Winning wines with oysters

Winning wines with oysters Posted by Bill Daley
On http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2010/04/wines-oysters.html

2008 Hedges CMS Whi#10D8ED5
Pairing oysters on the half-shell with a chilled glass or two of white wine is one of life's simplest yet blissful moments. Finding which wines work best is the delectable job each year for judges in the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition. The top 10 wines in the 2010 contest, the 16th annual, were announced today.

Wineries from California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington were invited to submit wines. Some 167 wines were entered in the competition, according to a contest press release. Twenty wines were chosen as finalists and they, in turn, were tasted by 34 judges.

The judges' mission: Find the 10 best West Coast "oyster wines."Here are their winning wines in alphabetical order:

2009 Anne Amie Muller-Thurgau Cuvee A (Oregon)

2009 Anne Amie Pinot Gris (Oregon)

2008 Chateau Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc (Washington)

2008 Columbia Pinot Gris (Washington)

2008 Franciscan Sauvignon Blanc (California)

2008 Hedges CMS White (Washington)

2009 Heitz Sauvignon Blanc (California)

2008 King Estate Acrobat Pinot Gris (Oregon)

2008 King Estate Pinot Gris (Oregon)

2009 Kunde Sauvignon Blanc (California)

The 16th Annual 2010 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition is sponsored by Taylor Shellfish Farms of Sheldon, Wash. Taylor is a fifth-generation, family-owned company producing oysters, Manila clams, mussels, geoduck and shellfish seed for national and international markets.

Tribune file photos