Ancient Peaks Renegade Red Blend Earns Top Central Coast Award at Prestigious Houston Rodeo Wine Competition
Ancient Peaks Winery’s 2016 Renegade red blend earned the “Top Region Wine” award at the prestigious Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition in Houston, Texas—and the reward is a commemorative full-size leather saddle that is now on display at the winery’s tasting room in Santa Margarita.
The Central Coast was showcased as the competition’s featured region this year. The Central Coast is defined as the Santa Cruz Mountains to the north and Santa Barbara County to the south, and everywhere else in between.
Not only was Ancient Peaks’ 2016 Renegade deemed the best wine from the entire region out of 370 entries, but J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines took the title of “Top Region Wine Company”—making Paso Robles two for two in the biggest awards given for the Central Coast region.
“The Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition is recognized as one of the country’s most impactful wine competitions,” said Amanda Wittstrom-Higgins, VP of operations for Ancient Peaks. “We were honored to win this award and proud to stand alongside J. Lohr in bringing these saddles back to Paso Robles.”
In all, the competition featured 3,156 entries from 18 countries, including Argentina, Austria, Chile, France, Italy, Japan, Portugal and South Africa.
The 2016 Renegade was a fitting wine to make a splash in Texas. It is a maverick red blend whose name speaks to the rich history of Santa Margarita Ranch, where the grapes are grown at Ancient Peaks’ estate Margarita Vineyard.
The 2016 vintage is a blend of Syrah, Zinfandel, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah. Juicy flavors of red and black fruits comingle seamlessly across a rich, expansive palate. Lively yet integrated acidity lends elegance to an otherwise powerful wine.
