Southwest Wine Competition results "Excellent"

2009 Southwest Wine Competition is now complete!!! Six judges from 4 states met on June 24 and 25 to judge 146 wines from Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. Here is a summary of the results from Competition Leader (and International Wine Master) Jay Bileti:


We judged 146 wines. There were an astonishing 104 medals awarded; 71% of the wines entered were recognized. There were 57 Bronze medals (39%), 39 Silver medals (27%) and 5 Gold medals (3%). These are amazing results. The judging panel was comprised of six very experienced wine judges, all of which with extensive international wine competition credentials. The panel was instructed to judge the wines in this competition on a world class scale. That is to say that we did not establish some arbitrary lesser scale to reflect a lesser growing region; the panel judged the wines on the same scale and using the same criteria they would for any world class wine. The number of medals awarded indicate that very high quality and consistent wines are being produced in the southwest.

Considering the large percentage of awards it is tempting to conclude that the judging panel was “loose” in its evaluations, or overly generous. I can assure you that is not the case. These experienced professionals studied each wine with a critical eye – the wines were simply, as a group, excellent.


The final results will be posted at the Toast of Taos website on July 1. Come to Toast of Taos to taste some award-winning wines!! The events run July 2-July 11, and tickets range from $25-$300.

Charity Auctions Stuffed with Goodies

The Toast of Taos auctions are going to be GREAT!!!

This year we have four auctions for Toast of Taos, and the featured goodies are incredible. There are complete catalogs online at http://www.toastoftaos.com/auction.html. Here are a few samples of the goodies:

Original oil painting by Ken Daggett: Ice on the Shore

Original sculpture by Steven Gootgeld: Love’s Perspective

Sterling and Rhodochrocite Bracelet by Mercedes Montoya

Case of Loring Wine Company 2007 Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard

The auctions will be held July 2 at the Sabroso Dinner, July 3 at the Lambert's Dinner, July 9 at the Stakeout Dinner, and July 11 at the El Monte Celebration. Review the auction catalogs, check out the menus, and buy your tickets at http://www.toastoftaos.com/.

Toast of Taos menus are mouthwatering

Greetings, food and wine lovers.

Several Toast of Taos restaurants have put together the menus for their dinners, including the wine pairings, and they are now posted online at http://www.toastoftaos.com/events.html. The posted menus are for:

Sabroso Restaurant, July 2
Graham's Grille Restaurant, July 2
Old Blinking Light Restaurant, July 2
Lambert's Restaurant, July 3
Stakeout Restaurant, July 9
Old Blinking Light Restaurant, July 9

Take a look, and may the drooling begin!!! Be sure to get your tickets before they sell out!

Toast of Taos Poster Artwork SELLS!!!

News flash!!!

The original painting for 2009 Toast of Taos--Kit Lynch's Happy Harvest--sold today. At a reception unveiling the new digital mammogram machine for Holy Cross Hospital, two hospital pharmacy directors--John Hutchinson and Tamara Brown--fell in love with the painting and bought it!

Kit Lynch, the incredible artist, is donating 40% of the purchase price to Holy Cross Hospital. Thank you , Kit, and thank you John and Tamara!!! Take a look at the Toast of Taos poster created from this image at http://www.toastoftaos.com/. Kit shows at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art in Taos, NM.

By the way, Toast of Taos proceeds this year will help to pay for this new mammogram machine. It is the most sophisticated in the state. The radiation dose resulting from a mammogram is the lowest of any mammogram machine, and it is fully upgradable as the technology for breast imaging progresses.

Help us pay for this incredible piece of equipment by coming to 2009 Toast of Taos!!! Check it out at http://www.toastoftaos.com/.

Argentina Wines Come to Taos

A great wine and food pairing: The Sabroso Dinner!!!

Gaucho Imports in bringing two exciting Argentina wineries to Toast of Taos. This year we are having a wine dinner at Sabroso Restaurant for the first time. This restaurant is near Arroyo Seco, a few miles northeast of Taos. The setting is beautiful and features a large outdoor patio. Chef Tim Woolridge is know for his fantastic meats. The wine dinner starts at 6 pm on July 2 and also includes an auction.

What better kind of wine to pair with Sabroso food than bold, vivid Argentina wines? This year, the Sabroso dinner will feature the wines of Luigi Bosca.

In addition, Gaucho Imports is bringing Baguala wines to the Art D'Vine Gallery Tour on July 10. This year 19 galleries will be open that night from 5-9 pm. Each gallery will feature sumptuous food from the best restaurants in Taos and great wine. Tickets are $35 each and can be ordered at http://www.toastoftaos.com/.

Poster Competition is Spectacular

2009 Toast of Taos is almost here!!

Our festivities kicked off in March, when we unveiled the newest Toast of Taos Commemorative Poster at a big reception at San Geronimo Lodge. Over 100 art lovers showed up to sip Guadalupe Vineyards Riesling and Gewurstaminer and the glorious red wines of Vivac Winery. Almost all the artists who entered the competition greeted fans and showed their work.

This year 27 artists entered all kinds of art work, including photos, jewelry, sculpture, and paintings. Some of the names include Peggy McGivern, Ann Cole, Stephen Kilborn, Shelbee Mares, Laurie Phelps, Pat Woodall, and Kit Lynch, just to name a few. The only requirements for entry were that the piece have something to do with wine and that the artist come from the Taos area.

Judges evaluated the entries for artistic merit, visual appeal, regional representation, and wine
focus. The top two images--Happy Harvest by Kit Lynch and Ready and Waiting by Ann Cole were both so terrific and different that we decided to make posters of each. They are available for sale at http://www.toastoftaos.com/.

Come meet all the artists and see their works at this year's Toast of Taos Summer of Love Wine Tasting on July 4 at KTAO Solar Center in Taos. You can get tickets at http://www.toastoftaos.com/.