The Great American International Wine Competition was held May 4th through May 5th, 2019 at the RIT Inn and Conference Center in Rochester, NY. The competition included wine and spirits from across the globe and for the first time cider. In total, 53 judges traveled to Rochester to judge more than 1,000 bottles of wine, 270 distilled spirits and close to 160 New York Hard Ciders.
These world-renowned judges traveled from Germany, Austria, Canada, Slovenia and many other foreign countries, bringing a unique tasting style to each judges table. These judges range from being Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, sommeliers, educators, enologists, winemakers, retailers, importers and wine industry writers and consultants. Dr. Tim O’Connor Sr., one of InterVol's founders has judged this competition for many years. Dr. O’Connor also hosts InterVol’s monthly cooking class, which runs October through May. Dr. O’Connor pairs his own selection of wines with recipes prepared by Chef Ryan Jennings at Max’s Eastman.
To participate in the competition, the wineries, distilleries and cideries submit an entry fee along with four bottles for wine, three bottles for spirits and 72 ounces in total for ciders. Two of these bottles are kept for the competition, the remaining bottles or cans are donated to Raise a Glass Foundation. To support the competition over 100 volunteers came out to pour and serve the judges, wash glasses and pull bottles for the flights.
The two day competition supports the Raise a Glass Foundation, which provides the wines, spirits and ciders to area nonprofits to support their fundraising efforts. InterVol and the Rochester Rotary Club were the beneficiaries for the second year in a row.
The entire staff at InterVol was happy to be a part of the competition and is grateful to be the beneficiary and look forward to next year’s competition!
Click here for this years competition results!