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Twin Oaks brings home awards

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Brothers at bar) Andrew and Brian Hutson show their signature wines which recently won the Mid-America Wine Competition in Iowa. The brothers are the namesake of "Two Brothers" wine, which took a gold medal and "Best of Show" designation in the competition. The winery's Chambourcin also won a bronze medal.

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Two oak trees ... two brothers ... Two Brothers label ... and now two medals. Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery recently won gold and bronze medals in a multi-state wine competition.

Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery, located southeast of Farmington off Route F, is owned and operated by Keith and Karen Hutson and family. The winery recently entered two of its wines in the Mid-American Wine Competition, held in Des Moines, Iowa.

Judging was done in a “blind” competition style by a panel of industry experts including Doug Frost, one of only three people in the world to have earned both the Master of Wine degree and Master Sommelier title.

Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery received a gold medal for its Catawba “Two Brothers” wine, and a bronze medal for their Chambourcin. The winery also won a coveted “Best of Class” for its “Two Brothers” wine.

The winning wine’s namesake is brothers Brian and Andrew Hutson — equal partners in the growing and winemaking operations at Twin Oaks. Both men, as well as their parents, are pleased that their wines are starting to gain some recognition outside the winery’s visitors.

This marked the first competition the winery has entered. Still being relatively new in the winemaking side of the business, the brothers decided to only enter two of their nine wines currently available. This year that list will include Hutson Reserve, their first 22-month aged red wine which has remained in Missouri oak barrels since the first year of winemaking for Twin Oaks Vineyard and Winery in 2006.

The vineyard and winery is a fully-contained operation now. All steps in the process are done on location at the 180-acre vineyard, wine-making and bottling facility located off Route F just a few miles southeast of Farmington. The winery includes all the needed equipment to sort, crush, blend and age the 25-acre vineyard’s grapes into signature wines. The process is literally capped off by topping the bottles and adding labels ... all done by hand.

The growing season this year has been wonderful for grape production, the brothers said Tuesday. Sampling showed the first grapes will likely be ready for picking as early as this weekend. Once the grapes are separated from the vine the work to turn them into award-winning wines turns into a several-month process. Production of red wines takes the longest, up to a year, not taking into consideration any additional aging.