Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/113109
B urger-lipping season is right around the corner, and in the heart of California���s Napa Valley, one iconic winery is already iring up the grill. Finalists from the 2012 Sutter Home���s Build a Better Burger recipe contest were announced in late January, and preparations are being made for the inal cook-off on May 18, where they will prepare their burgers for the palates of a panel of judges at the historic Sutter Home Winery in St. Helena. Sutter Home created its signature Build a Better Burger recipe contest in 1990 as a way to demystify the wine experience by pairing one of America���s favorite everyday meals��� the burger���with one of the country���s favorite wine brands, Sutter Home. The stakes are high. The contest is currently the second largest cash-prize recipe contest in the nation, with a beefy $100,000 grand prize for the winning all-beef burger and an additional $15,000 prize for the winning alternative burger. Only non-professional ���home cooks��� are allowed to enter. According to Wendy Nyberg, Sutter Home���s Senior Director of Marketing, the contest is primarily promoted at retail through the use of branded point of sale materials. Nyberg adds, ���Build a Better Burger was featured on The Food Network for several years, and has continued to re-run on their challenge series. Now we have added a social media element and promote the recipe contest on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and our blog.����� Colorful in-store displays promote Sutter Home wines and the brand���s Build a Better Burger contest. The Sutter Home Story Sutter Home Winery was originally established in Napa Valley in 1847 and shut down during Prohibition. It was resuscitated by Italian immigrant brothers John and Mario Trinchero in 1947 and under successive genera, tions of the Trinchero family Sutter Home became a household name in American wine, known for its approachable, food-friendly varietals. The winery���s many innovations include the creation of White Zinfandel, which became a sensation not long after its introduction in 1972. Sutter Home was also producing Moscato long before it became trendy; today, the winery makes ive versions of this lively, casual varietal, both still and bubbly. Popular Pinot Grigio, in both white and pink versions, is another Sutter Home star. The burger-friendly Sutter Home portfolio also includes reds Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel, and whites Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Gew��rztraminer, White Merlot, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Sweet White and Sweet Red blends. march 2013 / the tasting panel / 79