Indy International Wine Competition

JUDGING GUIDELINES

THE MISSION OF THE INDY INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION IS TO IDENTIFY, REWARD, AND PROMOTE EXCELLENCE IN WINEMAKING AT THE COMMERCIAL AND NON-COMMERCIAL LEVELS BY ENSURING THAT EVERY ENTRY HAS THE BEST POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO ACHIEVE THE HIGHEST AWARD THAT IT DESERVES.

The following outlines some essential elements which serve as information, guidelines and rules which are key to this mission being pursued to its fullest.

JUDGING

• Panels of wine experts from around the globe will conduct a blind judging. The Chairman & Chief Judge, Christian Butzke, and the Executive Director, Jill Blume, will approve the qualifications of judges before each competition. We are sensitive to gender and age equity in our judging roster and try to staff each panel with experts who have professional diversity and experience.

• Each wine entry receives a unique ID number. The judges shall never see the wine bottles until the Competition is complete.

• Our system is comprised of panels with 4 (for commercial wines) or 3 (for non-commercial wines) judges each. Each panel will consist of one Anchor Judge assigned by the Chief Judge, who directs the conduct and pace of the panel, and records the scores and awards.

• Each flight is designed to have about ten wines of the same class. Typical scheduling is about five flights each morning and afternoon of the first and second day of the Competition.

• Consecutive flights of the same class are avoided in order to help maintain fresh palates and avoid boredom. We strive to make flight orders from dry reds to heavy reds both mornings and afternoons while getting the popular classes (such as Chardonnay or Merlot) that require multiple flights done as early as possible.

• This is a single blind judging. Judges will be given a wine's class (variety or style) and the vintage, but not its appellation or country of origin or price.

• The Indy International Wine Competition receives wine entries from all over the world. Keep an open mind and expect novel as well as traditional styles within one flight.

• Avoid varietal racism (borrowed from judge, Jim Trezise)! Vitis labrusca, rotundifolia, riparia, vinifera and hybrids thereof each have varieties with their individual aroma attributes. It is the comparative quality of these attributes which are here to be judged - not pedigrees or traditions.

• The medal award rules:
  
  • Double Gold = 4 gold votes (3 for non-commercial wines)
  • Gold = 2 or 3 gold votes, contingent upon all medal votes
  • Silver = 2 or more silver or gold votes, contingent upon all medal votes
  • Bronze = 3 medal votes (2 for non-commercial wines)

JUDGE RULES

• The Pit Cru area behind the curtains is totally off-limits to judges until after the Wines of Year awards are determined on the second day of the Competition.

• MEMBERS OF THE PIT CRU SHALL BE TREATED WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT AND CORDIALITY.

• Judging attitudes should be positive, courteous and congenial - without disparaging comments or raucous behavior. As a judge you should spit as much of the wine you taste as possible to avoid any mild impairment your judging abilities. Avoid gestures, sounds and remarks during the tasting which may influence fellow panel members. Questions, comments or needs during tasting should be quietly addressed to the Anchor Judge or the Chief Judge.

• Wines that judges identify as corked or otherwise off will be re-poured.

• Judges may utilize any personal manner of wine evaluation which works best for them as long as the result is expressed as Gold, Silver, Bronze or No Medal. Anchor Judges will poll judges for their results, encourage consensus after discussion, and determine the award. A brief discussion of each wine after each flight - lead by the Anchor Judge - is strongly encouraged. As two judges' no-medal votes disqualify a wine from winning a medal, such discordant judgment shall be further deliberated with the fellow judges until mutual agreement about the wine has been reached. However, avoid prolonged deliberations - cooperate with the Anchor Judge to keep pace. If this is not possible, the Chief Judge must be consulted and he will break any unresolved tie.

• In order to provide feedback to the winemaker, especially if a wine did not medal, we will compile your tasting notes anonymously, and provide them to the winery upon request. Be concrete and detailed but refrain from disparaging comments, and give stylistic or technical suggestions if you feel competent to do so.

• Please assist your Anchor Judge with paperwork and other duties as they may request. Anchor Judges will explain the score sheets before judging commences. Take special note of the upper left hand corner which requires your Panel Number, Flight Number and Judge Number. Once each flight has been fully judged and awards are determined, please empty your glasses into dump buckets and remove the labels from the glasses.

• Judges who consistently score at odds with the rest of the panel or display any manner of decorum inconsistent with good judging will be reported to the Chief Judge for review. If it is determined that these judges are unable or unwilling to judge in accordance with Indy International standards, they may be dismissed. Judges are encouraged to abstain from voting upon any wine they feel they cannot render fair judgment. The Anchor Judge will account for this void with a vote calculated proportionally from the average of the remaining 4 judges.

WINE(S) OF THE YEAR

• In cases of multiple Double Gold medal winners per class, panels assigned by the Chief Judge will be requested to sit in judgment of each class in order to select a single wine as Best of Class wine for advancement to the Wine(s) of the Year trophies. A special Best of Class medal will be awarded to the wines chosen.

• A single flight of wines for the six Wines of the Year trophies will be presented to the entire company of judges on the afternoon of the second day of the Competition. Five Wines of the Year trophies (Red Wine of the Year, White Wine of the Year, Rosé Wine of the Year, Sparkling Wine of the Year and Dessert Wine of the Year) are voted on by "standing" acclamation. EACH JUDGE HAS A SINGLE VOTE FOR EACH OF THE WINE OF THE YEAR CATEGORIES.

• The overall Wine of the Year will be chosen at a final judgment from the winners of the five Wines of the Year categories. The wine receiving the highest number of votes will be elected Wine of the Year. If, for example, a red wine wins Wine of the Year, the red wine achieving the second highest number of votes in that category will be awarded the Red Wine of the Year trophy.

• Wines in each trophy category achieving tie votes for first and second place will be voted upon again to the exclusion of all other wines in that category.