In this brief we write about several wine competitions. One is very special, almost a curiosity: A competition to nominate the wine with the most successful (or best) malolactic fermentation. I wonder how you judge that. Is there something in a well made and balanced wine that indicates a particularly successful malolactic fermentation? Maybe. We wouldn’t spontaneously say about a wine: “God, what a fantastic malolactic fermentation!” But we have probably still things to learn.
Anyway, competitions are important to many wine producers. There are many around the world. Often you see stickers on bottles saying that this wine has won a gold or a silver medal in this or that competition. It means something to the consumers as well. Maybe they do not know much about the competition itself but just the fact that the wine has won a medal makes them feel a little safer when they buy the wine. Someone liked it so it can’t be that bad. So for not so well known producers taking part in competitions is part of the marketing strategy.
More famous estates and those who feel they have a reputation don’t normally take part. They have not the same need and they would probably be embarrassed if they didn’t win. When wines are tasted blind anything can happen, as they very well know.
I was glad, the other day, when I read the results of a competition for organic wines from Languedoc-Roussillon called the Signature Bio 2012. Two wines had received gold medal with a special mention. One of them was my favorite Château Pech-Latt Tradition Rouge 2011 from Corbières. Consumer price in France is 6.80 euro and the wine had won over a number of others that cost far more than that.
In the end it is your own personal taste that decides it you like a wine or not. But sometimes a little help is a good thing, whether it’s from medals, points or tasting notes.
Have a wonderful summer (if ever it arrives) with lots of reading and lots of wine!
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief or forward it to them!
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3 Responses
Hello! Mostly medals are overrated. But they have a big influence to the consumer. Your/our personal taste is the most important! best, Gottfried
Agree on that. It is two very contrasting aspects of competitions. Perhaps one can say that at least medals are a guarantee of that a wine is not bad, since at least a few (competent) people have liked it. Which for a consumer can be enough to make him buy an otherwise totally unknown wine. Which is a good thing.
-P
Hi Gottfried! Thanks for your comment. Yes, personal taste always most important but often you need to buy a bottle without being able to taste it beforehand. So for the average consumer a medal helps. If medals are overrated so are all the various points given by journalists and other tasters. Because they always reflect someone else’s taste.