Winners in the Santa Barbara County Fair Wine Competition say the awards are a coup for their wineries and expect the honors to boost wine sales 7 at least in the short term.

Some vintners say the awards also provide locals with greater insight into the variety and high quality of wines being produced using grapes grown within the county/s microclimates.

Topping the list of winners with best-of-show awards were a Curtis 2004 Syrah from Vogelzang Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley for red wines and a Kenneth Volk 2005 Chardonnay &#8220Santa Maria CuveeC for whites.

Only one double gold medal was awarded 7 to William James Cellars/ 2005 Syrah.

The awards, as well as gold, silver and bronze medals, were announced following a blind tasting May 2 at the Radisson Hotel in Santa Maria.

Twenty judges 7 ranging from viticulturists and winemakers to purveyors, critics, consumers and members of the media 7 in five panels compared varietals of similar sugar content to determine the winners, contest officials said.

A total of 33 wineries poured their best made from grapes grown in Santa Barbara County and bottled under various labels. In all, 46 labels won awards.

Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards earned the most awards with 10 medals, followed by Rancho Sisquoc and Summerland labels with eight each, McKeon-Phillips with six and Curtis, Costa de Oro, Sunstone, Casa Cassara, Lafond and Rideau labels with five each. (For a complete tally of winners, see the accompanying list.)

Chuck Carlson, winemaker at Curtis Vineyards, said the awards are very important locally.

&#8220It/s nice for people to see what we have and what we/re doing with the local stuff,C he said. &#8220It/s definitely important for us.C

Carlson said the weather was a major factor in his Santa Maria Syrah winning best of show for reds.

&#8220The vintage is from 2004, which was a very interesting year,C Carlson said. &#8220It was very well-balanced climatically, with nice, even temperatures. We didn/t have a lot of spikes.

&#8220It was very hot, then it cooled and gave us a deep ripening,C he explained. &#8220The tannin level was proportionately parallel with the sugar. … It still had a ripe, natural flavor, but the tannin developed evenly as well, which works well for us.C

Carlson said the Vogelzang Vineyard is about 10 miles east of the Tepusquet Road winery, and usually has warmer temperatures, so the weather has to be just right to get that even balance.

&#8220The winemaking style for that wine is to show and promote the fruit, to bring that to the forefront and not allow the wine to be overextracted,C he said.

To achieve that, the wine was not allowed to ferment long on the skins, the goal being to obtain the color and flavor early, then it was pressed off a little earlier than usual.

In all, Curtis took home five awards 7 the best of show and four silver medals for two syrahs, a &#8220Heritage CuveeC and a viognier.

Winemakers say the recognition afforded by such awards can translate into increased business because many consumers 7 especially novice wine drinkers with limited knowledge 7 use awards as buying guidelines.

But some winemakers, such as Norm Huber of Lompoc, said that award-driven demand is often short-lived because people have short memories.

&#8220A lot of times, you win an award, people read about it, and they buy the wine,C said Huber. &#8220You have a lot of sales at first. Then, after a while, they forget and you get washed under again.C

Huber Cellars/ 2005 Chardonnay, Barrel Fermented, captured a gold medal in the competition, and the 2005 Estate Pinot Noir won a bronze.

But Huber noted he was also informed this week that the Huber Cellars 2005 Dornfelder Santa Rita Hills Estate Grown won a gold medal, and the 2005 Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills Estate Grown won a silver medal in the Orange County Fair wine competition.

He said he hopes the awards from that prestigious competition will give yet another sales boost to his small winery, which produces a combined total of 1,500 cases a year of its three varietals.

&#8220I hope we get some good sales out of it,C said Huber, who has had his vineyards for 20 years, but only started producing his own wine in 2000, making small lots by hand with consulting winemaker Norman Yost.

Huber attributed the spate of awards to his Santa Rita Hills vineyards/ sandy loam soil, the area/s excellent water, and giving the vines &#8220good exposureC so the fruit ripens well.

&#8220It/s probably the way we take care of it,C he said of the vineyards and the winemaking process. &#8220The way we do things is a little different than some of the other wineries.C

Winning wines

Two awards for best of show, a double gold, gold, silver and bronze medals were recently awarded in the Santa Barbara County Fair Wine Competition. Here/s the list of winners:

Best of show, red

Curtis 2004 Syrah, Vogelzang Vineyard, Santa Ynez Valley

Best of show, white

Kenneth Volk 2005 Chardonnay, Santa Maria Cuvee

Double gold medal

William James Cellars 2005 Syrah

Gold medals

Addamo 2005 Pinot Noir

Brander 2006 Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Barbara County

Bridlewood 2003 Syrah

Costa de Oro 2005 Estate Pinot Noir

Daniel Gehrs 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Epiphany 2006 Grenache Rose

Firestone 2006 Gewurztraminer

Flying Goat Cellars 2005 Pinot Noir, Solomon Hills

Harrison-Clarke 2005 Grenache

Huber Cellars 2005 Chardonnay, Barrel Fermented

J. Wilkes 2005 Pinot Noir, Solomon Hills;

McKeon-Phillips 2003 Cabernet Franc, Vogelzang Vineyard

McKeon-Phillips 2005 Chardonnay, Goodchild Vineyard

Rancho Sisquoc 2004 Syrah

Santa Barbara Winery, 2000 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc

Summerland 2004 Syrah, Bien Nacido Vineyard

Sunstone 2006 Syrah Rose.

