Some of the best wine districts in the United States are in the Pacific Northwest. Idaho, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia have appellations producing world-class wine.

Each year, wines from those areas are judged at the largest wine competition in the Northwest - the Northwest Wine Summit. This year's competition was May 4-6 in Mt. Hood, Ore.

The competition is the brainchild of a charming and gracious Southern gentleman and noted wine expert Parks Redwine, who began writing wine columns in 1976 in Atlanta.

"I've studied competitions over the years to see what works and what could be done better," he said.

Redwine held the first Northwest Wine Summit in 1996. A total of 269 wines were entered. This year, 1,280 wines were entered - an indication of how prestigious the competition has become.

Redwine recruits a cross-section of industry-related people to be judges, including winemakers, writers, wine shop owners, and restaurant/hotel operators. Each person can be a judge just once in their lifetime.

Twenty judges from across the United States participated in this year's event. Judges were divided into five panels of four. Every morning and afternoon the panels were changed, so each judge would meet new faces and interact with fresh viewpoints.

BEST WINES OF THE NORTHWEST

Most of these wines aren't available locally, but the wineries all are within a day's drive, so you could visit them and be your own judge.

BEST OF SHOW/BEST WHITE: The best white this year also was voted the best of show: Arcane Cellars 2008 Riesling. The winery is near Salem, Ore.

BEST ROS: Idaho's Cinder 2008 Ros. It was also honored as the best of Idaho, and nearly won best of show.

"My farmer's market customers are discovering that dry ross are a great sipping wine for a hot summer day," winemaker Melanie Krause said.

BEST RED: Quady North 2006 Syrah took the top honor. The winery is near Jacksonville, Ore.

BEST SPARKLING WINE: Domaine St. Michelle Blanc de Blancs NV from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Woodinville, Wash.

BEST LATE HARVEST WINE: L'Ecole No.41 Late Harvest Semillon 2008. The winery is near Walla Walla, Wash.

BEST ICE WINE: Jackson-Triggs 2008 Ice Wine. The winery is near Oliver, B.C.

IDAHO GOLD WINNERS

Besides Krause's gold medal and top ros honors, four other Idaho wineries scored gold.

BITNER VINEYARDS 2007 RIESLING. "Five years ago I returned from Australia and asked Greg Koenig to make a drier style of Riesling like I discovered in Australia. Using some of the best Riesling grapes in Idaho, he succeeded in creating a marvelous white wine," winery owner Ron Bitner said.

KOENIG DISTILLERY & WINERY 2006 CUVE AMELIA RESERVE SYRAH. Winemaker Greg Koenig was pleased with his win.

"Last year this wine took best red," he said. "Two golds in a row shows consistency and the fact that Syrah does so well here in Idaho."

SAWTOOTH 2006 RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON. "The 2006 Reserve Cab is a well-balanced cab that shows great expression of fruit, oak, and complexity," winemaker Bill Murray said.

VALE 2008 RIESLING has to be one of the hottest wines in Idaho right now, having also won a gold medal at the Idaho Wine Competition last month.

"I think the Snake River Valley AVA wineries are showing that we are producing world-class wines that offer value and that stack up well against other areas," winemaker John Danielson said.

I'll certainly drink to that.

Garry Scholz: wineadvice.garry@gmail.com