You are here

14th Annual Wines of Chile Awards Announced 13 Category Prizes and 2 Best in Show Winners

November 7, 2017

awoc logo 2017 copy-1       https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Logo-chile-main.jpg

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:
Maura Morton            
Linda Roth Associates, Inc.    
maura@lindarothpr.com  
(202) 888-3573

14th Annual Wines of Chile Awards Announced 13 Category Prizes and 2 Best in Show Winners
To celebrate, 13 D.C. chefs paired the winning wines with dishes highlighting the bounty of Chilean cuisine in a competition-style event
Washington, D.C. (November 7, 2017)Wines of Chile, ProChile, Foods From Chile and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) celebrated the announcement of the 14th Annual Wines of Chile Awards (AWOCA) with a pairing competition last night at the National Restaurant Association building in Washington, D.C. Esteemed members of the food and beverage trade had the opportunity to eat, drink, and experience Chile with dishes from 13 chefs inspired by the South American country, each paired with winning wine.
 
Patrons had the night to taste all dishes with wine pairings and cast their votes for their favorite pairings on social media using the hashtag #AWOCA17. Also among the crowd were seven valued judges below:
Mario Pablo Silva – President, Wines of Chile
Rodrigo Contreras – Trade Commissioner, ProChile
Myriam Gómez, Executive Director, Image of Chile Foundation
Julio Fiol – Charge D´Affairs, Embassy of Chile
Sarah Dolan – Writer and Blogger
Ashley Davidson – Wine Writer
Julio Robledo – Co-founder & President, Grand Cata
 
Last night there were three winners; favorite dish and wine pairing selected by the panel of judges, the people’s choice winner selected by via a social media campaign, and a randomly selected attending member of the trade. All three winners received two round trip tickets to Chile courtesy of LATAM Airlines. The winners were:
JUDGES PAIRING CHOICE
Chef Jesse Miller of Bar Pilar created an Carignan & 5 Spice Beef Belly. Highlighting beef from Patagonia, Chef Miller used young sheep’s milk cheese stuffed prunes with oak smoked beef bacon, honey, honey & sumac yogurt, kabocha squash, merquen, and pickled plum.
PEOPLES PAIRING CHOICE
Daniel Morton from Del Frisco’s Grille Washington DC took the people’s choice award for favorite dish of the night with his Empanadas de Pino. The traditional empanadas were stuffed with merquen spiced ribeye steak and prunes.
Other Chefs who participated included last year’s People’s Choice Winner Chef Steve Mason of Grilled Oyster Co., Chef Victor Albisu of Del Campo, Chef Pablo Catalan of Pennsylvania 6, Chef Angel Roque of Cuba Libre, Chef Kaz Okochi of Kaz Sushi Bistro, Chef Rob Rubba of Hazel, Chef Kamal Chanaka of Smith Commons, Chef Bart Vandaele of Belga and B Too, Chef Brittany Todd of Quarter + Glory, Chef Jenn Flynn of Roofers Union, and Chef Susan Delbert of Fourth Estate.
Winning wines were selected by 27 judges including wine writers, master sommeliers and professionals during a two-day blind tasting of more than 300 wines. The esteemed group awarded 82 gold medals to outstanding wines, two best in show winners, and 13 top placements in varietal categories including: Sparkling, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Carignan, Red Blends, Pinot Noir, Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon.
 
The winners of the 14th Annual Wines of Chile Awards announced yesterday and used in the chef pairings are:
Best Sparkling: Viña Undurraga, Undurraga Rosé Royal N/V
Best Sauvignon Blanc: Viña Haras de Pirque, Albaclara Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Best Other White: Viña Casas del Bosque, Gran Reserva Late Harvest Riesling 2015
Best Chardonnay: Luis Felipe Edwards, Marea Valle de Leyda Chardonnay 2016
Best Pinot Noir: San Pedro, 1865 Selected Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
Best Syrah; Best in Show: Viña Casas Del Bosque, Gran Reserva Syrah 2015
Best Carignan/Secano: Luis Felipe Edwards, LFE100 CIEN Carignan 2012
Best Carménère $25 and over: San José de Apalta, Carménère Blue Label 2015
Best Other Red: Viña Valdivieso, Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2013
Best Red Blend: Viña Cousiño Macul, Lota 2011
Best Cabernet Sauvignon under $20: Viña Requingua, Puerto Viejo Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Best Cabernet Sauvignon $20-$50: Viña Maipo, Protegido Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Best Cabernet Sauvignon over $50; Best in Show: SANTA EMA, Catalina 2014
 
“Our 4th Annual Chilean Chef Challenge was taken to new heights last night,” said Rodrigo Contreras, Trade Commissioner, ProChile. “By pairing Chile’s finest ingredients including free range beef, olive oil, and Patagonia mussels with some of the nation’s most renowned wines selected by Wines of Chile, the event was better than ever. Nothing pairs better with great food than great wine.”
 
For more information, please contact Maura Morton at maura@lindarothpr.com or (202) 888-3573.
About Wines of Chile USA
Wines of Chile is an organization committed to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wine throughout the world. It has offices in Santiago, London and New York, as well as representatives in Canada, Ireland and Denmark. Wines of Chile also works closely with ProChile to develop and offer promotional and educational programs in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Wines of Chile’s 86 member wineries belong to Vinos de Chile and represent 88 percent of Chile’s bottled wine exports. More information is available at www.winesofchile.org.
 
Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)
The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) is the regional trade association representing restaurants and the foodservice industry in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Established in 1920, RAMW is an advocate, resource and community for its members. The Association works to promote and sustain the growth and development of the industry while providing its members legislative and regulatory representation, marketing and small business support, programming and events. RAMW strives to serve its members with professionalism and integrity, and provide them the training, education and support they need to grow a successful business.
Foods from Chile
Born from fjords, grown amid glaciers and harvested from exotic rainforests, the fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat and spirits represented by Foods from Chile are the unique and toothsome result of that country’s diverse terrain and rich natural resources. The Foods from Chile seeks to share this story, inviting to discover how Chile’s fertile mix of coastline, arid terrain, glacial mountains and rainforests produce an abundant and varied range of healthy natural foods.