West Coast Wine Competition
Rules & Procedures
2009 West Coast Wine Competition
Location: Sonoma Mountain Village, Rohnert Park, CA
Dates: April 22-24, 2009
Entry Deadline extended to: March 31, 2009
Download Brochure with Entry Form
RULES: This event is sponsored by Vineyard & Winery Management magazine, whose competition experience spans nearly three decades, and is operated by a nucleus of wine industry professionals. West Coast Wine Competition judges are wine industry professionals as well as media and marketers of wine, many of whom make direct use of the results in their purchasing decisions.
1) The West Coast Wine Competition is open to wines produced in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Baja, California, British Columbia in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. 2) An official entry consists of (4) 750 ml bottles or (6) 375 ml bottles. 3) Entry fee, to be submitted with entry form, is $55 per wine. A one-time fee of $55 links your award results to your winery's web site homepage. Link fee must be purchased at entry and cannot be refunded should no award be made. 4) All entered wine must be available to the general public. 5) Entrants must specify residual sweetness accurately as a percentage. 6) Entrants must specify their intended retail price per bottle. 7) Entrants should specify class number of entry. 8) Any wine remaining at the conclusion of the event may be used at events hosted by the sponsor. 9) Sweepstakes wines will be selected by the judges in five categories: Red, White, Sparkling, Dessert & Late Harvest (including Ice).
JUDGING METHODOLOGY: Panels will consist of members selected from wine media, wine/vineyard research, wine-making, wine education and wine marketing. Majority will rule in reaching a consensus. Longer classes will have an elimination round. New bottles will be opened for medal-round tasting. Judges may ask for a new bottle to be poured when a flaw is detected. Medals awarded will be Double Gold, Gold and Silver. Bronze medals will be recognized only. Double Gold is a unanimous gold medal judgement among the panelists. Best of Class wines may be selected by the panels on an as-advised basis. A Best of Show or Sweepstakes wine may be selected. Entrants will be notified within 10 working days of the conclusion of the event.
INTERNET: Results will be posted to vwm-online.com/wcwc within 10 working days of the end of the judging. Entrants may elect to have their medal-winning wines link from the vwm-online.com website to their own web sites. The link will be active for six months and covers each winning wine per winery. The link must be purchased at the time of registration and no refunds can be made for those wineries who opted for the link and won no award. Winners will also be entitled to display the West Coast Wine Competition logo on their web sites.
NOTIFICATION & MEDALS: Award recipients will be notified within 10 working days of the end of the competition. Actual award medals typically take six weeks to produce and are mailed as soon as available.
PROMOTIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Attractive "West Coast Wine Competition" foil-embossed medal-winning wine stickers (Double Gold, Gold, Silver) are available for purchase at $50 per thousand. You will have the option to order at time of medal notification. Visit vwm-online.com/wcwc 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 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 entry 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 WCWC Logo on their web sites on request and in compliance with the event owner's policies.
CLASSES OF ENTRY:
SPARKLING WINES
100 Sparkling White <2.5% rs
101 Sparkling White >2.5% rs
110 Sparkling Rosé
120 Sparkling Red
130 Sparkling Fruit
WHITE WINES
200 Chenin Blanc
210 Rieslings <3% rs
211 Rieslings >3% rs
220 Gewurztraminer <3% rs
221 Gewurztraminer >3% rs
230 Semillon
240 Muscat Varieties <5% rs
245 Rhone White Blends
250 Other White Varietals
255 White Blends
260 Sauvignon Blanc <$10.01
261 Sauvignon Blanc =>$10.01
270 Pinot Gris/Grigio
280 Viognier
290 Chardonnay <$10.01
291 Chardonnay $10.01-$20.00
292 Chardonnay $20.01 & over
BLUSH & ROSÉ
300 White Zinfandel
310 White Merlot
320 Other Blush Varietals
330 Rosé Blends
