The Tongue River Winery’s White Raspberry Wine won the Granite Peak Award — named for the highest mountain in Montana — at the NorthWest Wine Summit held recently at the Columbia Gorge Hotel in Hood River, Oregon.

“We also finally got a medal for our rhubarb,” said Bob Thaden, who co-owns the winery and vineyard in Miles City with his wife, Marilyn, and son, Josh. The rhubarb is their best-selling wine but it had not been as popular with judges in previous competitions. 

Bob Thaden said the best wine in each state or province that enters the competition receives an award named after the highest peak in that state or province. The winery won this award before in 2015

The NorthWest Wine Summit focuses exclusively on wines, ciders, sake and spirits produced in the Northwest, specifically from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, according to their website.

In addition to the gold-medal winning White Raspberry, the local winery won silver for their Haskap Wine and bronze for both Aronioak and Tongue Tied, a red blend.

At the opposite end of the country, the Thadens entered the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition in Rochester, New York, where they won silver medals for Tongue-Tied, their pear wine, and Sweetie Pie, a dessert wine, and a bronze medal for Aronia.

While the winery produces traditional grape wines, it is Thaden’s fondness for alternative fruit wines that has won many awards and much praise. For example, the winery produces aronia wines.

Read more at source Miles City Star