Grand Harvest Awards
Rules & Procedures
2009 Grand Harvest Awards
Location: Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, California
Dates: February 18-20, 2009
Deadline to Enter: January 16, 2009
To promote the concept of regional typicity in wines and to recognize high quality among wines of entrants.
Classes of Entry
In Grand Harvest, there are two principal classes of entry; those with specific geographical appellations (Napa, Finger Lakes, Bordeaux) and those without (California, New York, France). Both are treated with equal emphasis, but terroir discovery is not attempted in classes without geographical specificity.
1. Geographical classes of entry are determined by any viticultural region recognized by the United States government. Wines will be primarily grouped and judged according to their essential viticultural region. Recognition of terroir will be considered a quality factor in the determination of award. Wines of non-geographical specificity, whose labels do not bear the name of a viticultural region, will be tasted to determine quality only.
2. Any and only 100% grape wine may be entered. Classes of entry are:
1. Geographical classes of entry are determined by any viticultural region recognized by the United States government. Wines will be primarily grouped and judged according to their essential viticultural region. Recognition of terroir will be considered a quality factor in the determination of award. Wines of non-geographical specificity, whose labels do not bear the name of a viticultural region, will be tasted to determine quality only.
2. Any 100% grape wine may be entered. Classes of entry are:
BLENDS
White 100
Rosé 101
Red 102
SPARKLING
White 200
Rosé 201
Red 202
PROPRIETARY
White 300
Rosé 301
Red 302
VARIETAL
White 400
Rosé 401
Red 402
LATE HARVEST/ICE WINE
White 500
Rosé 501
Red 502
ALL OTHERS
600
3. Entries must have a descriptive label bearing all federally required information. One label for each wine type entered should be mailed with the entry form. In the case of online and faxed entries, please copy your final entry form and mail it with labels and payment. Required information:
a) The specific, labeled viticultural or political area for each wine
b) The varietal or proprietary name
c) The vintage (or NV for "no vintage")
d) Residual sweetness if greater than 0.1% (expressed as percentage)
4. Not yet released and unlabeled wines may be entered as long as they are identified with a temporary label specifying their class and contents for award listing.
5. An official entry consists of (4) 750ml bottles or (6) 375 ml bottles of each wine type.
6. Geographically similar wines will be tasted with other wines of the same viticultural area in order of varietal content, vintage and sweetness. Any wine considered by the judging panel to significantly differ from its labeled information may be disadvantaged in the competition.
7. Cases of production must be provided. "Cases" means the entire volume produced after blending of component cuvees. Wine entered must be typical of entire batch produced.
8. Entry fee, to be submitted with entry form, is $85 per wine type.
9. Entrants must specify residual sweetness accurately as a percentage.
10. Entrants must specify their intended retail price per bottle.
11. Any changes to your entry form must be made by specified date for 2009. No refunds for cancellations can be made after specified date.
12. Any wine remaining at the conclusion of the event may be used at events hosted by the producer.
Judging Methodology and Awards
All wines will be judged in their own regional classes by panels of five expert judges from the ranks of wine professionals. A typical panel will include a winemaker, wine writer, wine educator, restaurateur and wine marketer. Tasting no more than 50 wines per half-day, judges will use a 100-point scale in addition to the traditional Gold, Silver, Bronze. The numerical rating reveals relative ranking within a medal range. To earn a Bronze medal or higher, a wine must be voted Bronze or higher by each judge on the panel, with one exception that one judge's Silver or Gold vote will override another judge's no medal vote.
Results and Notification
Each entrant will receive a score card showing results from all five judges including total score and medal score. Medal results for medal winners only will be posted on www.vwm-online.com and released to the wine media and industry as soon as possible at the end of the judging. Award recipients will be notified by mail, fax or email immediately after the competition. Actual awards are mailed after notification of award. Allow 4-6 weeks to receive medal(s).
Promotional Options
Attractive "Grand Harvest Award" foil-embossed medal-winning wine stickers are available for purchase at $50 per thousand. You will have the option to order at time of medal notification. Visit the Medals and Stickers Page of the web site or call 800-535-5670 for more details. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery after award notification. A one-time fee of $55 may be purchased to link your award result on www.vwm-online.com to your winery's web site for a period of six months and covers each winning wine per entry. The link must be purchased at the time of registration and no refunds can be made for those wineries that opted for the link fee and won no awards. Winners will also be entitled to display the trademarked Grand Harvest Logo on their web sites on request and in compliance with the event owner's policies.