Orfila Vineyards & Winery has earned more than 1,000 medals in prestigious national and international wine competitions since April 1994, surprising the wine industry with the quality of wines produced with San Diego County grapes. Click here to view the complete list of awards.
"We are ecstatic that our little winery from this 'unproven area' has outperformed many of the more renowned wineries in prestigious American Viticultural Appellations (AVA). "Keep in mind, in a wine competition judges are unaware whether a wine comes from a prestigious appellation."
Winemaker and GM Leon Santoro
| 2008 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition | |
| 2005 "Gold Rush" Zinfandel | GOLD |
| 2006 White Riesling | GOLD |
| 2007 Challenge du Vin, BORDEAUX, FRANCE | |
| Estate "Lotus" Viognier Lot #45 | GOLD |
| 2007 VinoChallenge International | |
| 2006 Muscat Canelli "Bacchus Nectar" | GOLD, Best Dessert Wine, North America |
| 2005 Ambassador's Reserve Chardonnay | GOLD |
| 2005 "Gold Rush" Zinfandel | GOLD |
| 2007 Temecula Valley Wine Society | |
| 2004 Ambassador's Reserve Merlot | Best of Show |
| 2007 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition | |
| 2004 Estate Sangiovese "Di Collina" | GOLD, Best of Class |
| Estate "Lotus" Viognier Lot #45 | GOLD |
| 2007 Florida State Fair International Wine Competition | |
| 2004 Estate Syrah "Val De La Mer" | DOUBLE GOLD, Best of Class |
Orfila had a stellar showing in the 2005 Critics Challenge International Wine Competition. It received the highest accolades of any winery south of Paso Robles -- two Critic's Platinum, four Critic's Gold and three Critics Awards.
The following values are based on all wines submitted into a competition (anywhere from 2000-2500 entries).
Platinum = Rare
Double Gold = 1% or <
Gold = about 5%
Silver = about 10-12%
Bronze = about 15-18%
In general, two-thirds of the wines entered in a competition don't win any medals.
In order for a Double Gold Medal to be awarded, the decision must be unanimous between all judges.
