The Oyster Riot is the celebration of the winners of the International Wines for Oysters Competition held at Old Ebbitt Grill annually. During the Competition, wines entered from all over the world will be sampled with raw oysters by a notable panel of judges made up of wine and oyster lovers from the fields of politics, medicine, journalism and food. Each year a field in excess of 400 wines is narrowed through several rounds of blind tastings with the top 10 gold medal winners being announced and poured at The Riot. To get an idea of the wines that typically perform well in the Competition, check out previous winners listed below.
In the 2008 Old Ebbitt Grill International Wines for Oysters Competition an impressive 304 wines from all over the world were entered. Within the United States, 140 wines were submitted from seven states. Wineries from 10 other countries entered a total of 163 wines - Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, and Spain. The ten gold medalists were served with over twenty types of oysters at the 14th Annual Old Ebbitt Grill Oyster Riot held on November 21 & 22 2008; over 61,000 oysters were consumed by almost 2000 guests.
Last year's panel of judges included Mary Beth Albright, David Bradt, Bart Farrell, Kyle Gaffney, John Keshishian, Paul Lukacs, Kelly Magyarics, Vic Matus, Nycci Nellis, Antonin Scalia, Marguerite Thomas, Mike Walter, Thomas Yannucci, Eve Zibart.
| 2008 GOLD MEDAL WINNERS | |
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Grand Champion Saint Clair "Vicar's Choice" Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Marlborough, New Zealand $16 |
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First Runner-Up J Cuvee 20 Brut, J Vineyards and Winery NV Russian River Valley, California $34 |
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Second Runner-Up Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Marlborough, New Zealand $16 |
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OTHER GOLD MEDALISTS |
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| Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $19 |
| Domaine du Tariquet Sauvignon, Gascogne, France, 2007 | $11 |
| Backsberg Chenin Blanc, Paarl, South Africa, 2007 | $13 |
| Sileni Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $16 |
| Brancott Letter Series Brancott "B" Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $26 |
| Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $19 |
| Babich Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $14 |
2008 SILVER MEDAL WINNERS |
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| Mud House Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $15 |
| Firestone Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez, CA, 2007 | $13 |
| Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca, Chile, 2008 | $10 |
| Nimbus Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca, Chile, 2008 | $13 |
| Cono Sur "Bicycle" Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca, Chile, 2008 | $10 |
| Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc, California, 2007 | $12 |
| Longboard Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley, CA 2007 | $18 |
| Caposaldo Pinot Grigio, Veneto, Italy, 2007 | $10 |
| Coopers Creek Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $14 |
| West Brook Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2006 | $19 |
2008 BRONZE MEDAL WINNERS |
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| Mud House Swan Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $15 |
| Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio, Trentino, Italy, 2007 | $8 |
| Hacienda Araucano Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley, Chile, 2008 | $13 |
| Domaine Herve Seguin Pouilly Fume, Loire Valley, France, 2006 | $29 |
| Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc 2005, North Coast, California, 2007 | $14 |
| Wolffer Estate La Ferme Martin Chardonnay, The Hamptons, Long Island, NY, 2005 | $18 |
| Horton Viognier, Orange County, Virginia, 2007 | $16 |
| Emiliana Natura Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca, Chile, 2007 | $11 |
| Emiliana Natura Chardonnay, Casablanca, Chile, 2006 | $11 |
| Rosedale Wines Cat Amongst the Pigeons Riesling, Barossa Valley, Australia, 2008 | $15 |
| Domaine des Berthiers Pouilly Fume, Loire Valley, France, 2006 | $18 |
| Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc South Africa, 2007 | $20 |
| Bonnet Vignerons Les Dabinieres Eco Muscadet Sur Lie, Muscadet Sevre et Maine, France, 2007 | $15 |
| Abacela, Albarino, Umpqua Valley, Oregon, 2007 | $23 |
| Milbrandt Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley, Washington, 2007 | $13 |
| Hall Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley, California, 2007 | $19 |
| Taltarni Brut Tache Sparkling Rose, Victoria, Australia, NV | $22 |
| Seifried Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, 2008 | $19 |
| The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $16 |
| Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $14 |
| Matua Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $13 |
| Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2008 | $15 |
| Bird Winery Sauvignon Blanc School House Vineyard, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2007 | $20 |
| Huia Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2007 | $20 |
| Starborough Sauvignon, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2007 | $13 |
| Countries and Number of Entries | ||
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Argentina, 8 Australia, 36 Austria, 1 Chile, 12 |
France, 22 Germany, 4 Italy, 28 New Zealand, 38 |
South Africa, 7 Spain, 8 United States, 140 |
United States, 140 Entries |
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California, 114 New Jersey, 2 New York, 3 |
Oregon, 12 Rhode Island, 1 Virginia, 6 |
Washington, 2 |
