Galena Cellars One of Most Awarded Wineries at State Fair

Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery, at the hand of winemaker Christine (Chris) Lawlor-White, received 18 awards including the Governor’s Cup for white table wine produced from Illinois-grown fruit at the 2011 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition, making it one of the most awarded wineries exhibiting.

Sponsored and coordinated by the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association, the Illinois State Fair Wine Competition was held June 27-29 at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, where nearly 400 local wines were presented to the panel of eleven judges.

Judging was based on color, balance, aroma, clarity, taste and finish using a 20-point score card.

“We are thrilled to have received a perfect ‘20’ from all judges on our Red Raspberry Framboise,” said Lawlor-White. “One judge told us that he had never judged an entry where every judge gave the wine a perfect score.”

Galena Cellars Red Raspberry Framboise, an exquisite dessert wine in the style of port, received top awards for fruit from any appellation, best of category and a double gold award. “Double gold awards are a result of all judges awarding gold for that entry, which is a prestigious honor,” said Lawlor-White.

In total, Galena Cellars earned 11 best of category awards, five double gold; 10 silver and three bronze awards in addition to the Governor’s Cup for its LaCrosse wine and top awards for wines from any appellation for Red Raspberry Framboise. All 18 wines submitted received awards at the competition.

Galena Cellars Vineyard, in rural Galena, Illinois, is home to 22 different specialty grapes, many of which are hybrids developed by universities throughout the country in an effort to create a vine and grape with the hardiness needed to grow in this region. The vineyard is open to the public April through November for tours, tastings and special events. Galena Cellars also offers tasting rooms, wine patios and gift shops in downtown Galena and Geneva.