This year, the nominations from our 33-member panel of top sommeliers and retailers read like a Who’s Who of American wineries and winemaking talent. By the end of our final blind tasting, Food & Wine’s 12th annual American Wine Awards included winners in 20 categories (new this year: Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio and Rhône-Style White). The value wines were particularly strong and diverse—and the average price of our above-$20 winners was substantially lower than last year’s, too. Sheer chance? Sea change? You decide. Read more...