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March 10, 2023

Maine winemaker tapped to judge French competition

Courtesy/Concours International de Lyon Keith Bodine of Sweetgrass Farm in Union will travel to Lyon, France, on March 24-25 to judge the Concours International Wine, Beer and Spirits Competition other world-renowned experts.
By Ann Fisher

A Maine winemaker who consults for wineries around the world has been chosen to judge the Concours International Wine, Beer and Spirits Competition in Lyon, France.

Keith Bodine, who is also a distiller and co-owns Sweetgrass Farm Winery & Distillery in Union, was selected to participate March 24 and 25 in the 14th judging event in Lyon, considered to be "the capital of gastronomy and good taste," according to a March 9 announcement, "and so chosen to be a showcase for the best products in the world."

Bodine joins other world-renowned global experts from all branches of the industry, including sommeliers, restaurateurs, producers, wine shop owners and knowledgeable consumers. He has judged competitions not only in the U.S. but in the UK and South Africa as well.

Bodine built and managed wineries and distilleries in the U.S. and China before moving to Maine, where his family is from, to build and run his own farm winery distillery in 2005. He now advises both wineries and distilleries around the globe.

The Sweetgrass signature is wines and spirits "made from real Maine ingredients." Wine on the rack include Cranberry Smash, sangria made from either Maine apples or blueberries and Apple Hard Cider. Sweetgrass also distills its own award-winning Back River Gin, made in the London tradition with a Maine twist: blueberries. Maine-made Suck Haze whiskey, vermouth, bitters and several other varieties of spirits are also distilled in Union. 

The Union location reopens May 1 for the season and includes the winery, distillery, and farm with walking trails at 347 Carroll Road. Bodine also has a tasting room and shop in Portland's Old Port, open year-round at 324 Fore St., where visitors can sip and savor more than 15 wines and spirits. 

Bodine earned his Master of Science from the University of California at Davis in Food Science Enology (winemaking) in 1995. His graduate research centered on sensory analysis, taste and astringency, and was published in the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture.  

The Concours International de Lyon has a reputation that is commensurate with its prestigious partners: Les Toques Blanches Lyonnaises, the Association des Sommeliers de Rhône Alpes, as well as many others.

"The enthusiasm for this competition is widespread as some 10,000 samples from over 50 countries will be tasted," the Concours International website states.

In 2022, some 10,588 samples from 51 countries were tasted, and millions of products won medals, and in 10 years, more than 34,000 wines have been tasted, judged and marked. The competition follows strict rules about optimal storage conditions; classifications based on criteria such as designation, vintage, grape varieties; blind tasting; verification of the tasters selected; a 100-point marking scale based on the international organization of vine and wine model.

Results from the competition will be available March 29 here, where the 2022 winners can also be found.

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