Watch: 2024 North Coast Wine Challenge winners announced

The winners of the 2024 North Coast Wine Challenge were announced Wednesday.

Around 30 judges sipped more than 1,000 wines from makers in Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Lake, Mendocino and parts of Solano counties in a blind tasting throughout the two-day annual event at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa.

Watch the announcement here:

Before the event, Press Democrat wine critic Peg Melnik took readers behind the scenes, sharing how wines are kept secret, the chore of washing 5,000 wine glasses used by the judges and more.

A video by reporter Sara Edwards goes more into how the contest was judged here.

Reporter Sarah Doyle caught up with Matt Duffy of Vaughn Duffy Wines, winner of last year’s “Best of the Best” award, to see how the honor has changed his life and his business. His advice: “You have nothing to lose by entering the contest. I honestly regret we didn’t enter it sooner.”