NKyTribune staff
Atwood Hill Winery’s Estate Vidal Blanc was chosen “Best White Wine” in the fourth annual Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition last month at Sullivan University.
Atwood Hill Winery’s vineyard. The Morning View winery’s Estate Vidal Blanc was chosen “Best White Wine” in the fourth annual Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition (provided photo).
Atwood Hill Winery, located in Morning View, in Kenton County, sits on the property of the sixth-generation Clinkinbeard family farm, which was established in 1918.
Atwood Hill was among those featured in a Tribune story about Northern Kentucky’s Back Roads Wine Trail.
Kentucky was home to the first commercial vineyard in the United States and was a significant grape- and wine-producing state until the industry was all but shuttered during Prohibition.
Kentucky’s grape and wine industry was revived in the 1990s, and today Kentucky has 70 small-farm wineries. An economic impact study commissioned by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) and the Kentucky Grape & Wine Council found that the Commonwealth’s grape and wine industry had an economic impact of $165.3 million in 2014.
Five Kentucky wineries, including Baker-Bird Winery in Augusta for its Silver Swallow wine, took home Commissioner’s Cup honors in the competition.
See the Tribune’s feature on Baker-Bird Winery here .
“Congratulations to all the winners and their outstanding wines,” Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said. “Our wineries continue to produce exceptional wines that should make every Kentucky wine lover Kentucky Proud.”
After decades of growing tobacco, Atwood Hill Winery’s vines were planted in 2005 and 2006 have now matured with bountiful grapes.
Julie Clinkenbeard, second from right, owner of Atwood Hill Winery in Morning View, accepts the award for Best Dry White Wine in the Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition on Monday in Louisville. Also pictured are, from left: Keith Rogers, chief of staff for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture; Tyler Madison, Grape and Wine Marketing Program manager for the KDA; and Miss Kentucky Laura Jones. (Kentucky Department of Agriculture photos)
The three-acre vineyard offers French hybrid varieties: a Cayuga white and a robust Chambourcin red grape, in addition to its award-winning Vidal Blanc.
The pruning season at Atwood Hill starts in the early spring and includes detailed vineyard management throughout the summer months.
At Atwood, the grapes are hand-picked and the de-stemming, crushing and pressing are all done on site. One of the first wineries established in Kenton County, Atwood Hill showcases 14 different varieties of wines, including prominent estate wines.
The original farmhouse on the property, renovated in 2012 and renamed the Farmstead, can now be booked for private parties.
Visitors are we welcome to visit the family winery, located at 1616 Spillman Road, in Morning View. Click here for hours of operation and additional information
The Commissioner’s Cup winners and their winning wines, by award, winery, location, wine, and vintage, included:
- Best White Wine: Atwood Hill Winery, Morning View, Estate Vidal Blanc
- Best Rose/Blush: Equus Run Vineyards, Midway, Bluegrass Bubbles Blush
- Best Red: Rising Sons Winery, Lawrenceburg, Cataldo’s Salute, 2012
- Best Sweet/Dessert/Fruit: Baker-Bird Winery, Augusta, Silver Swallow
- Best Boutique (under 100 case production): Cave Hill Winery, Eubank, Reserve Chambourcin, 2014
Purple Toad Winery of Paducah was awarded eight gold medals to lead all wineries. A total of 201 wines were entered in the competition.
The Commissioner’s Cup and medal winners were announced at a dinner Monday in Louisville. They will be honored at a gala Saturday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Speed Art Museum in Louisville.
Tickets to the gala are $50 and can be purchased online at competition.kentuckywine.com/event/. Tickets entitle guests to tastings of the Commissioner’s Cup wines and gold medal wines, heavy hors d’oeuvres by Wiltshire Pantry, live entertainment, and more.
To find out more about the KDA’s Grape & Wine Marketing Program, go to kyagr.com/marketing/grape-wine.html.
For full results from the Kentucky Commonwealth Commercial Wine Competition and more information about Kentucky wineries, including an interactive map, go to competition.kentuckywine.com/awards.
