Considered the world’s largest and most influential wine competition for more than 20 years, the Decanter World Wine Awards is widely respected for its rigorous judging process and world-class judges. This year, more than 18,000 wines from 57 countries were submitted, sampled, and judged. Out of that vast field, Mazza’s The Perfect Rosé was one of only 20 U.S. wines to win a Gold medal – and the first and only Pennsylvania wine to have ever earned that distinction.
From the results article at Decanter.com:
From the US, West Coast wines feature proudly in the top medal categories, but Pennsylvania and Virginia joined the Gold-medal ranks for the first time.
Virginia’s landmark Gold was awarded to Chestnut Oak Vineyard’s Petit Verdot 2019 from Monticello. In Pennsylvania, Mazza’s The Perfect Rosé 2022, produced with Chambourcin, stands out as a benchmark for wines produced from hybrid grape varieties and less-travelled wine regions.
“We have approached The Perfect Rosé with intentional and pristine craftsmanship both inside and outside of the bottle. It is an honor to have earned this recognition from an equally intentional and highly respected global competition and to be the first gold medal recipient from Pennsylvania,” said Mario Mazza, General Manager & Vice President of Robert Mazza, Inc., the creators of The Perfect Wines.
Decanter’s US Editor, Clive Pursehouse, in his follow up article, Decanter World Wine Awards: America’s emerging wine regions grab Gold, added:
Perhaps the biggest result were the first-ever Golds for a Virginia wine and a French-American hybrid rosé from the state of Pennsylvania. For America’s emerging regions, two Gold medals marked a landmark for the country’s developing viticulture along the East Coast. From the shores of Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie, an astonishing rosé from the French-American hybrid grape Chambourcin, Mazza’s The Perfect Rosé 2022, made in a zippy, bone-dry style, scored 95 points—a first for Pennsylvania and a hybrid from the United States.
Mario Mazza also contributed to the article: ‘Chambourcin grows naturally and bountifully in the Lake Erie AVA,’ Mazza added. ‘So we have a well-honed familiarity with its brilliant colour and bright acidity – both of which provide the perfect framework for an excellent rosé.’
See also coverage from Forbes: The Best U.S. Wine — According To The Decanter World Wine Awards 2024.
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Updated July 1, 2024