Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition

Taylor Shellfish Farms congratulates the 2009 “Oyster Award” winners.

“Oysters are a celebration…romantic, sexy, luminous,...
The right wine makes them even more so.” Sheila Lukins

After four tiers of judging 132 wines entered in the 2009 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition, five Washington, three California and two Oregon wines have selected as equal winners of the 2009 “Oyster Award”. Wines are judged blind with Kumamoto oysters. Judges chew the oyster well, smell and taste the wine and then rate the “bliss factor”.

Final Judgings were held April 21 at the Water Grill in Los Angeles, April 22 at Sutro's at the Cliff House in San Francisco, and April 23 at Anthony’s HomePort at Shilshole Bay in Seattle. Scores from the 41 oyster-loving judges …food and wine media, restaurateurs, retailers and oyster growers…in the three cities were combined to select the 2009 winners.

Several of the judges say they have the best job in all of food and wine. “Anticipating this judging was like having Rolling Stones concert tickets or catching a great wave,” enthuses Los Angeles judge  Amy Albert, Bon Appetit Senior Associate Editor and avid surfer. “My favorite wine judging!”, says Dr. Robert Small, Chairman, Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition. “I wait all year for this”, says LA Weekly restaurant critic and 2007 Pulitzer winner, Jonathan Gold.

Not many wines go with oysters,  a vibrant combination of minerals, sweetness and the sea. That is why oyster lovers are eager to learn which wines will receive the prestigious 2009 “Oyster Award”.

And the winners are…
(view the press release .pdf .doc)