Instant gold emerged from the Idaho Wine Competition for the second straight year.

Those who followed this fall’s judging via IdahoStatesman.com and WinePressNW.com immediately learned which of the Gem State’s top wines were awarded gold medals by the eight judges.

And fans of Idaho wines also were able to ask questions and participate in the live chat moderated by Andy Perdue, the magazine’s editor-in-chief. No other large competition in the Pacific Northwest publishes and promotes the judging results as quickly.

“You can rush out and buy it right now before it sells out,” said Moya Shatz-Dolsby, executive director for the Idaho Wine Commission. “Competitions are always subjective to who is doing the judgings, but it can help consumers when selecting their wines and give them a sense of quality.”

Sawtooth Winery’s 2010 Estate Gewurztraminer won best in show. Woodriver Cellars in Eagle was voted best red wine for its 2008 Cabernet Franc. Ste. Chapelle’s 2008 Late Harvest Riesling was deemed the best dessert wine, and Williamson Vineyards in Caldwell won best rosé for its 2010 Blossom Rosé of Sangiovese.

“It’s great that Idaho has its own wine competition because we are constantly drinking each other’s wine and we need outside perspective on the overall quality of the wines,” Shatz-Dolsby said. “A healthy dose of competition can be good for an industry because it helps everyone improve their wines.”

This year’s judging of 170 wines made in Idaho was held at Ste. Chapelle in Caldwell. Of Idaho’s 43 bonded wineries, 27 entered wines in the competition.

The panel of judges included three wine professionals from the Treasure Valley — Leil Cardoza of the Boise Co-op wine shop; Ilene Dudunake of A New Vintage Wine Shop in Meridian; and Kathryn House, a Master of Wine candidate from Boise and former winemaker at the renowned Betz Family Cellars in Woodinville, Wash.

In most wine competitions, judges award between 5 and 10 percent gold medals. In the 2011 Idaho Wine Competition, the panels awarded 7 percent golds.

Those earning a gold medal also qualify for Wine Press Northwest’s 12th annual Platinum Judging. That invitation-only competition for the Northwest’s best wines is set for later this fall at the Clover Island Inn in Kennewick, Wash.

BEST OF SHOW

SAWTOOTH WINERY, 2010 Estate Gewürztraminer, Snake River Valley, $9. With vineyards at elevations of 2,300 feet and higher, this Alsatian variety should do well in the Snake River Valley. Cool nights allow the grapes to retain their natural acidity, which is often difficult for this high pH variety, and provide bright refreshing flavors. This vintage marked the second in Idaho for winemaker Bill Murray, and he nailed it. Aromas include yellow grapefruit, apples, lychee, tangerine, honeydew melon and spicy ginger. Grapefruit flavors follow, joined by more lychee, mango and rose petal. There’s a bit of sweetness to the body, but the acidic bite makes it finish crisply. (230 cases)

BEST RED

WOODRIVER CELLARS, 2008 Cabernet Franc, Snake River Valley, $25. Neil Glancey returned to Idaho a decade ago to make wine, first for Carmela. This fall marks his fourth vintage at this stunning property in Eagle, formerly known as The Winery at Eagle Knoll. While this variety will often cast off abundant crushed-leaf tones, most of the herbaceous in this release is pushed into the background. Instead, it offers aromas of cranberries, raspberries, orange zest, mint, cinnamon and just a sliver of bell pepper. On the palate, it picks up black cherry, cassis and blueberry flavors, fine-grained tannins and a pleasing dose of acidity. (200 cases)

BEST ROSÉ

WILLIAMSON VINEYARDS, 2010 Blossom Rosé of Sangiovese, Snake River Valley, $12. Many of the Northwest’s best pinks are created from this Italian variety, and hired gun Greg Koenig shows how it’s done in Idaho. It opens with gorgeous aromas of strawberry, raspberry and citrus, and there’s a delicious follow-through between the lips, backed by Rainier cherries. Racy acidity in the finish keeps the 2% residual sugar in check. (90 cases)

BEST DESSERT

STE. CHAPELLE, 2008 Late Harvest Riesling, Snake River Valley, $20. Those who want to drink their dessert but don’t want the syrupy structure of many ice wines should seek out this. It is bursting with notes of golden raisins, orange marmalade on toast, honey, lavender and delicate clove spice. Ample acidity balances the lofty residual sugar of 20%. (1,400 cases)

