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What's it all about?
Our sponsors and how to become one!
Let's meet the contestants!
A word about the officials
And the winners are...
Wine experts, critics, advocates, enthusiasts...  
         
 

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Information for the Press
Rules and Entry Form
Information for Competition Volunteers

There will be 12 judges divided in to 4 judging panels, each panel will also include 1 guest judge from the wine media, this judge will be apart of evaluating and discussing each wine but judging scores will not be included in final results. Each panel will be supported by a volunteer Panel Secretary that will record all results and keep all records.

Panels are created in an attempt to put judges on panels that reflect their expertise – for example Pinot Noir critics, winemakers and growers judge Pinot Noir, where possible.

The wines are divided into flights of similar wines - for example, dessert-style whites or 2001 Sangiovese. Each flight is evaluated by one judging panel. The wines are poured into glasses in a separate room from the judges, so that they do not know anything about the wine.

The Wine Competition is judged on a verbal consensus system: each wine is judged using a zero to four point system, roughly 0= no award, 1 = bronze, 2 = silver, 3 = gold, 4 = double gold. For each wine, all four judges give their score verbally to the Panel Secretary; if the result is clear, the medal is awarded to the wine immediately. If the result is not clear, the Panel Secretary opens a discussion by asking the judge who awarded the highest score to explain why they like the wine. Once a consensus is reached, the medal, if any, is awarded.

Panel Chairs can ask for a re-pour of any wine, and panel members can request a re-pour through their Panel Chair. The Panel Chair’s decision about a re-pour is final. A panel member can also open a discussion if they have a strong feeling that a wine is corked or the bottle is seriously flawed or “off”.

All wines are opened no less than 15, and no more than 30, minutes before serving.
All wines are presented at cool room temperature – around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
All wines are given the same “breathing time”, the same amount is poured into glasses and every glass is cleaned and polished before pouring. Crystal wine glasses are used for the competition.
Wines are put into flights according to varietal. The Wine Competition Director decides how they will be grouped. We avoid pairing wines with different varietal or different sugar content.