KANSAS CITY — Six area wineries took home 41 total awards including seven of the competition’s top honor at the Jefferson Cup Invitational.
In its 23rd year, the 2022 Jefferson Cup Invitational included wines from 25 different states.
Aurora Cellars in Lake Leelanau won three of the seven Jefferson Cup awards at the competition. Top honors were for Aurora’s Brut Rosé, 2021 Grüner Veltliner and a 2018 Medium Sweet Riesling.
Aurora Cellars also won the most total medals among area wineries with 12. Aurora claimed gold for its 2018 Blaufrankisch, seven silver medals and one bronze.
Good Harbor Vineyards in Lake Leelanau — which joins Aurora as Simpson Family Estate wineries — won two Jefferson Cup titles for its 2021 Pinot Noir Rosé and its Blanc de Noirs Benjamin’s Vineyard. It’s the first time Good Harbor has claimed the top honor in the competition, according to winery officials.
Claiming one Jefferson Cup was Brys Estate in Traverse City for its 2021 Dry Riesling and Two K Farms in Suttons Bay for its 2020 Honeycrisp Ice.
“This is just one example of the respect the Traverse Wine Coast is gaining across the country,” Traverse City Tourism President Trevor Tkach said in the release. “Our wineries are well-known for their magnificent panoramic views, but the craftsmanship that goes into the wine is winning fans around the world.”
Good Harbor was just behind Aurora with 11 total medals, including three gold medals for its 2021 Albarino, 2021 Kerner and 2020 Riesling Late Harvest. Good Harbor added five silvers and one bronze.
Brys Estate two silver and three bronze medals to its Jefferson Cup to capture six total medals.
Left Foot Charley in Traverse City won a gold medal for its 2020 Riesling Terminal Moraine and four silver medals.
Mawby Sparkling Wines in Suttons Bay won four medals, taking gold with its 2014 bigLITTLE Wines C3 and Sandpainting X. The other two medals for Mawby were silver.
Two K Farms added one silver and one bronze medal to its Jefferson Cup.
All of the Jefferson Cup winners are available at http://thejeffersoncup.com/. There is a link on the top of that page to all of the 2022 winners by winery.
