Chenin, Fumé, and Oysters - Oh My!

Dry Creek Vineyard tops the "bliss factor" list

May 2, 2007 – For the 6th year in a row, and now 8 out of 13 competitions, Dry Creek Vineyard’s Dry Chenin Blanc (2006 vintage) has once again tickled the fancy of 37 oyster-loving food and wine writers, restaurateurs, oyster growers, and oyster lovers at large, at the 2007 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition. In addition, the winery’s 2005 Fumé Blanc was also selected as a Top 10 wine, making an appearance for the first time in this illustrious group of wines. "We’re thrilled to have two wines make the Top 10 this year," said winery proprietor Kim Stare Wallace. "Being recognized as an oyster award winner will result in immediate and substantial sales benefits. I couldn’t be happier."

The process to find the right match is a rigorous one. First, 185 wines are tasted in a preliminary judging to narrow the contenders to 35 semifinalists and then 20 finalists. Panels of 12 to 13 judges in three cities – Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, then taste the 20 finalists. Each wine is tasted blind with a Kumamoto oyster and judges are asked to rate the "bliss factor," the wine’s affinity for the oyster. In the end, 10 equal winners are selected in the only wine competition to judge a wine by how it goes with food.

Since 1972, Dry Creek Vineyard has produced Fumé Blanc as part of founder David Stare’s vision to bring "a little bit of the Loire Valley" to the Dry Creek Valley.  As the first producer to plant Sauvignon Blanc vines in the Dry Creek Valley, Dave was instrumental in establishing the  Dry Creek Valley as a recognized

AVA in 1983. Over the years, grapes for the winery’s Chenin Blanc have come from many different locations around California. However, in 1992, the family finally found a permanent source for its Chenin Blanc – the Clarksburg region of the Sacramento Delta. With fertile soils and the proper heating and cooling cycles, Clarksburg is quickly becoming a recognized and well respected winegrowing region.