(PennLive) - I'm spending time this weekend reporting on wine competitions and the impetus behind entering. Some regional wineries enter a half-dozen contests every year; others don't bother entering any. So why do wineries enter their wines, how do they pick the wines and contests that they do enter, and then what are the benefits if they win? How much cache is there to being called an award-winning winery and are there any other benefits beyond the marketing and advertising?

Wine drinkers, does that adjective "award-winning" have any influence on which wineries you visit and which wines you'll sample? If you'd like to offer input, simply add a comment to the bottom of this post or send your thoughts in an email by Monday night to [email protected]

One regional winery proud of a recent award is Blue Mountain Vineyards & Cellars, located in New Tripoli, in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley. The more than 25-year-old winery picked up three medals at the International Eastern Wine Competition, held at the Finger Lakes. While its Riesling and Pinot Noir won silvers, its 2013 took a gold medal. That's not a grape that's grown much in the mid-Atlantic nor often produced.

Winemaker and owner Joe Gref wrote in an email earlier this week that he and wife Vickie have been growing the grape for 15 years.

"The Shiraz is grown at our historic Leaser Lake Vineyards on top of a hill which allows for great drainage," he wrote. "We can't grow the Shiraz every year due to bud damage from Pennsylvania winters. But when we are able to grow it, it's a very rich, full-bodied red with lots of flavor.

"Our Riesling is very different and difficult to make because we do a dry Riesling. Our soil is rich in slate, which brings out the mineral flavors enabling us to make a high-quality dry Riesling, experience in our 2014 vintage.

"Our Pinot Noir grapes are a blend of various clones from our 25-year-old vines. The 2012 Pinot Noir has very ripe fruit, soft, with hints of strawberry and cherry on the nose, and slight earthy spice quality on the finish."

Blue Mountain's vineyards are located in the Lehigh Valley AVA, according to the winery's website. Here's more on the couple and their vineyards.

Kat Collins, the winery's office manager, noted in an email that the "2013 Shiraz is a wonderful high-quality wine! Very smooth, rich, and soft, with blackberry, cherry notes, a hint of vanilla, spice, and earth. The Shiraz has intense fruit and ripe tannins, medium-bodied. It pairs beautifully with lamb, venison, red sauces, and light cheeses. The grapes come from our own vineyard. We grow at least 90% of the grapes we use, which are predominantly European varietals. . . . Depending on the quality and quantity, [the Shiraz] will either be part of a blend or a stand-alone wine such as the 2013 Shiraz. It is one of our premium dry reds and would fit in with our Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, and Petite Sirah. It hasn't been released for sale to the public yet, but it should in a few months."

She also chimed in on the recent discussion about red vs. white grapes and which hold the most potential for growth in Pennsylvania. "We truly believe PA can be known for their premium dry reds, depending on the location," she wrote. "In our case, that's our focus. We produce internationally award-winning reds such as Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Cabernet Franc, and more. Dry reds have always been our focus as our soil in the Lehigh Valley [an AVA] is very similar to the Loire Valley in France. While the weather does pose a challenge for us [last winter we took a big hit on our Merlot vines], we find it actually adds more character to the wines. We wish that more eastern PA vineyards would produce a Cabernet Franc and to have that become a signature for PA, rather than the Chambourcin grape, which is popular in the Lehigh Valley. When grown well, Cabernet Franc is phenomenal in PA soil and really captures the characteristics of what we can produce in this region. Granted, the further north you go in PA, the colder it gets, so whites may better define that region. As Joanne Levengood [of Manatawny Creek] said in your article, PA is a big state and we encompass a variety of climates!