Silver medals

Addamo 2005 Grenache

Addamo 2005 Syrah

Brander 2006 Sauvignon Blanc &#8220NicholasC

Bridlewood 2004 Syrah Reserve

Brophy-Clark 2005 Pinot Noir

Brophy-Clark 2005 Syrah

Buttonwood Farm 2006 Syrah Rosé

Casa Cassara 2005 Pinot Noir

Casa Cassara 2004 Syrah

Casa Cassara 2003 Syrah

Clos Pepe 2005 Pinot Noir

Costa de Oro 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon

Costa de Oro 2005 Estate Pinot Noir

Costa de Oro 2005 Estate Chardonnay

Curtis 2004 Syrah &#8220AmbassadorsC

Curtis 2004 Syrah &#8220CrossroadsC

Curtis 2004 &#8220Heritage CuveeC

Curtis 2005 Viognier

Daniel Gehrs 2004 &#8220OzymandiasC

East Valley 2004 Sangiovese

Epiphany 2004 Syrah

Fess Parker 2004 Syrah

Firestone 2005 Chardonnay

Flying Goat Cellars 2005 Pinot Noir

Great Oaks Ranch 2003 Syrah

Harrison-Clarke 2005 Syrah

Io 2004 Io Blend

Kenneth Volk 2004 Pinot Noir

Koehler 2005 Estate Chardonnay

Koehler 2006 Estate Riesling

Lafond 2004 Pinot Noir

Lafond 2005 Syrah

Lafond 2005 Chardonnay

Lafond 2005 Estate Chardonnay

Longoria 2004 &#8220Blues CuveeC

Lucas & Lewellen 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

Lucas & Lewellen 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Lucas & Lewellen 2004 Merlot

Lucas & Lewellen 2004 Pinot Noir

Lucas & Lewellen 2003 Toccata

Lucas & Lewellen 2005 Chardonnay

Lucas & Lewellen 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Michael Grace 2006 &#8220GMSC

Monsoon Cellars 2004 Sangiovese

Monsoon Cellars 2004 Syrah

Monsoon Cellars 2005 Chardonnay

Mosby 2004 Sangiovese

Nipa Cellars 2005 Syrah

Ovene 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Qupe 2005 Syrah

Rancho Sisquoc 2004 &#8220Cellar Select MeritageC

Rancho Sisquoc 2005 Chardonnay

Rideau 2004 Syrah

Rideau 2006 Rousanne

Rideau 2004 &#8220Chateau du Planter CuveeC

Rideau 2005 Chardonnay

Rideau 2006 Grenache Blanc

Sagebrush Annie/s 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon

Santa Barbara Winery 2005 Reserve Chardonnay

Siempre 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

Summerland 2005 &#8220TrioC

Summerland 2005 Chardonnay

Summerland 2006 Viognier

Sunstone NV &#8220Rapsodie du SolielC

Sunstone 2004 Syrah

Sunstone 2004 &#8220ErosC

Zaca Mesa 2004 &#8220Z CuveeC

Zaca Mesa 2005 Rousanne

Zaca Mesa 2006 Viognier

Bronze medals

Anglim 2005 Viognier

Brophy-Clark 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Buttonwood 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon

Buttonwood 2002 &#8220TrevinC

Byron Vineyard & Winery 2004 Pinot Noir

Carhartt 2004 Estate Merlot

Casa Cassara 2005 Pinot Noir

Casa Cassara 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Consilience 2005 Pinot Noir

Consilience 2005 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido

Consilience 2004 Syrah

Consilience 2004 Petit Sirah

Costa de Oro 2005 Chardonnay

East Valley 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

Epiphany 2004 &#8220Red Wine RevelationC

Epiphany 2006 Pinot Gris

Fess Parker 2005 Pinot Noir

Fess Parker 2006 Riesling

Fess Parker 2005 Viognier

Firestone 2004 Syrah

Firestone 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

Gnesa Family Vineyard 2005 Chardonnay

Great Oaks Ranch 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Huber Cellars 2005 Estate Pinot Noir

Koehler Winery 2005 Grenache

Koehler Winery Pinot Noir

Lafond Winery 2004 Pinot Noir

Longoria Wines 2004 &#8220Blues CuveeC

Lucas & Lewellen 2004 Merlot

Lucas & Lewellen 2005 Pinot Noir

Lucas & Lewellen 2004 Syrah

McKeon-Phillips 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon

McKeon-Phillips 2003 Merlot &#8220ReserveC

McKeon-Phillips 2003 Syrah

McKeon-Phillips 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Michael Grace 2005 Syrah

Monsoon Cellars 2005 Viognier

Mosby 2006 Pinot Grigio

Ovene Winery 2005 Viognier

Rancho Sisquoc 2004 Merlot &#8220ReserveC

Rancho Sisquoc 2004 Malbec

Rancho Sisquoc 2006 Riesling

Rancho Sisquoc 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

Rancho Sisquoc 2006 Sylvaner

Sagebrush Annie/s 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon

Santa Barbara Winery 2004 Primitivo

Summerland 2005 Pinot Noir &#8220Rancho Santa RosaC

Summerland 2005 Pinot Noir &#8220Solomon HillsC

Summerland 2006 Sauvignon Blanc

Summerland 2005 Pinot Noir SBC

Sunstone 2004 Estate Syrah

William James 2005 Grenache

Zaca Mesa 2003 Syrah

Source: Santa Barbara County

Fair Wine Competition Web site

Mike Hodgson can be reached at 739-2221 or mhodgson@santamariatimes.com.