Kentucky wineries earned 15 gold medals at the Kentucky Derby Festival wine competition March 24 in Louisville.

Eighteen Kentucky and Indiana wineries brought 145 varietals to the competition. A panel of 17 experts from the American Wine Society judged the competition.

Those winning gold were: Acres of Land (Richmond), Elk Creek (Owenton), Equus Run (Midway), River Bend (Louisville), Talon Winery (Lexington), and Wight-Meyer (Shepardsville).

Some of the winners will be featured at the fifth annual Kentucky Derby Festival WineFest April 28-29 at Kroger’s Fest-A-Ville on the Waterfront. Thirteen Kentucky and Indiana wineries will sample 99 varietals at the event.

Kentucky wineries and the medals they earned included:

Acres of Land, Richmond – two gold medals (Concord and Chambourcin), three silver and two bronze

Black Oak, Princeton – one silver and one bronze

Brooks Hill, Louisville – three silver and five bronze

Elk Creek, Owenton – two gold (Riesling and Petite Syrah), four silver and four bronze

Felice, Louisville – one bronze

Equus Run, Midway – one gold (Derby Chardonnay) and one silver

River Bend, Louisville – two gold (Chambourcin and Pomegranate)

StoneBrook Winery, Louisville – one bronze

Talon Winery, Lexington – two gold (both red hybrids), one silver and one bronze

Wight-Meyer, Shepherdsville – six gold (Moores Diamond, Concord, Chambourcin, Norton, Zinfandel and Moores Diamond Ice Wine), two silver and three bronze

For more information about the Kentucky Derby Festival and the WineFest, go to www.kdf.org.

For more information about Kentucky’s grape and wine industry, go to the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s Grape and Wine Program page at www.kyagr.com/marketing/plantmktg/grape.htm.