4564 – That’s the number of entries into this 2013 edition of the WineMaker Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition.
The judging took place April 19-21 at the Hilton Burlington on the edge of Lake Champlain in picturesque Vermont (USA). With 50+ judges working in panels of threes, that’s roughly 250 wines each. That’s a good pace. The competition was run clockwork under Brad Ring’s supervision and Gene Spaziani’s handling of the judging logistics. The whole crew did an outstanding job running this event smoothly and flawlessly. Winners will be announced on May 18, 2013 at the WineMaker Conference Awards Dinner in Monterey, California.
In general, the level of quality of wines has improved greatly from previous years, and that’s a reassuring sign. On the flip side, we still see many entries that have flaws or faults, or are simply not ready. Here are my thoughts based on the wines I have tasted and comments from fellow judges.
My main comment about the wines submitted is that the vast majority are simply too young, and so they are not showing at their best. Aromas are still “closed in” and flavors have not had a chance to evolve and sprout. Many tasted like they were only recently fermented or bottled. Wine needs time to work its magic and grow to its full potential. I know that we winemakers are a keen bunch — we want to get that wine bottled ASAP and quickly share it with friends and family. But we need to be patient. The trick is to make more wine than you’ll be drinking so that you can age some of it. It’s amazing what even 6 months of aging can do for a wine — reds will benefit from an extra year or 18 months. But it all depends on desired style and wine at hand.
I also encountered many wines that simply tasted diluted or lacking body or mouthfeel. Many had oodles of aromas but then fell short on the palate making the wine unbalanced. The problem might be from grapes from a rainy harvest or too much water added to concentrate with kit wines.
And oxidation was probably the #1 fault. Oxidation manifests itself in browning with aromas of cooked apples and nuts akin to Sherry wine. In more serious cases, oxidation had evolved to acetic acid and even ethyl acetate. This is the result of excessive exposure to air probably from defective equipment or over-processing, or from bacterial infection, such as Acetobacter.
But there were many, many great wines too. My two favorites were a watermelon sparkling wine and a Malbec. Another judge also brought me a sample of a beautiful Syrah. And when wine is made well, a kit wine is indistinguishable from a grape or juice wine.
Good luck to all those who submitted wines. Thank you to the WineMaker Magazine team and volunteers for running this event.
See you all in Monterey.
Daniel
In the wine competions we have judged, we find mostly the same results and faults. It is encouraging to find at all levels that wine quality continues to improve.
A watermelon sparkling? I might just have to try that one. Cheers!
Yes. What was great about this sparkling, aside from being well made overall, was that the watermelon aromas and flavors were subtle without being overpowering — it’s what I would judge as “harmonious.” Many fruit wines I taste often display overpowering aromas and flavors of the fruit, and that detracts from the overall balance and drinking pleasure.
I’ve only been able to detect oxidation in my wines in what I would call extreme circumstances. That said, I fully expect that I have the problem but I’m not really tuned into how to detect the fault.
Jason
Jason,
It’s actually easy to pick up once you know what it smells like. It’s very similar to Sherry wine. That would be your extreme case. So then, practice by diluting Sherry down to smaller and smaller concentrations with water.
There are visual clues also.
In whites, color turns darker, browner.
In reds, the rim will show orangy hues. As oxidation progresses, the wine will show some browning. But be careful, this might also be a sign of aging (which could be a good thing), so your nose much confirm if it is oxidation.
Hope this helps.
Daniel