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Grapes 4 U tastes victory again at international competition

Ladner operation wins U-Vint of the Year for the third straight time

For the third year in a row, Ladner's Grapes 4 U has been awarded U-Vint of the Year at WineMaker Magazine's annual International Amateur Wine Competition.

From April 20 to 22, a total of 4,318 bottles of wine were tasted by experienced, professional judging panels. The wines came from all 50 American states, eight Canadian provinces and other countries around the world.

This event was once again the largest wine competition of its kind.

Throughout the three days, 1,511 judging hours were required to examine the wine employing the University of California - Davis 20-point wine scale.

This evaluates appearance, aroma, taste, aftertaste and overall impression of each entry.

The wines were entered in 50 separate categories, including a broad array of grape varietals and wine styles. Three individual judges tasted each wine.

Winemakers were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals for their entries based on the average score assessed by these professionals.

In January, Don Stewart, who owns Grapes 4 U, coordinated the shipping of 134 bottles of wine to Manchester, Vermont, where the competition took place. These were vinted by 50 local residents, including customers, staff and Stewart.

The group was awarded 47 medals in all - five gold, 21 silver and 21 bronze. This represented a better performance than any other U-Vint group participating in the competition.

Grapes 4 U is classified as a U-Vint - an operation where people can make homemade wines from kits without having to deal with the mess, space or equipment requirements at home.

This August will mark Grapes 4 U's 20th year of doing business in Ladner.