Wine department harvests 14 medals

By Elizabeth Leffall

Fresno State enology students and Winemaster Ken Fugelsang presented the university with 14 medals Friday during an awards ceremony at the university Farm Market.

Among wines from Australia, South America, Mexico and Canada, Fresno State received four gold, five silver and five bronze medals at the 2004 New World International Wine Competition in Ontario in February.

Fugelsang spoke about the stiff competition.

“ This competition was like the quarter-finals of the NCAA. We were competing against 3,400 strong entries,” he said. “Our wines were judged according to a double blind-format which means that the judges didn’t even see the wine labels, instead they were judged according to smell and taste,” Fugelsang said.

Debbie Adishian-Astone, executive director of Auxiliary Services, received the awards on behalf of the university.

“ We are extremely proud of the achievements of our viticulture and enology department here at Fresno State,” she said. “Each year the number of awards and the quality presented increase. These awards symbolize the commitment that both FSU students and faculty have to education, whether in the classroom or hands-on,” Adishian-Astone said.

From the delivery of fruit, to fermentation, to lab analysis, Gina Oberti, a senior majoring in enology and president of the Enology Society, has participated in it all. A student in the department since 2002, Oberti said the program provides a unique learning experience.

“ We had the best hands-on education you can get,” she said. “To be able to work with each wine gives you more of an education than any textbook can, to combine the two encourages success and we’ve succeeded,” Oberti said.

To date, Fresno State remains the first and only university in the nation to establish a commercial winery on campus.

Gold medal wines included:

• 2002 Fresno County Orange Muscat

• 2003 San Joaquin County Primitivo Rose.

• 2002 California Syrah

• California Port Dessert Wine.

The 2002 Fresno County Orange Muscat and 2003 San Joaquin County Primitivo Rosé also each won best of class and best varietal.

Silver medal wines included:

• 2002 San Joaquin County Petite Syrah

• 2001 California Muscat Canelli

• 2001 San Joaquin County Barbera

• 2002 San Joaquin County Barbera

Fresno State wines will be featured at the Celebration of Wine to be held June 6 and can be purchased at the university Farm Market.