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Wine Judge Wilford WongTwo Days to Judge Record-Breaking Number of Entries

Grand Cru judges arrive from throughout the United States to participate in the international wine competition. We have a list of professional judges that includes local wholesalers, wine merchants and restaurateurs, as well as wine industry leaders and wine columnists who are skilled in judging under the American Wine Competition System developed for us and a few other forward-thinking competitions. Dan Berger, Syndicated Wine Columnist, Publisher of Vintage Experiences , is continuing as Chief Judge for the tenth year in a row. The competition takes place over two days.

Over 2,000 wine entries are anticipated for 2009.  Hundreds and hundreds of cases of wines are received from February through June in our storage facility and loaded on pallets. In June they are then moved to the competition prep site where all wines entered are processed   for the competition.  One day before the competition the wines are then moved to the Long Beach Petroleum Club site where they will be judged over a period of two days.

The Competition will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, 2009. The competition is closed to the public.

For information on the LBGC's judging process, please visit Judging Process.

2008 Wine Competition Entries

To meet the demands of another record-breaking year, the Grand Cru is continually improving its computer systems to provide results accurately, efficiently and quickly. Judges are selected by a Steering Committee chaired by Dan Berger and recruited from a pool of winemakers, restaurateurs, wine store representatives, noted wine writers, educators and recognized wine connoisseurs.

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(as of July 23, 2009)

Dan Berger, Chief Judge
Syndicated Wine Columnist and Publisher of Vintage Experiences

A message from our Chief Judge, Dan Berger [Please View Now]

  • Steve Bloom, Importer, Tesori Wines, San Francisco CA
  • Tom Bohr, Professional Wine Tasting Champion
  • Mark Bunter, Owner, Bunter Spring Winery and Bunter Wine Consulting, Napa CA
  • Rene Chazottes, Sommelier, Pacific Club, Newport Beach, CA
  • Christopher Cook, Wine & Restaurant Writer, Hour Magazine, Detroit MI
  • Mitch Cosentino, Owner-Wine Maker, Cosentino Winery, Yountville CA
  • Mike Dunne, Food and Wine Writer, Sacramento Bee, Sacramento CA
  • Traci Dutton, Sommelier, Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena CA
  • Bob Foster, Assistant Editor, California Grapevine, San Diego CA
  • Ron Gillies, Importer, Lone Cypress Importers
  • Jane Goodnight, V.P. Sales, Young’s Market Company, CA
  • Wes Hagen, Wine Maker, Clos Pepe, Lompoc CA
  • Joe Hart, Owner-Wine Maker, Hart Winery, Temecula CA
  • Randy Kemner, Wine Merchant, The Wine Country, Signal Hill CA
  • Ellen Landis, Sommelier, Wine Writer, Co-Owner, Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn
  • Ken Landis, Chef, Co-Owner, Landis Shores Oceanfront Inn
  • Adam LaZarre, Winemaker, Director of Operations, Villa San Juliette; LaZarre Family Wines, Paso Robles CA
  • Ann Littlefield, Marketing Specialist, Wise Academy CA
  • Douglas Lumgair, Partner & Winegrower, Windsor Oaks Vineyards and Winery, Windsor, CA
  • Julie Hagler Lumgair, Partner/Wine Maker, Windsor Oaks Vineyards & Winery, Windsor, CA
  • Michael Martini, Master Wine Maker, Louis M. Martini Winery, Calistoga, CA
  • Tim McDonald, President, Wine Spoken Here, Napa, CA
  • Dr. Fred Nury, Emeritus Professor of Enology, CSU Fresno CA
  • Jeff Slankard, Wine Director, Barons Marketplace, San Diego CA
  • Clark Smith, Wine Maker, Vinovation/SmithCraft, Sebastopol CA
  • Mike Stepanovich, Wine Journalist, Bakersfield CA
  • David Stevens, Wine Consultant,  Davon International Wine Consulting, Napa, CA
  • Tom Stolpman, Owner, Stolpman Vineyards
  • Tom Sweet, Owner, Mandevilla Restaurant, Westlake Village CA
  • Jim Trezise, President, N.Y. Wine & Grape Foundation, Penn Yan, NY
  • David Vergari, Wine Maker, Vergari Wines, Sierra Madre CA
  • Gus Vizgirda, Wine Maker, Maurice Carrie Wines, La Cereza Winery, Temecula CA

Meet the 2009 Judges (Slide Show)

"All of the entries are of premium status, which puts the tasters on their mettle," observed Chair Judge Dan Berger. "Every wine in every entry becomes a challenge," he added.