Ramona wines brought home numerous medals at the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association 2026 Wine Competition awards banquet on June 17.
“The competition is important because all the wines are made from grapes grown exclusively in San Diego County,” said Kim Whalin, competition chair. “It’s also one of the few competitions where the entrants receive feedback from the judges.”
The event was held at The Oaks Grill at the San Vicente Golf Resort.
A panel of nine judges awarded their scores on June 3. Wines were judged on appearance, aroma, taste and overall impression, Whalin said. The top-scoring wines were judged in a second round to choose the Best of Show winners.
“We bring in judges from out of the area, and most of them write articles and some conduct podcasts,” Whalin said. “So, just having the exposure for Ramona is great, especially since their comments were very favorable this year.”
The Commercial Best of Show award was given to PamoValley Winery for their 2025 Rose of Sangiovese. Mandy Wall from Pamo accepted the award on behalf of owner Jennifer Lane. (Greg Whalin)
The Lum Eisenman Best of Show Commercial award was given to Pamo Valley Winery for their 2025 Rose of Sangiovese.
The Best of Show Vineyard Award was given to KDC Farms in Ramona.
“There were 11 entries from KDC Farms in this year’s competition — of those entries, two received gold medals, one silver, and seven bronze, including this year’s Amateur Best of Show,” Whalen said. “It’s quite impressive.”
Gold medal awards are given to high-scoring wines able to meet the competition’s numeric gold-point threshold, and are divided into Commercial and Amateur divisions.
Commercial Gold winners from Ramona included Pamo Valley Winery for 2025 Rosé of Sangiovese, 2024 Grenache, 2024 Sangiovese and 2024 Syra; M Bar W Vineyard for 2023 Sangiovese and 2023 Petite Sirah; and Rancho San Martin Winery for 2021 Santemprah.
Other Ramona Commercial Gold winners included Old Julian Vineyards and Winery for 2021 Cabernet Franc, Sky Valley Cellars for 2022 Petite Sirah; The Succulent Cellar for 2022 Estate Syrah; Ramona Ranch Winery for 2022 Tannat; and Correcaminos Vineyard for First Note.
Amateur Gold winners from Ramona included Just Joey, NPC for 2021 Joan’s Stargazer Vineyard Merlot; Robert Voorhees of Vineyard a la Terre for 2024 Grenache; and Robe de La Grange of Tre Sorelle Vineyards for 2023 Sangiovese Brunello Grosso.
Commercial Silver Winners from Ramona included Pamo Valley Winery for 2025 Sauvignon Blanc and 2024 Carignan; Sky Valley Cellars for 2025 Saignee Rose and 2021 Red Horizon; Mia Marie Vineyards for 2023 Sangiovese; and Ramona Ranch Vineyards for 2022 Super Tuscan, 2020 Montepulciano and 2019 Symphony Port.
Also receiving Commercial Silver medals were M Bar W Vineyard for 2023 Barbera and 2023 Cabernet Franc, and Old Julian Vineyards and Winery for 2020 Estate Merlot, 2021 Ranchers Red, 2021 Estate Tre Sorelle and 2021 Red Rocker.
Ramona’s Amateur Silver Winners included Simon and Izumi Graham, Tartino Vineyards, for 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Commercial Bronze winners from Ramona included Correcaminos Vineyard, 2023 Tannat; Highland Valley Grove LLC, 2025 Cloud Ridge Vineyard Rose; J4 Family Wines for 2024 Viognier and M Bar W Vineyard, 2024 Tempranillo.
Mahogany Mountain Vineyard and Winery for 2016 Muscat Canelli, 2020 Dynamo Duo and 2014 Melange Red Wine; Rancho San Martin for 2021 Merlot; and Poco Montana Vineyards and Winery for 2025 Vermentino also won Commercial Bronze.
The list of Ramona Commercial Bronze winners also included Mia Marie Vineyards for 2025 Chardonnay, 2025 Dry Muscat, 2025 Rose of Tempranillo, 2022 Reserve Merlot, 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2023 Petit Verdot and 2023 Syrah; Old Julian Vineyards and Winery for 2024 Estate Viognier, 2017 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon; Sky Valley Cellars for 2025 Albarino, 2024 La Miscall and 2023 Merlot; and The Succulent Cellar, 2024 Estate Grenache.
Amateur Bronze Winners from Ramona included Robert Voorhees, Vineyard a la Terre, for 2024 Vermentino and GSM Rose; and Jerry Rios, Riosotti Vineyard for 2024 Petite Syrah.
The room was packed for the Ramona Valley VineyardAssociation’s 2026 Wine Competition awards banquet on June 17. (Greg Whalin)
Overall, Whalin said this year’s competition indicates the quality of Ramona wines continues to improve.
“The wines are definitely getting better, as proved by the average score of the entries continuing to rise,” she said.
Whalin said she hopes the high number of awards, together with the continued positive exposure, will encourage more visitors to Ramona wineries.
“Ramona is still small enough that there is a very good chance you can talk to the owners or wine makers when you visit their establishments and now is a great time to enjoy the local wines,” she said.