Vineyard & Winery Management

November/December 2012

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WINE COMPETITIONS Scene at: Female wine judges provide insights into women's preferences ith women buying 75% of the wines purchased in the United States, it's not sur- prising that vintners are looking for ways to reach out to female wine drinkers and gain more information about their preferences. Providing such insights is the idea behind the International Wom- en's Wine Competition (IWWC), organized by Vineyard & Winery Management (V&WM). The annual competition features an all-female judging crew comprised of industry professionals, including winemak- ers, writers, educators, consultants and sommeliers. Although women may have a dif- ferent approach than men in choos- ing the wines they drink, they don't necessarily prefer "softer" wines than their male counterparts. "What they' re looking for depends on the woman," said IWWC judge Gina Gallo, winemak- er for E. & J. Gallo Winery. "I'm not into the feminine vs. masculine style thing – I just don't see that. A lot of women like powerful wines that are extremely structured. But women are more likely to buy something they heard about from a friend, or intuitively buy something because they like the way it looks. I think men are a lot more ratings-driven, while women like to try different things and they're more playful with it." "Women appreciate another woman's point of view," added IWWC chairman Debra Del Fiorentino, "so it's valuable for them as consumers to have recommendations from female wine judges. I've also observed that the judging has a totally different vibe without men. The female judges enjoy being heard, and discuss the wines for a much longer period of time." The 2012 IWWC was held Sept. 18 and 19 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, Calif. It brought in a total of 865 entries – an increase over the previous two years – with 27 wines earning double-gold medals, 73 winning gold medals and 268 winning silver. The Best of Show winner was the Lago di Merlo Vineyards & Winery 2009 Sangiovese from Dry Creek Valley, which also took the title in V&WM's NextGen Wine Com- petition for Millennial Wine Drinkers, held earlier this year. "The Lago di Merlo Sangiovese demonstrates not only the outstanding quality of the wine," said V&WM wine competition director Bill Traverso, "but also its broad appeal in being recognized by professional judges repre- senting different ages and genders." Best of Show/Best Red - Lago di Merlo Vineyards & Winery 2009 Sangiovese, Dry Creek Valley ($28) Best White - Underdog Wine & Spirits 2011 Big House White, California ($9.99) Best of Show Rosé - Francis Ford Coppola Winery 2011 Sofia Rosé, Monterey County ($19) Best Sparkling - Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards 2004 Royal Cuvee, Carneros ($32) Best Dessert/Late Harvest - San Sebastian Winery NV Cream Sherry, American ($19.99) Best Fruit - St. James Winery NV Peach, Missouri ($8.99) For complete competition results, see www.winecompetitions.com 90 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT NOV - DEC 2012 Best of Show Winners WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM

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