(A short sabbatical is in order - So, for the next few weeks, we'll take a look back at some older posts: This one is from 2012 about wine competitions.)
A
wine competition is an organized event, usually held by a state, an
organization, the media, or the wine industry.
Wines are entered by the producing wineries, which pay a fee, usually
from $40 to over $100 PER entry, and send anywhere from 2 to 12 bottles of each
wine to be judged. 
To
submit a wine for consideration in these competitions, a winery fills out a
competition form indicating the grape variety or proprietary name, where it was
grown, the year made, the percentage of residual sugar and the current price
charged for the bottle. This helps
the competition staff to place the wine in the correct categories for judging.
The
wines are judged by professionals in the industry, peers, or consumers. Awards are given and may include medals
or ribbons to signify bronze (3rd place) silver (2ndplace)
and gold (1stplace.) A
double or Concordance gold means that every judge at the competition gave that
wine a gold medal. These
competitions usually have a “Best of Class” category and a “Best of Show”
award, as well.
Wineries
enter what they consider to be their best wines in these competitions, hoping
to medal so that they can claim a Gold, Silver or Bronze in that
competition. It’s an impressive
selling point for the wine and is a great marketing tool for the winery.
Judging
for wine competitions are done ‘blind.’ This means that the judges do not know
who made the wine, where it was produced or the price it sells for. This is done to prevent any bias, so
that the wine is judged on its merits alone.
Wines
are usually arranged in flights. A flight will include wines from the same vintage
year or same type of grapes but made by different wineries. A tasting flight is
a selection of wines, usually three to twelve, to be reviewed. Judges at the same table are served the
same wines in each flight. They
use a judging form to evaluate each wine in its own merits. Each judge scores the wine, signs the
form and turns it in. After the
forms are picked up, judges can discuss their opinions.
Wines
may be judged on a combination of the following elements:
1) Appearance – The wine should be clear
and bright without dullness or particles.
2) Color – The color of the wine will
depend on the type of grapes used.
A white wine that shows amber tones or a red with bronze edges indicated
oxidization.
3) Aroma & Bouquet – This can include many
things but a wine that smells moldy, dirty or corky will loose points.
4) Volable Acidity – Does the wine smell
like vinegar? If so, 0 points.
5) Total Acidity – This is felt in the
mouth. If the wine is judged to be
too flat or too sharp, points are deducted.
6) Sweetness/Sugar – Sugar and acid should
be balance.
7) Body – This is the mouth-feel.
8) Flavor – It should correspond to the
grapes used. Anything metallic is
not good.
9) Astringency – This accounts for
bitterness.
10)
General or Overall Quality – This is the one category that is subjective.
Wine
judges may use a 20 point scale when judging a wine. This scale was developed in 1959 by Dr. Maynard Amerine at
the University of California at Davis.
The UC Davis scale allots points in the following categories:
Appearance
– (Up to 2 points)
Color
- (Up to 2 points)
Aroma
& Bouquet - (Up to 4 points)
Volable
Acidity - (Up to 2 points)
Total
Acidity - (Up to 2 points)
Sweetness/Sugar
- (Up to 1 point)
Body
- (Up to 1 point)
Flavor
- (Up to 1 point)
Astringency
- (Up to 1 point)
General
Quality - (Up to 2 points)
Each
wine is sampled and the judge scores it in each category from 0 to the maximum
number of points allowed, based on a theoretical standard.
The
UC Davis 20 point rating is scored as:
0 - 5 points - Objectionable
6 - 8 points - Deficient
9 - 11 points - Acceptable
12 – 14 points – Average (Bronze)
15
– 17 points – Above average (Silver)
18
– 20 points – Outstanding (Gold)
After
years of using this system, the American Wine Society created a different
version of the 20 Point Scale. The
AWS version assigns points in these categories:
Appearance (Up to 3 points)
Aroma
& Bouquet - (Up to 6 points)
Taste
& Texture - (Up to 6 points)
Aftertaste
- (Up to 3 points)
Overall
Impression - (Up to 2 points)
The
AWS 20 point rating is scored as:
12
– 14 points – Good (Bronze)
15
– 17 Excellent (Silver)
18
– 20 Extraordinary (Gold)
The
AWS scale is now being used by more and more competitions as the standard. Wine judges are told to try to be
objective, and somewhat restrained in their negative evaluations.
Wine
competitions are held around the world.
In the United States, there are several wine competition held
annually, including:
Critics
Challenge International http://www.criticschallenge.com
Dallas
Morning News http://www.dallaswinecompetition.com
Finger
Lakes International http://www.fliwc.com/
Indy
International http://www.indyinternational.org
International
Eastern www.vwm-online.com
San
Francisco International http://www.sfwinecomp.com
Tasters
Guild http://www.tastersguild.com/
Wine Lovers Consumer Wine Judging http://www.tastersguild.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94&Itemid=74
Most
competitions
are sponsored by those in the wine industry, state fair
associations, or newspapers and magazines. The Finger Lakes wine
competition is different. It is sponsored by Camp Good Days and
Special Times, a not-for-profit 501 corporation that provides a camping
experience and other benefits for children with cancer.
There
is also a unique competition that is judged by select wine loving consumers.
The Wine Lovers Consumer Wine Judging participants attend seminars on how to
judge wine objectively, and are guided by an experienced advisor. This
competition is held annually and sponsored by the Tasters Guild.
Keep
in mind that small and medium sized wineries, those not located on the West
Coast, and those that craft non-standard wines will probably be hard pressed to
ever get a wine rating from a wine critic. Wine competitions however are open and available to all
commercials wineries to enter.
This is a chance to level the playing field for the small wineries and
give their wines a chance to be noticed and shine.
So
the next time you’re selecting a bottle of wine, don’t be so quick to look for
the big name wines or the wine rating numbers. Instead, check out some of the
wines offered by local and regional wineries. See what awards they have won and take a chance on that
gold, silver or bronze medal winner.
I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what you find. Enjoy!
~
Joy
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