What could be better than sipping some of the finest wine currently being produced? Have it set in a room full of 150,000 orchids! On February 26th, the Pacific Orchid Exposition held it’s annual Gala with live music, orchids and wine tasting. The room was magnificant with every single imaginable color and style and orchid could come in. And interwoven between the flowers were 22 wineries, some award winners from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. Here are just a few of the wines that I found noteworthy.

Best of Show– Montemaggiore

The Syrah & and the Cabernet Sauvignon from Montemaggiore were the overall winners. Young currently, they are going to be blossoming in the coming years. The Cab was the breadwinner of the night. Closing your eyes, you could easily picture ripe blueberries swirled together with a chocolate mocha—just on the nose. Yum. The wines were spectacularly clean, with a good amount of tannins, are sure to calm down in a matter of years.

Coolest label and coolest wine–
Steele Wine Blue Franc Lemberger 2008

This wine clearly had the lightest taste of all of the reds and yet had the biggest back story. The Blue Franc is actually made from BlauFrankisch grapes, which literally means “blue grape from France.” The winery’s owner discovered the grape while traveling through Austria. In America, you’re best bet is to find it in the Columbia Valley, where the latitude is close to what Austria’s is.

This wine is going to be awesome in the summer time. It’s light, very light on the palate. But excellently executed in a way that is still very balanced. There is a fair amount of fruit in this wine; think boysenberry & cherry pie, topped with a little spice. You can drink this wine at normal room temperature, but chill it about 10 more degrees and you’ll be in for a treat. Joy Merrilees, winemaker, concurred and added that it would be perfect for a backyard barbecue. She also added that this wine would be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner.

At $12.50 a bottle, it ‘s a great light drinking red wine. The Blue Franc is on the same wavelength as Peju’s Provence, another red wine that can be served cold.

Best Chardonnay of the night– Perry Creek Winery

Located in the Sierra Foothills you’ll find a Chardonnay that has decided to take a soak in Austrian Oak barrels, a completely different departure than other Chards. I was taken aback when I assumed, when asking the oak style, it would either be French or American. The wine has about 66% ML, giving it a light & creamy oak texture. It’s more on the citrus side with hints of green apples. Simply, wow. I wasn’t expecting to find such a fine balance of cream / butter and apples in a Chardonnay. The finish is perfect, with the wine lingering for a good few minutes. Take time to savor this Chardonnay.

Honorable mention– Rockwall Winery

Like father like daughter. Winemaker  Shauna Rosenblum, has a great winery on her hands. Her wines are clean, balanced and focused. Her Zin from Sonoma County is comprised of deep berries mixed in with a hint of violet. Simply well-made wines.