FESTIVAL WINE COMPETITION
Our annual Astoria Warrenton Crab & Wine Festival wine competition showcases Oregon’s finest wines from our festival wineries.
Festival Winery Vendors: We will send you information about entering the 2026 competition.
The annual Astoria Warrenton Crab & Wine Fest is held on the last full weekend in April and typically includes 40-45 booths operated by Oregon wineries. These wineries are invited to submit their wines to the official wine competition ahead of the event. The 2025 competition took place on March 15, with red wines representing two-thirds of the entries and more than two dozen different wine varieties in the mix. Both the festival and the wine competition are organized by the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce.
A panel of four judges, each with diverse backgrounds in the wine industry, evaluated the wines. Panelists included Cyndi Gierok, Fred Meyer Newberg Wine Buyer; Jeff Martin, retired chef and restaurateur who sold the Silver Salmon Grille in downtown Astoria; Kerri McDaniel Boenisch, author of several books including Dirt+Wine=Wine; and Nicole Barto, a Certified Specialist of Wine. The Chamber values this diversity to ensure wines are judged from a variety of perspectives.
See more about our judges further down on this page.
The judges used a 20-point scale to score each wine, considering appearance, aroma, taste, texture, aftertaste, and overall impression. All tastings were conducted blind, with the identities of the wineries concealed. After the initial tasting, the top-scoring red and white wines were reevaluated for Best of Show.
This year, the judges found it particularly challenging to select the Best of Show winners, as each of the wines showcased excellence in their respective varietals. Notably, the panel and organizers added a Best of Show for Pinot Noir, reflecting the consistent popularity of this varietal, which makes up 20% of the competition entries annually—an homage to Oregon’s winemaking roots.
Best of Show WHITE: Season Cellars, Viognier, 2023, Southern Oregon
The panel describes this Viognier as a perfect introductory wine, pairing well with a range of foods, including buttery crab or scallops, grilled vegetables, chicken, or even a white-sauce pizza. The winery summarizes this wine with one word: “tropical.”
Best of Show RED: Stone Griffon Vineyard, Estate Tempranillo, 2021, Willamette Valley
With notes of smoky paprika, bittersweet chocolate, and fresh berries, this Tempranillo thrives in Oregon’s cooler climate. The judges suggest pairing it with grilled steak or aged cheeses.
Best of Show PINOT NOIR: Kristin Hill Winery, Estate Pinot Noir, 2019, Eola-Amity Hills
This quintessential Oregon Pinot Noir balances earth and fruit, making it an excellent pairing with seafood, particularly grilled salmon, in the spirit of the festival.
The full list of top wines: 2025 WINE COMPETITION RESULTS. The list is also shared in the festival program, and awards presented to the winning wineries, who proudly display them at the festival.
The Astoria Warrenton Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival took place April 25-27, 2025 at the Clatsop County Fair & Expo in Astoria, Oregon.
2025: Meet our judges
Nicole Barto has always been intrigued by wine. She still remembers the first bottle of wine purchased while in college. It was a cabernet sauvignon from Chateau St. Michelle. “It opened my horizons to a new world. I realized a bottle of wine was not just another bottle of alcohol. It had flavors, it had power to stop me in my track and made me look in the glass while thinking about why it tasted so good.” In 2009, her husband’s job took them to smack dab in the middle of Russian River Valley, CA then to Paso Robles/Edna Valley Area. It was destiny. When they moved back to Washington state, Nicole came across a post online about certifications in wine with a comment about the Certified Wine Judging Program. The light bulb lit up like fire. Although, it is a 3-year program through the American Wine Society, she found it very attractive knowing she could study at her own pace. The program has led her to pursue the WSET 2 and 3 certifications. Nicole finished the Certified Specialist of Wine last year. She says, “I enjoy learning more about wine immensely. Besides hitting the books, I truly enjoy visiting wineries to learn in depth. I also found precious friendships while wine judging with people from all over the country with the common love for great art of wine.”
Cyndi Gierok (Wine Buyer, Fred Meyer Newberg) has been in the wine industry since 2006, starting by pouring wine for special events. She didn’t know much at that time, but when she tasted a delicious Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, she knew her destiny. She has been involved in events such as Pinot Camp, IPNC, and have had the honor to judge in wine competitions showcasing Northwest Wines. She was deemed Pinot Princess from her friend David Adelsheim.
Jeff Martin is one of seven children that grew up on a farm in The Dalles Oregon. His mother taught the kids how to bake at an early age and that is what inspired him to begin his professional cooking career at the age of fourteen at the Tapadera Inn. By the age of twenty, Jeff was chef at The French House, a fine dining restaurant in an 1880s Victorian home., also in The Dalles.
In 1990, Jeff moved to the north coast and became the executive chef at the Astoria Golf & Country Club. During his seven years at the club, he became famous for his chowder and achieved many awards in chowder cook-offs in Seaside & Florence, Oregon. After his time at the club, he then became general manager at the Wayfarer restaurant in Cannon Beach, where he continued his achievements in cooking competitions.
In February of 2001, Jeff and his wife Laurie, who is a native Astorian, opened the Silver Salmon Grille in downtown Astoria. The Martins hosted many winemakers dinners at the restaurant throughout the years. Jeff also served as the chef for over winemakers dinners at The Cellar on 10th in Astoria. The opportunity to taste such a broad number of wines while planning the pairing of the courses helped educate his pallet.
Jeff is also an undefeated three time champion of the Iron Chef Goes Coastal cooking competition in Seaside, Oregon.
Kerry McDaniel Boenisch is an author, speaker, wine judge and “Wine Sisters Cheers to Change” Vlog co-host with Atlanta, Georgia Corks and Cuvee wine store owner Regina Jones Jackson. She is currently working on her fourth book, Fall Down, Stand Up, Learning From Loss Amidst the Vines— The Beginners Guide to Grieving, Empty-nesting and Finding Joy, due out this fall. Her three books are Vineyard Memoirs, Dirt+Vine=Wine and Intertwined— Grief, Gratitude and Growing a Vineyard.