Rooster Hill strikes gold, silver in San Fransisco

Rooster Hill Vineyards started out the New Year right with a strong showing at the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition this month. Rooster Hill struck gold with its 2007 Estate Semi Dry Riesling at the competition, and its 2007 Estate Gewurztraminer won a Silver Medal. Rooster Hill is situated on the east shore of Keuka Lake near Penn Yan.It’s the first Gold Medal for Rooster Hill’s 2007 Estate Semi Dry Riesling, said Amy Hoffman, president and co-founder of the winery. But the Estate Semi Dry Riesling now has earned Gold Medals at major competitions for three vintages in a row – 2005, 2006 and 2007, Hoffman said.“That says a lot about the quality of our vineyards and our winemaking skills,’’ she said. She also noted that both the medal-winning wines were estate grown, “which demonstrates our commitment to quality and excellence in our own vineyards.’’Rooster Hill’s Estate Semi Dry Riesling costs $15.99 a bottle and the Estate Gewurztraminer is $19.99.The San Francisco wine competition was held during the week of Jan. 5. Professional wine judges representing trade, education, media, retail, and restaurants throughout the United States evaluated a record 4,736 wines entered by wineries across the country. Founded in 1983, the San Francisco event bills itself as the largest competition of American wines in the world. The competition features every significant type and style of wine from each of the major wine-producing regions in the United States. A public tasting of the winning wines will be held in San Francisco on Feb. 28.