Wine Competitions generally seek to award the art and science of winemaking. The Palmetto Wine Competition is no different in that regard. The goal is not to find the best wine, but to find the wine best to its style and varietal standard. In other words, wines aren’t judged against others in the competition, they are judged on their own merit against the highest standard for that particular wine style and varietal. The one and only goal of The Palmetto Wine Competition is to promote in a positive way, the twenty plus wine, mead, and cider producers of South Carolina. 
The Palmetto Wine Competition utilizes the twenty point American Wine Society scale. An exceptional wine will score 17.5 or more points, but it would be rare to see a wine score above nineteen points. A very good, not exceptional, wine would be scored from fifteen to seventeen points. A better than average wine would be scored at thirteen to fourteen points. Half points are accepted, but no other fractional points can be awarded. The total of the judges scores are calculated and then averaged.
Wines are scored on Appearance, Bouquet or Aroma, Taste and Texture, Aftertaste, and finally Overall Impression or Balance. Our judges implement the six S technique to evaluate the wines; See, Swirl, Sniff, Sip, Savor, and Spit! After all, they will be judging many wines during the course of the event.
Appearance: awarded up to 3 points
Appearance is judged by a wine’s clarity, color, and consistency. Specific varietals have distinct colors.
Aromas & Bouquet – awarded up to 6 points
Aromas are judged by pleasantry, distinguishability, complexity, and expressiveness.
Taste & Texture – awarded up to 6 points
Taste and texture is measured by a wines favorable flavor notes, flavor complexity, balance of sweetness and acidity, distinguishability, intensity, and mouth feel.
Aftertaste – awarded up to 3 points
Aftertaste is judged by a wines pleasantry, distinguishability, and length of it’s lingering on the taste buds.
Overall Impression – awarded up to 2 points
Overall impression is the factor where a judge will mostly use his or her discretion of a wines overall drinkability based on their knowledge and experience in evaluating wines. 
A few tips we provide our judges are as follows;
1. Be fragrance free.
2. Try to eat one hour prior to start. Do not judge on empty stomach.
3. Wear soft colors to minimize background color reflections for other judges.
4. Taste the wine in silence, discuss only after completion of tasting.
5. Be objective and consistent.
6. Consistently regulate swirling.
7. Don’t be prejudiced by one aspect of the wine.
8. Only unsalted snacks which are provided, no mints or gum.
9. Avoid being a middle of the road scoring judge.
10. Accept direction from Head Judge, but have confidence you are qualified to judge the wine! 
The producers of the wines judged at the Palmetto Wine Competition are all local family owned small business people. Their craft is their livelihood. We accept this reality with a tremendous sense of responsibility to organize a competition that is professional and fair. It is our responsibility to ensure our judges are immensely qualified, knowledgeable, and professional. We feel great about this year’s panel of judges and a genuine excitement to present this year’s medals and awards! 
Entering the tasting room we spotted the irresistible vineyard dog Buddy, just leisurely lounging on the couch. 
RagApple Lassie has 40 acres under vine and all of their award winning wines are produced from estate grown fruit. 
We settled into our tractor seat bar stool and Holly tended to our wine tasting experience. First was the Pinot Gris, not a varietal commonly found growing in North Carolina. This is the perfect wine to start a tasting as it’s fragrant, fruity, light, and crisp. Second we sampled the Viognier. Next a white blend and two Chardonnay’s followed, one barrel aged and one an unoaked. The barrel fermented Chardonnay was bottled during the 2017 solar eclipse.
It’s easy to taste why RagApple Lassie has won multiple awards for their estate grown wines. Factoring in the charm and character of the tasting room, with live music, fun people, and plenty of space to relax and enjoy a bottle, just no wonder for their success. We strongly recommend that RagApple Lassie is high on the agenda for your next Yadkin Valley winery escapade!
To say we enjoyed our visit with owner Tom and manager Aubrey would be a gross understatement. They are hilarious! Aubrey started our tasting by expressing, “we don’t know what we’re doing!” That’s certainly not true, they know fine well what they’re doing!
It shows in how well their wine taste, and in how they treat their customers. Traditional muscadine wines along with several tasty fruit infused wines can be tasted from mini red solo cups! Our favorite was the Honeymoon Delight and the Moonlight Imagination. 
The vineyard features around 19 acres under vine, growing mostly Carlos and Noble muscadine varietals. Cartersville Country Winery does it all, they have all the vineyard and winemaking equipment including two grape harvesters. 
Last April, the wineries three story wedding and event center was decimated by fire. A few boards remain that still show some charring. Perhaps left as a vivid reminder of the immense devastation. 
It’s been a slow rebuild though steadily progress has been achieved. An outside wedding event space surrounded by the vineyard is currently in the works. Overnight accommodations on the second floor have been completed and the indoor event area has been refinished. 
Several full hookups are available for RV overnight stays. The outside patio and screened-in porch feature beautiful vineyard views, plus Tom’ old Model A. 
The tasting room offers a country charm certainly not out of character. You’ll find an old rotary pay phone plus an antique Coca-Cola ice chest. 
It’s amazing what this one man’s hobby, has now developed into. Originally the winery was to be named Crescent Moon Vineyards, but copyright issues ensued and led Tom to the name Cartersville Country Winery. Still today a few reminders remain from the early days. 
Though without doubt Cartersville Country Winery continues to rebuild and press forward. Offering a fun and charming place to stay, celebrate, or just spend a day with friends. Their wines can be found in retailers from Columbia to Myrtle Beach, though nothing compares to the experience of visiting.
We first met Denise and Karla with Lu Mil Vineyard at the 2017 North Carolina Wine Month kickoff event at Childress Vineyards. This year, just a few weeks from our anniversary vacation dates, we made the decision not to travel South to a warm weather state. Enter fate in that I suddenly recalled that Lu Mil Vineyard offered cabins for overnight stay. I was able to locate Denise’s business card and know she was thrilled that we remembered. From our first contact, the level of customer service from Denise, and all of the Lu Mil staff has been nothing short of beyond superb. 
Nine cabins are nestled in the expansive vineyards, all with old farm house style porches featuring rocking chairs and offering amazing views of their seventy-five plus acres under vine. Our cabin, number eight, is secluded just below the old growth vineyard and further offers a spectacular porch view of the serene lake. 
Our cabin upon check in, was simply immaculate. Furnished with rustic charm, less for the huge heart shaped red Whirlpool jacuzzi tub! How romantic!!! 
The bed is very comfortable and the entire cabin spacious and cozy. 
DirecTV, microwave, mini fridge, and coffee maker included, small kitchenette area and we were thrilled to fire up the outside charcoal grill for burgers. 
The vineyard geese often wandered by and we delighted in observing their interactions in nature. Fishing in the lake is allowed during warmer months. 
Several restaurants and shops can be found in nearby Elizabethtown. Two additional vineyards are within a short 10 minute drive. Wilmington and Southport are both about an hour away. Just know, the seclusion of these cabins are perfect for a romantic get-away or even your own winecation!
Love the old style wooden sign at 
Wine Competitions and Marketing! 