and Sweet/Dessert style fruit wine. This year’s Commissioner’s Cup winners are:
- Best Red: Prodigy Vineyards & Winery of Frankfort, Kentucky – Chambourcin, 2013
- Best Rose/Blush: Wight-Meyer Vineyard & Winery of Shepherdsville, Kentucky – Pink Diamond, 2016
- Best Sweet/Dessert/Fruit: Brianza Gardens & Winery of Crittenden, Kentucky – Sweet Bottom White, 2016
- Best Boutique: Reid’s Livery Winery of Alvaton, Kentucky – Traminette, 2016
Patrons will be able to sample the Commissioner’s Cup wines at the 2018 Kentucky Proud Kentucky Derby Festival WineFest on Tuesday, May 1, and Wednesday, May 2, 2018. The WineFest will be open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on both days. This year’s WineFest will feature over a dozen wineries from Kentucky and Indiana. Tickets for the event will go on sale in March.
WineFest Sponsor: Kentucky Proud. Contributing Sponsors: Ashley Furniture HomeStore of Louisville, Commonwealth Credit Union and Sullivan University. Media Sponsors: Today’s Woman and 106.9 PLAY.
The Derby Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people annually. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
