Two local wineries take top honors in competition

Two family-owned and operated Lampasas County wineries took high honors in the recent 2007 Wines of the South competition held in October in Knoxville, Tenn.

Pillar Bluff Vineyards, owned by Gill and Peggy Bledsoe, earned two silver awards and two bronze awards.

Texas Legato Winery, owned by Bill and Sulynn Bledsoe, also earned two silver and two bronze medals.

Pillar Bluff took silver for a white wine, vintage 2006 Chardonnay, and for its red wine, vintage 2006, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Bronze medals went to Pillar Bluff for a red wine -- Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, vintage 2005, and for a red wine with a 2004 vintage, Cabernet Sauvignon, a reserve wine.

Texas Legato earned silver medals for two red wines, both of 2006 vintage.

The first is a Family Reunion Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot-Malbec, and the second is a Merlot.

Bronze medals were awarded to Texas Legato for two vintage 2006 wines.

Their white wine, a Chardonnay, and red wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon, both earned honors.

Wines of the South is an annual regional competition designed to promote and celebrate the great wines of southern vintages.

Thirteen states participate an offer tough competition: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, South Carolina and Virginia.

Professionals from around the region serve as judges, and all wines are judged blind and ranked on the industry-standard 20-point scale.

Pillar Bluff, located at 300 Burnet County Rd. 111 in Lampasas, is open for tasting Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays, 12:30-5 p.m. Visit www.pillarbluff.com. for information.

Texas Legato, at 2935 Highway 1478 in Lampasas, has tasting hours that coincide with the Texas Wine Trail, or contact them for information on reserved tours. Visit www.texaslegato.com for more information.