2023 International Women’s Wine Competition – Texas results

Winners have been announced in the 16th annual Women’s International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWWSC). The competition, which took place June 21-23 in Santa Rosa, Calif., was founded on the premise that the majority of wine purchased for home consumption is bought by women. The IWWSC judging panels consist entirely of professional women in the wine and spirits industries: winemakers, distillers, marketers, buyers, sommeliers, educators, and journalists.

“As always, the International Women’s Wine & Spirits Competition shined a spotlight on hundreds of deserving wines,” says Debra Del Fiorentino, owner of Wine Competitions Management & Production, which organizes and presents IWWSC. “And even though entry is open to all winemakers regardless of gender, I found it gratifying that this year’s wine winner also was named Best Woman Winemaker.”

Winemaker Aimée Sunseri was named 2023’s Best Woman Winemaker, based on the level of awards her wines earned in the competition. “There are many men and women that have helped build me to be who I am today,” she says, clearly elated by the recognition. “I thank them all for their wisdom and trust that I would work hard and never give up.”

This year’s IWWSC awarded gold medals (or higher) to twice as many wines as it did last year.

A Best of Class White Wine was awarded to Texas winery Lost Oak Winery with its 2022 Orange Muscat (BOC, GG, 96 pts.). Lost Oak Winemakers Angela Chapman and Jacqueline Stroud have been a dream team producing some of the best Texas wines over the past years. Under the tutelage of Executive Winemaker Jim Evans, who resides in Odessa TX, Angela and Jacqueline carry on the Lost Oak tradition of producing gold medal award-winning wines.

Kai-Simone Winery’s winemaker is owner Sheila Adams.

All the competition’s results can be seen on their website.

These are all the Texas winery results:

Winery	Wine	AVA	Notes	Award	Points	Tasting Notes
Kai-Simone Winery	NV Red Zinvdanel	Texas	Barrel Aged	Gold	90	chocolate frosting on a chocolate pudding cake, macaron, good balance, super drinkable
Lost Oak Winery	2022 Orange Muscat	Texas High Plains		Best of Class, Double Gold	96	almond, good acidity, balanced, orange blossoms
Lost Oak Winery	2022 Viognier	Texas High Plains		Gold	91	stone fruit, smooth