Galer Estate Vineyard & Winery in Kennett Square was awarded a gold medal for their 2015 Pinot Noir rosé and a silver medal for their 2015 Red Lion Chardonnay at the biggest wine competition in America, The 2016 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

The annual wine competition judged more than 7,000 wines from 28 states. Galer Estate was one of two wineries from Pennsylvania that medaled. This year’s competition had 62 judges, including Philadelphia wine and food critic, Craig LaBan.

LaBan wrote of Galer’s gold medal winner: “An evocative rosé from sunny Kennett Square … full of bright raspberry-cherry notes with a squirt of natural residual sweetness”

Virginia Mitchell, Galer Estate winemaker, said, “The hand-picked red grapes were whole cluster pressed and treated as if it was a white wine. The small amount of copper color in this rosé is from the natural extraction from the skins prior to fermentation. The fermentation lasted four weeks at a cool temperature, resulting in more flavors and complexity.”

Mitchell has received many awards and medals for her wines, but this year’s award was especially exciting, she said. “These were my two favorite wines that I made during the 2015 vintage, so it’s nice to have some recognition for the hard work done by the vineyard crew and the decision making and focus in the winery,” she said.

In the largest category with the most entries, Galer Estate’s Red Lion Chardonnay took home a silver medal. The Chardonnay is produced with fruit from the Upper Red Lion Vineyard, adjacent to their winery in Kennett Square at 700 Folly Hill Rd.

Winery owner Brad Galer said that he and his wife, Lele, “are overwhelmed with these prestigious medals and thank our winemaker, Virginia Mitchell, and our vineyard manager, Jan Grimes, for their expertise, devotion and passion. These awards are for them. And we are certainly proud to be part of the wine-growing revolution here in Chester County.”

Red Lion Chardonnay is currently available at Galer Estate Winery for purchase or tasting, and the newest Galer Estate Rosé will be available in early spring. Galer Estate is located behind Longwood Gardens at 700 Folly Hill Road in Kennett Square. It is open Fridays through Sundays, with live music Saturdays from 5 to 7 p.m. For more information, visit www.galerestate.com.