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Vaunted Vino

A boutique winery located in downtown's East Village continues to make its presence felt well beyond the region, as five Girouard Vines wines earned medals at the recently concluded San Francisco Chronicle International Wine Competition at the Cloverdale Citrus Fairgrounds in Sonoma County, Calif.

The event -- billed as the largest competition of American wines in the world -- drew a record-breaking 5,050 entries from 23 states and concluded on Jan. 7. All five wines entered by Girouard Vines, located at 817 E. 3rd St., earned medals.

The wines were all from Girouard Vines' Tulsa Deco series. Atlas Life Chardonnay and Warehouse Market each received a bronze medal, while the Fire Alarm Red and Westhope Cab each captured a silver medal. The Spotlight Merlot was awarded a gold medal, the second-highest designation presented at the competition.

Girouard Vines owner and founder Chris Girouard said the event's location and size make it one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the United States.

"I was very, very pleased," he said of the reception his wines received at the event. "We were honored to have fared so well in that competition."

Girouard said the success of his wines further justified his faith in the product he is producing.

"Based on the feedback I get in Tulsa from some pretty serious wine lovers, I have come to believe these wines are good," he said. "I felt like they would fare pretty well, particularly the merlot. I get so much positive feedback from that, even from people who aren't merlot lovers ... So I was really hopeful and, based on the local feedback, thought it might fare well."

A Feb. 19 public tasting for the gold medal winners from the event will be held in San Francisco, and Girouard said he plans to attend the event to pour his wine.

Girouard Vines' success at the event was the second successful showing for the winery in 10 months. In March 2010, three Girouard Vines' wines medaled at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition in New York, with the Westhope Cab earning a gold medal. That competition featured more than 3,000 entries from 15 countries.

The winery is open every Thursday from 5-8pm.