FORESTVILLE, NY (January 16, 2012) - Results from the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition are in. As Merritt's first wine competition of the year, the competition's award announcements provide a fresh and promising start to the New Year for deserving the winery.

            Merritt Estate Winery took home two awards from the competition. Edelweiss, a sweet and fruity white wine with a flowery aroma and a fresh grape taste and Merritt's best selling Bella Rosa, a sweet, full-bodied Lambrusco style red wine both received a silver medal from t he competition.

            The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition celebrated its 12^th year with a record breaking number of entries. 5,500 wines were judged at this year's competition, exceeding the 5,050 that were entered in 2011. For the past nine years, the competition has been labeled as the "Largest Competition of American Wines in the World", one that will remain in place if the competition continues to grow as it has. The competition is also known as a major supporter of wine education and studies at many universities and institutions in the state of California.

            Judges for the competition included 65 individuals familiar with various aspects of the wine industry. Members of the media, restaurant and hospitality, education, winemaking and retail wine industries were all present, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the judging process. Each year award winning wines are featured in a special section of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper dedicated to the annual competition. All gold medal winning wines will be represented at a public tasting to be held in February.

For more information on Merritt news and events, visit www.merrittestatewinery.com or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/merrittwinery.

Merritt Estate is located in Lake Erie Wine Country, the largest grape growing region of New York State located along the shores of Lake Erie. The grapes and wines produced by Merritt rival the quality of premium vintages throughout the world.