RED WINES
400 Pinot Noir <$10.01
401 Pinot Noir $10.01-$20.00
402 Pinot Noir $20.01 & over
403 Pinot Noir $30.00 & over
410 Sangiovese
411 Barbera
412 Other Italian Varietals
413 Italian Red Blends
420 Syrah/Shiraz <$20.00
421 Syrah =>$20.00
422 Carignane
423 Other Rhone Varietals
424 Rhone Red Blends
430 Zinfandel <$20.00
431 Zinfandel =>$20.00
440 Merlot <$10.01
441 Merlot $10.01-$20.00
442 Merlot $20.01 & over
450 Cabernet Franc
460 Other Bordeaux Varietals
470 Cabernet Sauvignon <$10.01
471 Cabernet Sauvignon $10.01-$20.00
472 Cabernet Sauvignon $20.01 & over
480 Red Bordeaux Blends <$10.01
481 Red Bordeaux Blends $10.01-$20.00
482 Red Bordeaux Blends $20.01 & over
490 Petite Sirah
495 Proprietary (House) Red Blends
LATE HARVEST & DESSERT
500 LH White Varietals
510 Muscat Varietals >5% rs
520 LH Zinfandel
530 Other LH Red Varietals
540 Ice Wine
EURO-AMERICAN HYBRIDS & NATIVE AMERICAN VARIETIES
600 Native American White
610 Native American Red
620 Euro-American White Hybrids
630 Euro-American Red Hybrids
SAKE
700 Sake
FRUIT WINES & VERMOUTH
710 White Vermouth
720 Red Vermouth
730 Fruit Wines
740 Hard Ciders
FORTIFIED WINES
800 Sherry
810 Port
DISTILLED BEVERAGES
900 Brandy
910 Grappa
920 Other Distilled Beverages
INSTRUCTIONS: Please write the class number on the entry form if entering by mail or include it when entering online, together with vintage, price, residual sweetness, wine name and additional information regarding vineyard selection or appellation of origin. This information will be used for the awards booklet and online listings. Be especially careful with residual sweetness: judges may reject a wine that is too sweet or dry for its relative position in tasting order. International entrants, please convert gm/l to %.
Frequently Asked Questions
What category do I put it in?
1. Wine has two different grapes, each 50%.
Answer: Blended wines or Meritage.
2. Wine has more than 2 grape varietals.
Answer: More than 75% of any varietal is it's major varietal, less than 75% is a blend.
3. Any wines with % different than category allows?
Answer: They are blended wines.
4. Dessert wine under 16% alcohol.
Answer: Most dessert wines are.
5. Cider has greater than 7% alcohol.
Answer: It is still considered cider.
6. Apple still wine less than 7% alcohol.
Answer: Goes in Fruit wine section.
How many bottles to submit?
1. I only want to submit 2 ice wines, no more, very expensive.
Answer: We have to allow for corked bottles and for sweepstakes competitions.
2.Will unopened bottles be returned to me?
Answer: No
Shipping
1. How do I send the wines?
Answer: Ship them in shipping boxes, of cardboard or foam.
2.Where do I send the wines?
Answer: West Coast Wine Competition, c/o Groskopf Warehouse, 20582 Eighth Street, Sonoma, CA. 95476
3. Do I send payment with the wines?
Answer: No, payment is sent with the entry form.
4. My wines have been returned to winery after sending UPS ground.
Answer: Check with UPS as to why they have been returned. We don't return wines.
Having a problem with Customs?
1. I cannot get my wines through customs.
Answer: Have you organized a wine broker to clear your wines?
2. Consolidation of wines (Canadian Wineries)
Answer: Call Groskopf Warehouse ( 1-800-479-9459) and find out if they have a winery that is consolidating wines.
Awards & Promotional Stickers
1. When will results be released?
Answer: Results will be posted to vwm-online.com within 10 working days of the end of the judging.
2. When will we receive our awards?
Answer: When all the results have been verified, the awards will be ordered and sent to the participating wineries. Allow 4-6 weeks for receipt of medals.
3. If I order stickers, will they arrive in the same package with medals?
Answer: No, stickers are ordered and shipped separately. Allow 4-6 weeks for receipt of stickers from time of order.
4. Are there stickers for bronze-medal winners?
Answer: No, not at this time.
5. If my wine takes a bronze medal, do I have the option of declining receipt of an actual medal?
Answer: Yes, please check appropriate box on entry form.
Legalities
1. Do I have to be a bonded Winery?
Answer: Yes.
2.What wines can I enter?
Answer: All entered wine must be available to the general public. Experimental lots of wine are not permitted.