Grand Harvest Awards
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About the Competition
2010 Grand Harvest AwardsLocation: Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, California
Dates: February 24-25, 2010
Late Entries extended to February 12 - Important!
Customers can still enter online or fax a completed entry form to 707-577-7705. We are accepting entry forms online and via fax until February 12, 2010.
Wine Shipments before February 5:
Wines must arrive at Groskopf Warehouse no later than February 5 as we will be consolodating and shipping the wines to the competition site on February 8.
We will not accept wines at Groskopf any later than February 5. Ship or hand-deliver wine to Groskopf Warehouse, 20580 Eighth Street East, Sonoma, CA 95476, 800.479.9459 or 707.939.3100. Please clearly mark boxes on all sides with "GHA 2010 Entry." Late entries may be judged in a "Late Entry" class if they cannot be appropriately intermingled with others of their own class.
Wine Shipments after February 5:
Our physical office address is:
Vineyard & Winery Management Magazine
c/o Grand Harvest Awards
3883 Airway Drive
Suite 250
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
707-577-7700
The Search For Terroir in the North American Market Begins Here
Truly one of a kind! What sets Grand Harvest Awards apart from the rest? One word...terroir. Established in 1990, it is the only wine-judging event in North America that is based on terroir - a group of vineyards (or even vines) from the same region, belonging to a specific appellation, and sharing the same type of soil, weather conditions, grapes and wine making savoir-faire, which contribute to give its specific personality to the wine.
In other competitions, this factor is ignored. At the Grand Harvest, judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen without the influences that sometimes eclipse even a wine of very high quality.
A goal of Grand Harvest is to learn more about how terroir contributes qualities of excellence and distinctiveness to wines. Over the course of this event, judges have learned to recognize when terroir is - and is not - a factor of wine quality. We think the bar has been lifted a little, and as a result, each year we perceive greater interest in terroir by winemakers and critics alike. Favorable awards support increased local and regional sales. A win in Grand Harvest can put your wine into a whole new sales category.
All wines are judged in the context of their viticultural region in order to accomplish two things: greater sensitivity to the complexities and nuances of regional wines and also to measure the influence of regional soil and weather characteristics on the taste and quality of individual wines.
The 2009 Grand Harvest Awards, completed its mission to recognize outstanding wines from all over the world and simultaneously studying the effects of terroir on wine characteristics. The 19th annual Grand Harvest Awards was held February 18-20, 2009 at Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, California. Twenty-one judges (seven panels of three) evaluated over 1,600 entries and awarded a total of 1,193 medals including 142 gold, 493 silver and 558 bronze. Garnering medals at the Grand Harvest Awards has been tough to achieve historically because of its high standards of excellence. Wine competitions are invaluable purchasing tools that help consumers choose from over 5,000 wineries in the US alone.
Most entries in the Grand Harvest Awards were grown and produced in the United States and Canada with some originating in Australia, Eurasia (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Turkey), Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa and South America (Argentina and Chile). In Grand Harvest there are two principal classes of entry; those with specific geographical appellations and those without. Both are treated with equal emphasis, but terroir discovery is not attempted in classes without geographical specificity. To win, your wine must be nominated for Bronze or higher by each of the three judges. 2010 judging staff includes:
• George M. Taber-author of "Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine"
• Tim McNally-The Wine Show radio host, WIST, AM 690, New Orleans
• Eric Degerman-Managing Editor, Wine Press Northwest
• William S. Bloxsom-Carter-Executive Chef/ Food & Beverage Director, Playboy Mansion West
• Jim Trezise-President, New York Wine & Grape Foundation
This wine competition is open to all commercial wines marketing in North America.
