2018 Jefferson Cup Awards

Were proud to announce three of our wines medaled in this year’s annual Jefferson Cup Invitational Wine Competition! Stop by for a visit and a taste of our latest vintages of Blackberry, Pear, and Signature Red. Also earning a medal is Satire; this dry Chardonel-Vidal Blanc blend is exclusively available at our Cave Hollow West Winery location. 
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November 23, 2018 Press Release

Kansas City, Missouri – The Jefferson Cup Invitational has celebrated its nineteenth year as the only competition that honors the best of the best among wineries from all of America’s wine regions. Each year we select great wines from across America; the 2018 competition included wines from twenty-four states. At the end of the second day of this year’s tasting, November 16, 2018 wines from TWELVE different states had captured top honors. Just as the event’s namesake would have it, democracy reigned at this year’s Jefferson Cup Wine Competition.

The two-day competition culminated with the awarding of twenty-four Jefferson Cup Trophies. Jefferson Cups were awarded to wines made from both vinifera vines (the European species responsible for more famous wines such as Chardonnay and Cabernet) and non-vinifera vines, which flourish in the more extreme climates in the U.S.

These twenty-four prestigious Jefferson Cups, the Sweepstakes Awards for our competition, were awarded to eight white wines, ten red wines, two sparkling wines, and four fruit or dessert wines. “While many competitions insist upon selecting a pre-ordained number of sweepstakes winners, our judges are allowed to find the top wines, whether there are only one, two or three, or even NO winners in some categories, as happened this year,” says Jefferson Cup Invitational founder Doug Frost. “In previous years we’ve had muscadine wine and mead as winners, and this year saw a rosé and a fruit wine. There were once again great examples of wine, both from vinifera and non-vinifera grapes.” Together with thirty-four other Jefferson Cup nominated wines, these twenty-four wines represent some of the most compelling wines made in America.

Although many expect California to dominate the awards, Jefferson Cups were won by eleven other states as well: Washington, Oregon, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, and New York. The Jefferson Cup nominees, all Double Gold recipients, included wines from fourteen different states. While there is no quota for non-vinifera wines in the Jefferson Cup finals, this year there were more vinifera nominees (32) than non- vinifera nominees (26), but more of those non-vinifera wines were winners (14) than the vinifera wines (10). Certain wineries were particularly successful, winning multiple Jefferson Cups: Dry Creek Vineyards, St. Julian Wine Company and a triple winner, Holy-Field Vineyard & Winery.

Many people have begun to call the Jefferson Cup Invitational, the “Olympics” of wine competitions. This competition is not open to every winery willing to submit an entrance fee. Rather we select the best of the best, culled from tastings and competitions in America throughout 2018. The Jefferson Cup Invitational was founded in 1999 in honor of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson fathered our constitution, helped champion the international concept of human rights and was a seminal figure in America’s cultural, culinary (including wine) and agricultural history.

About the Jefferson Cup Invitational

The Nineteenth Annual Jefferson Cup Invitational took place on November 15 and 16, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. The Jefferson Cup is a different sort of wine competition, in that it is an invitational in which seven hundred and forty wines are pre-selected which exemplify top viticulture and winemaking throughout America.

Out of seven hundred forty participating wines, the judges selected just one hundred ninety-one wines to receive the Bronze Medals, honoring wines exemplary of their regions and varieties, three hundred eleven wines received Silver Medals, and the judges found ninety-six wines to be worthy of Gold Medals and thirty-four being granted Double Gold Medals. These are truly great wines, reflecting our goal of finding and praising wines of true American excellence.

Those fifty-eight Double Gold wines (and Jefferson Cup nominees) were tasted by the entire group of twenty judges. Out of those honored wines, the judges collectively picked twenty-four wines to be awarded the Jefferson Cup. And by selecting both vinifera and non-vinifera wines for the Jefferson Cup each year, the goal is to respect the diversity of American viticulture and Jefferson’s own acceptance of native varieties and hybrids. Jefferson fathered our constitution, helped champion the international concept of human rights and was a seminal figure in America’s cultural, culinary (including wine) and agricultural history.

“In most other competitions there is ‘open’ seating,” says Frost, ”and California represents 90% of the entries. As a result it usually captures 90% of the honors,” he said. “What we are doing is following Mr. Jefferson’s example and allowing every quality wine-producing region in America a place at our table. Each year we select great wines from across America; the 2018 competition included wines from twenty-four states.”

Following the Jefferson Cup competition, the remaining wines are donated for an annual event that benefits children and adults in need. This year the Jefferson Cup raised more than $250,000 for AngelFlight Central (www.angelflightcentral.org). In more than a decade of assisting AngelFlight Central, the Jefferson Cup has raised more than 1.5 million dollars. We hope that these events reflect well upon the great heritage of Thomas Jefferson.