GOLD

• CAMAS PRAIRIE WINERY, 2011 Raspberry Mead, Idaho, $14. Yes, the vintage is correct because the raspberries and the honey were harvested earlier this year. Jeremy Ritter recently became owner of this longtime Idaho winery in Moscow, and he’s proven to be a quick study. Aromas of raspberry freezer jam and strawberry candy evolve into flavors of lip-smacking raspberry and strawberry/rhubarb compote. There’s so much attractive fruit and crispness inside that it drinks much more like a fruit wine than a mead. And it finishes dry, despite the residual sugar of 6.5%. (90 cases)

• CINDER WINES, 2010 Chardonnay, Snake River Valley, $18. Boise native Melanie Krause showcased her versatility in this competition by winning gold medals for a red and a white. In this case, she caressed fruit from Arena Valley (70%) and Sawtooth (30%) vineyards into a Chardonnay that balances fruit with a judicious use of oak. The nose brings aromas of apple, peaches, citrus, floral and barrel spice. Those tones are mimicked on the palate, backed by apples, apple peel and pleasing minerality in a fuller-bodied drink. (381 cases)

• CINDER WINES, 2009 Syrah, Snake River Valley, $27. Krause, an alum of Washington State University and Chateau Ste. Michelle, taps into three of Idaho’s top vineyards — Sawtooth, Skyline and Williamson — for this expression. Her inclusion of Viognier (5%) helps her create aromas of fresh-picked Marionberry and boysenberry, which circulate with hints of black pepper and toasted marshmallow covered in chocolate. On the palate, there is even more fruit as the flavors focus on blackberry from beginning to end. The package is held up by a remarkable integration of acidity and tannin. This wine serves as a tasty example of why many are bullish on Syrah grown in Idaho. (250 cases)

• COLD SPRINGS WINERY, 2007 Astrology Merlot, Snake River Valley, $12. Jamie Martin is entering his fourth decade of winemaking in Southern Idaho’s Hagerman Valley. And for the second straight vintage, his Merlot drinks smoother than most Merlot made in the Northwest. The nose hints at fresh cranberries and pie cherries with subtle oak nuances. On the attack, it is up-front boysenberry with lingering blackberry jam flavors, backed by tannins that are mature, not out of hand. Suggested fare includes beef stew. (321 cases).

• KOENIG VINEYARDS, 2008 Alden Cuvée Private Reserve, Snake River Valley, $50. Perhaps no one in Idaho stays busier making wine than Greg Koenig, but it’s obvious he dotes on this. Named after his son, it’s the most expensive commercial release in Idaho. This is the fourth vintage, and the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (55%) and Merlot offers up aromas of Flathead Lake black cherry, vanilla bean, leather, eucalyptus and a hint of minerality. Flavors of cherry and raspberry jam are followed by intense tannins, Baker’s chocolate and freshly cracked black pepper. (70 cases)

• KOENIG VINEYARDS, 2009 Riesling Ice Wine, Snake River Valley, $20. Greg Koenig first made ice wine in 2001; his ice wines now perennially rank among the best and most affordable in the Northwest. It was nearly January before this lot was harvested, and it’s reminiscent of honey-baked apples, toasted walnuts and peach cobbler. A finish of lemon zesty acidity makes it crisp, not cloying, considering the residual sugar (23%). (402 cases)

• SNAKE RIVER WINERY, 2010 Arena Valley Vineyard Riesling, Snake River Valley, $10. The fascinating estate vineyard — set inside a bowl akin to a sporting arena — is near Parma. However, Boise residents can taste Scott DeSeelhorst’s wines in his downtown tasting room. His latest estate Riesling delivers aromas of Red Delicious apple, pear, orange blossom, fresh honeycomb, grass, minerality and hints of petrol. The mouth is full of peaches and Mandarin oranges, backed by plenty of delicious acidity to balance the residual sugar of 4.7%. (1,100 cases)

• SNAKE RIVER WINERY, 2009 Arena Valley Vineyard Syrah, Snake River Valley, $17. Scott DeSeelhorst sells fruit to a number of Idaho wineries, but it’s obvious he’s keeping some of the best to make his own wines. Fabulous bacon fat and blackberry aromas include cracked black pepper, tobacco leaf, coffee and black licorice. Dark and ripe fruit flavors stream on through with a backing of black olive and smooth tannins. In the bottom, there’s some chocolate, cola and saddle leather, all of which prompted one judge to utter, “Bring it to me.” (240 cases)

Andy Perdue and Eric Degerman are the editors of Wine Press Northwest, a quarterly consumer wine magazine that focuses on the wines of Idaho, Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. Learn more at www.winepressnw.com. Subscriptions to the quarterly magazine at $20 a year.