1. 2015 Amateur Wine Competition Third Annual Amateur Wine Competition April 19, 2015

2. Thank You Silver Coast

3. AWS and Chapter News  Don’t forget to purchase your Wine Fest tickets.  Welcome new members Dave and Terry LaClaire.  AWS has added 445 new members thru mid March.  AWS will be selling AWS Logo merchandise in the near future.  Members can now watch videos of selected conference sessions on the AWS website.  2015 National Conference registration will start at 7 PM on Aug. 2  Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux will sponsor a luncheon and will be pouring their 2012 vintage.

4. Wine Fest … Golf Cart Raffle

5. Future Chapter Events  April 25 th Wine Fest 2015  May 8 th Australian and New Zealand Wines (Southport)  May 24 th A Tuscan Experience by Joe Villante  June 12 th Argentinean and Chilean Wines (Southport)  June 28 th The Magic of Portugal  JulyNo Meeting  Aug 12 th NTP (Southport)  Aug 30 th National Wine Tasting Project  Sep 27 th QVC Tasting

6. Wine Facts and Info …  “Zymurgy” also known as Zymology - is the science and study of fermentation.  Recent testing has revealed that Italian Primitivo is the genetic parent of California Zinfandel.  Pennsylvania and Utah have the most restrictive and often bizarre, liquor laws in the country.  Starting Dec.1 restaurants with 20 or more locations will be required to post calorie counts for alcoholic beverages on the menu. (Dry wine 120 – 130 /5oz.)  Nielsen study finds US grocery store sales of wine are up 9% to $8.6B. Consumers spend an additional $28 per trip in stores where wine is sold.  Studies have shown that our ancient ancestors had a thirst for alcohol. ADH4 gene common to humans, chimps, and gorillas.

7. Amateur Wine Competition Judging Competition uses certified American Wine Society Judges.

8. Amateur Wine Competition Judging

10. Amateur Wine Competition … by the numbers

13. Amateur Wine Competition … Top 10

14. AWS Top Amateur Winemakers (2010 -2014)

15. Amateur Wine Competition Comments  Quality wines require quality fruit.  Judges are only human and do their very best in evaluating a wine.  Less is always better. Don’t go overboard with flavorings or wine combinations.  Does your style make sense?  As a winemaker you should know what wine category your wine belongs in.

16. MEDAL PRESENTATION

17. "I was in love with a beautiful blonde once. She drove me to drink...and that’s the one thing for which I’m indebted to her!" (W. C. Fields in Never Give a Sucker an Even Break)

19. Till next month...be good, behave and be well. Godspeed and Best Wishes everyone!!