Two surprises emerged from the Amador County Fair commercial wine competition this year, and just one of them was a wine.

The other was the jicama that greeted judges as the competition commenced. Usually, judges are provided water, bread and cheese to refresh their taste buds, and all that was available as well.

But the jicama was new, and it was inspired. As root vegetables go, jicama is comparatively bland, with a sweetness so delicate it isn't likely to compete with wine flavors, as long as it isn't sprinkled with lime juice and chili powder, neither of which was on hand. Rather, jicama on its own is crisp and cool, thus appropriately refreshing.

And, at the Amador County Fair wine competition, you need something persistently refreshing to revive your palate. That's in part because the field of entries is drawn from throughout the Sierra foothills, where powerhouse zinfandels, rugged petite sirahs and saturated syrahs are so prevalent.

Also, the Amador competition is essentially two competitions in one. During the morning, judges get the basic business out of the way, the awarding of gold, silver and bronze medals to wines they find a cut above the ordinary.

In the afternoon, many of the top wines are grouped into a series of runoffs for special awards, such as "best Amador Italian white wine," "best Amador Italian blush wine," "best Amador Rhône white wine" and so forth.

Late in the afternoon, this whittling eventually will produce awards for best white wine, best red wine and ultimately a best of show.

This year, that would be the Bray Vineyards 2010 Shenandoah Valley Verdelho. This was the day's second surprise. As mentioned, the foothills is largely red-wine territory, and the competition's best of show frequently is a red wine. And it stood to reason that the pattern would be reaffirmed this year, given that the day of the competition was gray, cold and rainy, more fitting for a sturdy and warm red wine than a frisky, chilled white.

Nevertheless, two white wines, a rosé and just one red were in the final round to select the best of show.

The verdelho won easily, largely, I suspect, on the strength of its fresh vibrancy. It's a white wine all about straightforward fruit – zesty up front, lilting in the finish. Aside from the freshness of its fruit, a citric snap and touch of spice make it a splendid summer wine, either on its own as a poolside aperitif or with a light dish celebrating the season's produce.

The next day, I revisited the Bray verdelho at Herbst Pavilion on the grounds of Fort Mason in San Francisco, the setting for the fourth annual tasting of the Tempranillo Advocates Producers and Amigos Society, a trade group promoting the cultivation of grapes and the consumption of wines traditionally associated with the Iberian peninsula.

Those grapes and wines include verdelho, albarino, graciano, torrontés, carignane and garnacha (also known as grenache) as well as tempranillo, all of which are gathering small though enthusiastic followings among growers, winemakers and consumers in the United States.

Several other impressive verdelhos were on hand, including releases from the 2010 vintage by St. Amant Winery of Lodi and Dancing Coyote Wines of Clarksburg.

Still, not much verdelho is planted overall in California. Bray Vineyards in Amador County's Shenandoah Valley, for example, has just a couple of small blocks of the grape, and the 2010 is just the second yield off one of the plots, says winemaker John Hoddy.

He says the winery agreed to take a risk on verdelho because it likes to experiment with unusual grapes – it already had planted several black Portuguese varieties – and because he's been impressed by a verdelho made by nearby Kelson Creek Winery.

The Bray vineyard, he noted, has no oak treatment and didn't go through malolactic fermentation. It's all fresh fruit and uplifting acidity.

Bray Vineyards

2010 Shenandoah Valley Verdelho

By the numbers: 14 percent alcohol, 168 cases, $17

Context: Winemaker John Hoddy especially enjoyed the verdelho with a cream of asparagus soup at the Imperial Hotel in Amador City. He also suggested it be poured with seafood, lighter meats, roasted vegetables and assorted Asian dishes not too heavy with sauces. The wine also apparently goes well with jicama.

Availability: The verdelho is sold at Susan's Place in Sutter Creek and at Bray Vineyards, where it can be ordered online at www.brayvineyards.com.

Location and hours: The tasting room at Bray Vineyards, 10590 Shenandoah Road, Plymouth, is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Monday.

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Longtime wine critic and competition judge Mike Dunne continues his relationship with The Bee as a contributing columnist to the Food & Wine section and www.sacwineregion. com. His wine selections are based solely on open and blind tastings, judging at competitions, and visits to wine regions. Check out his blog at http://ayearinwine. blogspot.com, and reach him at mikedunne@winegigs.com.

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