Wedding Oak Winery Wins 3 Class Champion Awards at the 2018 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition

SAN SABA, Texas, November 20, 2017 – Wedding Oak Winery was recognized with three Class Champion, and two Double Gold medals, among nine wines that won medals at the 15th annual Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition, held Nov. 11 – 12, 2017, at NRG Center in Houston, Texas. Wedding Oak Winery received Class Champion, Class Champion and Double Gold medals for its 2016 Marsanne and 2015 Tioja and a Class Champion, Texas Class Champion, and Silver medal for its 2016 Wedding Oak Winery Bridal Veil white blend. All Wedding Oak wines submitted to the competition are made using 100 percent Texas grown grapes.

The 2016 Marsanne is the first bottling of a single vineyard, single variety Marsanne, and it is winning strong accolades. The Rhone-style wine, made with grapes grown in the estate High Valley Vineyard in San Saba County, also won awards at the 2017 San Francisco International Wine Competition and the 2017 Lone Star International Wine Competition earlier this year. It is a fantastic wine to serve for Thanksgiving with roast turkey and the traditional sides. The Marsanne has spicy aromatics, lively Meyer lemon and roasted almonds flavors, rich, mineral texture and creamy vanilla finish that make it a food-friendly wine. It is a complex white wine, worthy of aging.

Wedding Oak Winery’s flagship red wine, Tioja, is a salute to the Spanish Rioja region, made predominantly with the Tempranillo grape from Mirasol Vineyard and Tio Pancho Vineyard, in the Texas Hill Country AVA. Tioja is wonderful example of Hill Country terroir. It is an elegant, fruity red wine with bright fragrances of fresh red berries, plums and spicy white pepper, almost tea-like. It has tart cherry flavors, hints of tomato, a bit of spiciness, and firm tannins. Tioja is a wonderful wine for Thanksgiving, with fresh acidity that loves the rich fat of the turkey dark meat and the gravy.

“These awards are a powerful recognition that Texas wines are competitive with wines from around the world,” says Penny Adams, winemaker. “While Texas wines make up a small percentage of the overall wines submitted for the competition, there were many among the medal winners. We are incredibly proud to have our wines recognized as Class Champions, Texas Class Champions, and Double Gold medal winners”

Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition is one of the largest international wine competitions in the United States. The 2018 International Wine Competition evaluated a record number of wine entries — 3,188 wines — from 18 different countries. Texas wineries entered 420 wines in the competition. The submissions were judged in a double-blind procedure by local and national wine experts with extensive credentials. The results are audited on site by PricewaterhouseCoopers, ensuring the highest integrity.

2018 Houston Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition

Wedding Oak Winery Marsanne 2016, Texas Hill Country — Double Gold, Class Champion and Texas Class Champion

Wedding Oak Winery Tioja 2015, Texas Hill Country — Double Gold, Class Champion and Texas Class Champion

Wedding Oak Winery Bridal Veil 2016, Texas High Plains — Silver, Class Champion and Texas Class Champion

Wedding Oak Winery Roussanne 2016, Texas High Plains — Silver

Wedding Oak Winery Sangiovese 2015, Texas Hill Country — Silver

Wedding Oak Winery Harmony Ridge 2015, Texas Hill Country —Bronze

Wedding Oak Winery Regency Bridge 2015, Texas Hill Country — Bronze

Wedding Oak Winery Terre Blanc 2015, Texas Hill Country — Bronze

Wedding Oak Winery Viognier, Texas Hill Country, 2016 — Bronze