This week, the 2018 MICHELIN Guide New York City star dinner at New York City’s Ziegfeld Ballroom played host to the first collaborative event in the USA, between the restaurant industry’s most famous and trusted critical guide with the globally-renowned benchmark standard in wine criticism, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, and their newly launched Robert Parker Wine Advocate Extraordinary Winery Awards.

“Each year our review team travels the entire wine world seeking out wine greatness first-hand,” explained Robert Parker Wine Advocate Editor-in-Chief, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW. “The annual Extraordinary Winery Awards recognizes those wineries that we believe sit qualitatively above all others each year within the greatest wine regions of the world. On Monday, October 30th 2017, we highlighted the pinnacles of greatness in North and South America with the first set of awards. For each region, we had up to three nominees and one winner, as selected by the reviewer for that region, myself and Robert Parker—our publication’s namesake and president.”

The nominees and winners for each category were as follows:

1. Abreu

2. Harlan Estate - WINNER

3. Outpost

1. Aubert

2. Marcassin - WINNER

3. Peter Michael

1. Alban

2. Saxum

3. Sine Qua Non – WINNER

1. Bethel Heights - WINNER

2. Cristom

1. Cayuse

2. K Vintners

3. Quilceda Creek - WINNER

1. De Martino

2. Errazuriz - WINNER

3. Sena

1. Aleanna

2. Catena Zapata - WINNER

3. Per Se

In addition to the regional Extraordinary Winery Awards, Robert Parker Wine Advocate also highlighted a rising star winery that is currently flying under the radar, which is why they created the Under the Radar Winery Award. This award follows Robert Parker’s tradition of bringing to the attention of the publication’s readership wineries that are poised to become the next-great-thing and well worthy of attention.

1. Herman J. Wiemer, Finger Lakes

2. Rex Hill, Oregon - WINNER

3. Alcohuaz, Chile

The final award was the 2017 Lifetime Winemaker Achievement Award – The Americas. It is the publication’s highest honor, specifically dedicated to a winemaker who has contributed enormously to improving the quality of wine for his or her major area and for the world in general. The very first Lifetime Winemaker Achievement Award for The Americas went to Helen Turley.

“Helen Turley is a pioneer throughout California’s North Coast, having been a winemaker, consultant and mentor for many of the greatest wineries throughout Napa Valley and Sonoma County,” Lisa Perrotti-Brown noted at the awards ceremony. “Just a few of the wineries she has helped to forge into modern day legends include: Colgin, Bryant Family, Peter Michael, Pahlmeyer and Martinelli, while mentoring some of today’s superstars such as Mark Aubert, Heidi Barrett and Philippe Melka. Helen Turley undoubtedly help to set the highest standard for wine greatness that defines Napa Valley and Sonoma County wines today. Today she and husband John Wetlaufer manage the iconic vineyard and production for one of the most sought-after wines in the world: Marcassin.”

More information about the selection process and judging of the Extraordinary Winery Awards can be found here. Forthcoming information about future Extraordinary Winery Awards covering the rest of the wine world will be released in January 2018.

Hero image by Kathryn M. Sheldon.