Keg Springs wins top honor at southern competition

Winning for Lewis County’s Keg Springs Winery has become a reasonable expectation considering the number of honors received since their opening in June 2004.

And its smart business for one of Tennessee’s newest wineries at Belle Meade Plantation to call upon the expertise of Keg Springs’ Winemaker Brian Hamm as they open for business later this month.

Wines of the South  named Keg Springs’ Monks’s Blackberry as the 2009 Best of Fruit wine during the October 17, 2009 competition held at the University of Tennessee conference center.

This is the first “Best of” award Hamm has claimed but likely will not be the last.  The wine won Best of Fruit in the Dessert and Fruit category.

Two concordance golds were also won by Keg Springs for their Maiden’s White and Muscadine.  M-Lady’s Strawberry earned a gold medal in the competition.  Four silver awards were deserved by Hamm for the Crusade, Princess Peach, Red Muscadine and Sangiovese.  Finally, two bronze medals for the 2006 Cellar Master Reserve in the Cabernet Merlot category and for the 2008 Vidal Blanc rounded out the earnings in the 2009 competition.

It would be remiss to neglect Hamm’s support group.  Brian and his wife, Becky, operate Keg Springs Winery with the undergirding of Brian’s parents, Gerald and Mary Hamm.  Truly a fine example of a Tennessee family’s agricultural collaboration.

Just down the road, Lewis County’s newest winery, Amber Falls Winery & Cellars is also making its name one to remember on the Wines of the South board.  In honor of the 200th anniversary of the death of Lewis County namesake, Meriwether Lewis, Amber Falls’ 2005 Merlot, “Meriwether Lewis” garnered a gold in the competition.

Silver awards earned by Winemaker Pat Cluchey of Amber Falls included the 2007 Blanc du Bois, 2006 Cottage Rose (muscadine), 2005 Crescendo (Cabernet Sauvignon), 2006 Madame Muscadine, 2009 Peach Persuasion and 2006 Rasbury Romance.

Bronze awards earned by Amber Falls Winery & Cellars were the 2007 Blanc du Bois, 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 Creekside  and the 2006 Ruby Trillium.

Amber Falls is owned by Tim and Judy Zaunbrecher.  Theirs too is a family operation as Judy’s brother, Pat, (winemaker) is joined by his wife, Margaret Cluchey at work in the business.  Son, Gabe Zaunbrecher, also pitches in with marketing assistance.

Nearby

in Center-ville, the Grinder’s Switch Winery owned by Joey and Gail Chessor won four silver and two bronze awards.  Winning silver awards were the 2006 Chardonnay, the 2008 Honeysuckle Rose, the Sangiovese and the 2008 Switch Red.  Bronze winners were the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2007 Ivory Mist.

All three wineries, along with Arrington Vineyards in Arrington, are part of the Natchez Trace Wine Trail.

Other wineries acknowledged with top awards included Stonehaus Winery of Crossville with the Best of Show for its 2008 Tickled Pink; Wight-Meyer Vineyards & Winery, Shepherdsville, Kentucky won Best of Blush for its 2008 Kentucky Rose and Best of Dessert for its 2008 Winter Solstice; Mountain Rose Vineyards of Wise, Virginia won Best of Red for its 2008 Dorchester; and Hillside Winery of Sevierville was honored with the Best of Sparkling for its Sonata and with the Best of Tennessee for its 2008 Muscadine Frizz.  Best of White was awarded to the Century Farm Winery of Jackson for its 2008 Traminette.

Award presentations will be made in a ceremony January 28, 2010.