April 15: Results of the 4th edition of London Wine Competition held on march 15 and organised by the U.S.- based Beverage Trade Network (BTN), were announced yesterday with Nashik- based wineries Vallonne and Charosa awarded a Silver medal each scoring 83 points for their Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 and Chenin Blanc 2019 respectively, writes Subhash Arora
Vallonne which has its wines already listed in Waitrose at £20, won the Silver for its Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 whereas Charosa Chenin Blanc 2019 (producer- Grover Zampa) is being retailed by the Wine Monkey for £18, was also awarded a Silver. Both the wines are being imported by the newly founded Wines in India. Last year H Block Chardonnay scored a Silver too. No Gold has been awarded to any Indian wine at the Competition that debuted in 2018.
Both the wines scored 83 points. In 2020 York Winery in Nashik had scored 82 points. The competition awards Gold for 90+. Wines scoring between 76-89 get a Silver while 65-75 points earn them a Bronze. Besides, there are usual Awards for the Best Wines, Best Winery and Awards for each country. Best in Show for more popular varietals also add to the list. There is also an Award each for Best Wine of the Year by Quality, Value and Package.
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The competition saw entries from over 36 countries with 135 grape varietals entered with Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay being the most popular varietals. Countries with highest participation were Australia, Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, United States and Moldova which saw the biggest percentage increase in wines entered. India had entered their wines in 2020 and in 2021.
The Competition is relatively new as the other competitions in London like International Wine Challenge (IWC), International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) and Decanter Wine World Awards (DWWA) are much older- around 20 years and more. Therefore, the competition had sought a different format and even the selection of judges.
The judges for this competition are generally wine buyers and included 10 Master of Wines and 6 Master Sommeliers from off-trade and on-trade establishments. They chose judges with direct buying responsibility or those with an experience of making the tough commercial decisions that decide what the wine was listed or not.
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Each submission is assigned a unique submission reference number. The wine is tested for Quality, Value and Packaging. Each variant is given 100 points and the aggregate average score determines the Award -Q (Quality Score) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = London Wine Competition Score. The wines are assigned a score for quality and value on the blind-tasting basis. Then they are brought in front of the judges who give the packaging score individually for each flight; an average of 3 scores is assigned to the wine.
Scoring system
Quality is assessed based on how agreeable the wine is for its target customer and chemical analysis. The judges determine quality considering the usual characteristics of the wine- Appearance, Nose, Body, Flavour and Aftertaste. Value: is awarded points based on how well the wine is priced and the value it offers- greater the quality offered for the price, higher the points. Packaging is measured by how well judges think the wine will be perceived by the consumer by looking at the bottle on the shelf. For retail, they take into consideration factors like label design and information, closures, and overall look. Boxes, cartons and bags are excluded from scores.
Beverage Trade Network(BTN) is a global media and B2B networking platform servicing suppliers, buyers and beverage professionals in the global beverage industry.
Also read: London Wine Competition with a Difference gets ready for 2019
The competition was held on 15 March. The 5th edition will be held on 21 March, 2022. For more information, contact info@londonwinecompetition.com. To see a complete list of winners this year, visit https://londonwinecompetition.com/en
Subhash Arora
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