Wine Competitions and Awards Matter

 

Last week we discussed wine critics and the value of wine ratings.  This week we take a look at wine competitions and wine awards.

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 (3^rd place) silver (2^ndplace) and gold (1^stplace.)  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 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

Do Wine Ratings Matter?

 

Wine ratings are scores assigned by wine critics to a wine they have evaluated.  You may have noticed these numbers on the shelf talkers at your local liquor store or wine shop.  At first, the number looks impressive – anywhere from 82 to 100 points! But keep in mind there is no one set of rules for wine ratings.  So what do these numbers mean?  Who is critiquing these wines and what criteria do they use?  And does it really matter to the average wine drinker?

The 100 Point System

Most U.S. wine critics use a 100 point wine rating system.  All wines begin the process with 50 points automatically. Each wine is then allotted points for the following elements:

Color & Clarity (up to 5 points)

Aroma (up to 15 points)

Taste (up to 10 points)

Finish (up to 10 points)

Ability to age well (up to 5 points)

Overall quality of the wine (up to 5 points)

The Wine Advocate

There are several critics who evaluate wine in the U.S.  The best known, and considered by many to be the most influential, is Robert Parker.  He critiques for his publication, The Wine Advocate https://www.erobertparker.com/entrance.aspx.  He began The Wine Advocate as a wine newsletter in 1978 and now publishes over 7,500 reviews a year. The Wine Advocate accepts no advertising.

Parker has been criticized by some for judging a wine based on how much pleasure it gives him and assigning ratings numbers based on his emotions.

Parker holds wine tastings in single-blind conditions, which according to his web site means, “that the same types of wines are tasted against each other and the producers’ names are not known). There are exceptions to this policy with respect to (1) all barrel tastings, (2) all specific appellation tastings where at least 25 of the best estates will not submit samples for group tastings and (3) for all wines under $25. The ratings reflect an independent, critical look at the wine.”   His main areas of interest concern wines from Bordeaux, California and the Rhone Valley. 

Parker uses a 100 point system to score the wines. For The Wine Advocate the ratings are given as follows:

50 – 59 points  - Unacceptable

60 – 60 points -  Below average with noticeable flaws

70 to 79 points – Average, but nothing special

80 - 89 points – Barely above average to very good

90 – 95 points – Outstanding, exceptional

96 – 100 points – Extraordinary wine. A classic; highly sought after

(Note: U.S. wine critics use a 100 point system while wine critics in Europe prefer a 20 point system. Each are based on that regions school grading system.) 

Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator http://www.winespectator.com/ is considered to be the “wine bible” for wine lovers.  The magazine began in 1978 in the U.S.  Each issue has between 400 and 1,000 wine reviews with detailed tasting notes.  The magazine’s editors review over 16,000 wines each year.

Wine Spectator has also received criticism about its wine ratings.  In 2008, a college student entered a fictional restaurant and its wine list for evaluation and received an Award of Excellence (Wine Spectator’s basic award for restaurants with well chosen wines.)  The wines listed were actually some of the lowest rated Italian wines in history.

Wines are reviewed from the bottle in blind tastings – i.e.: no one knows who the wine maker is or anything about the wine other than type of grape.  Wine Spectator also uses a 100 point system when rating a wine:

Again, the first 50 points awarded for the wine showing up.

50 – 74 points  - Not recommended

75 to 79 points – Mediocre; drinkable with minor flaws

80 – 84 points – Good wine, well made

85 – 89 points – Very good wine with special qualities

90 – 94 points – Outstanding wine, superior character

95 – 100 points – A classic wine - great

Wine Enthusiast

Wine Enthusiast magazine http://www.wineenthusiast.com/ is more about the wine lifestyle and travel.  First published in 1988 in the U.S., Wine Enthusiast may hold blind tastings “or in accordance with accepted industry practices.”  

Wine Enthusiast uses a scoring system from 80 to 100 points:

80 – 82 points – Acceptable – a casual wine

83 – 86 points – A good, everyday wine, often a good value

87 – 89 points – Very good, well recommended

90 – 93 points – Excellent, highly recommended

94 – 97 points – Superb wine, highly recommended

98 – 100 points – A classic – the pinnacle of quality

Decanter

Decanter magazine http://www.decanter.com/ began in 1975 in the United Kingdom and is published in over 90 countries.  Decanter holds blind wine tastings within specific wine regions and price ranges. This ensures that terroir is considered, and ‘like is compared to like’ when critiquing.  The magazine recommends over 4,000 wines each year. 

Decanter uses a five star scoring system:

1 Star  – Acceptable

2 Stars – Moderately good

3 Stars – Good

4 Stars – Very Good

5 Stars – Outstanding 

Concerns About the Rating System:

There are several concerns about the wine rating system including the fact that assigning wine ratings has an amazing effect on the wine market.  These numbers encourage or discourage specific grape and wine purchases, and can have a major effect on a wine’s price.

The wine rating system has also been criticized for creating a uniform sameness in wines throughout the world.  Since certain styles appeal to the wine critics, more and more winemakers are adjusting their methods to create wines that will receive a high wine ratings score.  The wine then becomes sought after and can be marketed and sold for a higher price.  Unfortunately, other than Decanter magazine, no magazine or wine critic mentioned that individualized style, and crafting to enhance the flavors of the terroir - the environmental conditions such as soil and climate that affect the grapes grown there and give the wine it’s exclusive flavors and characteristics - was looked favorably upon or encouraged.

Concerns have also been raised in the industry as to whether advertising dollars in these magazines could have some unintentional influence on wine ratings.

In the end, it is up to the consumer to decide if these numbers have relevance.  Just remember they are subjective to the critic – based on his or her individual palate and personal preferences.  Best bet is to use these scores as a guide.  Try some of the rated wines, in all point ranges, and see what you think.  After all – it should be about what YOU like and can afford to drink – and not a critic’s preference.

So what if a wine only scored 75 points?  If you like it – Enjoy!

~ Joy