Page 20 - Grapevine May-June 2020

In The Winery Around The Vineyard • March - April 2011

Challenge, Sommelier Challenge and Winemaker countries and the U.S.,” Blume said. “It’s a unique
Challenge, all based in San Diego. competition because it’s based at a university and
administered by faculty and staff from the depart-
Whitley designed each competition to celebrate ments of food science, computer and informational
the differences in wine, regardless of origin. Entries technology, and horticulture and landscape archi-
are open to all wines produced for commercial sale tecture.” There are 75 classes to enter.
from any part of the world. “I launched the Critics
Challenge 17 years ago because I believed my The INDY, established in 1992, features a broad
colleagues in wine journalism had important and judging panel that’s craft-specific. In addition to
unique perspectives on wine evaluation,” he said. retailers, distributors and winemakers, profession-
“For one thing, their understanding of the differ- als might include grape growers, chefs and social
ences between wines based on place of origin and media promoters. “This mixture makes the event
cultural influences was deeper than most.” an ideal testing ground for experimentation and an
opportunity to receive professional feedback from
The competitions have judging panels comprised leading wine experts,” Blume said. “It’s a great
of experts representative of the topic event, except opportunity for new wineries due to the diversity of
the San Diego Challenge, which includes a combi- our judges, their knowledge and openness to new
nation of journalists, sommeliers and winemakers, varieties and wine styles.”
plus other expert evaluators. Whitley believes
this segmentation provides additional benefits. Blume noted that an important characteristic of
“Wineries had a hunger for critical feedback. the INDY is to “evaluate traditional and non-tradi-
Hence, we provided comments from the judges tional Indiana wines with those from the U.S. and
on the medal-winning wines. Those comments, around the globe in the same competition. It’s
in turn, could be used as a marketing tool on POS exciting to see humble, unpretentious wines from
shelf-talkers or wine-club newsletters,” he said. the Midwest and new cold-hardy grape varieties
like Vignoles, Chambourcin, Traminette and La
Whitley’s Tips for New Entrants? Crescent win big at the INDY,” she said. “In the final
Best of Show round, judges don’t know the wine’s
1. Understand that young wines don’t always variety, packaging, vintage, price or region. The
shine. They go through phases as they mature, winners are chosen solely by the judge’s senses—
so don’t be discouraged if your wine doesn’t sight, aroma and taste.”
medal or doesn’t earn the prize you think it
deserves. Blume’s top tip for selecting competition wines?
Choose those that have big aroma, big finish and
2. Enter multiple wine competitions for the reason balanced sugar, acid and alcohol.
above.
Finger Lakes International
3. Study the lineup of judges before you enter any Wine & Spirits Competition
competition and choose the competitions that
field the best evaluation teams. Regional pride and a sense of community enhance
other international competitions as well. For the
INDY International Wine Competition past 20 years, the Finger Lakes International Wine
& Spirits Competition (FLIWC) in Mendon, New
You might also find that certain characteristics of York, has accepted entries from all over the U.S.,
a competition matter more than others. Jill Blume Canada and other countries. The event began as a
is an enology specialist with the Purdue Wine fundraiser for Camp Good Days & Special Times—a
Grape Team at Purdue University in West Lafayette, non-profit organization that provides programs
Indiana, and executive director and chief judge for and services free of charge to children and families
the INDY International Wine Competition. impacted by cancer.

“It’s the largest independent, scientifically-orga- “Supporters of Camp Good Days recognized the
nized wine competition in the nation, accepting opportunity to harness the goodwill in the Finger
both commercial and amateur entries from 94 Lakes wine community to benefit funding, and

Page 18 The Grapevine • May - June 2020 877-892-5332

Grapevine Main Pages GV050620_Layout 1-1 .indd 18 4/28/20 1:21 PM