On March 13, 2007, the first-ever National Women’s Wine Competition in the US will single out the Wine Women Want™ based on a blind tasting of American wines by an all-women panel of judges. Women buy far more wine than men, yet wine competitions are typically judged by predominantly male panels, the organisers argue, until now.
The three-day event, to be held in Santa Rosa, California, will award Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to wines judged best in each of six categories. Proceeds from the competition will be donated to Women for WineSense, a national non-profit organization focused on wine education.
In addition to the National Women’s Wine Competition, the event will include the Women Winemakers Challenge, a competition among wines made by female winemakers.
The wine competition features honorary co-chairs Margrit Biever Mondavi, the “first lady of Napa Valley,” and Kathryn Hall, a former US Ambassador to Austria and co-founder of Hall winery in the Napa Valley.
“I’m personally excited to be involved in this unique competition that will help to shine light on wines that are especially appreciated by women,” stated Mrs. Mondavi. “The power of women wine consumers continues to grow from year to year and many of these women are looking for new wines to add to their shopping lists. With the broad spectrum of wines that we’re hoping to attract to the competition, we expect to uncover some new gems.”
“The Women Winemaker’s Challenge will enable us to place the spotlight on some of the rising stars within the wine industry,” added Mrs. Hall. “Women winemakers is another fast growing group and we hope that this competition can provide an opportunity to recognize their fine work on an annual basis.”
As a follow-on to the competition, Women for WineSense will host a public tasting, featuring medal-winning wines. The tasting event will also include panel discussions on a range of wine-related topics, with a focus on issues of importance to women consumers, as well as women in the wine industry. Women for WineSense will announce the date and location of the tasting event in the near future.
“As a premier organization focused on wine education, we are always looking for new ways to arm our members with useful information on the wine options that are available to them,” stated Gabrielle Leonhard, national president of Women for WineSense. “There has been a lot of discussion lately on the differences of the male and female palette. We are very excited to see the results of the competition and plan to provide an educational forum at our tasting event that will help to break down if and why there are differences in the wines that men and women appreciate.”
Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be presented in the following categories: sparkling wines; white wines; red wines; pink, blush and Rose wines; and dessert and fruit wines. Sweepstakes winners will also be announced in the red and white wine categories. The Women Winemaker’s Challenge is open to women winemakers working in bonded, licensed US wineries.
Judges will be taken from the ranks of leading women Masters of Wine, sommeliers, winemakers, educators, broadcasters and journalists who focus on wine. Each panel will include a “consumer” judge—a woman involved in the wine industry on a non-professional basis.
Entry fees are set at $55 per wine. An entry consists of the $55 fee plus four non-returnable bottles of wine. Entryforms are available now by emailing info@nwwc.info or by visiting www.nwwc.info.
Women for WineSense is a non-profit organization committed to ensuring that all women and men, worldwide, have unbiased information about the cultural heritage, social and health effects of moderate wine consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle. The organization is committed to offering outstanding educational programs and mentoring and networking opportunities to wine enthusiasts and industry professionals. For more information, visit www.womenforwinesense.org.
The Wine Women Awards, now in its second year, is an international contest intended to recognize and empower women’s passion for wine.
This contest has both a professional and amateur category open to women who genuinely enjoy wine personally.
This Award is inspired by today’s women whose growing influence and recognition play an increasingly important role in the wine business. The ceremony will nominate two women which will represent Wine Women of 2007, one in each category respectively.
Due to the overwhelming success of the 2005 Wine Women Awards, the sponsors glass makers Mikasa, Moët & Chandon, La Sommelière, the Hotel Bristol and Le Bottin Gourmand restaurant guide offer prizes valued up to 4000 euros.
Female contestants may include sommeliers, wine waiters, restaurateurs, wine managers, educators, event coordinators, viticulturalists, oenologists, producers and amateurs.
The competition will take place on June 14, 2007 at the Hotel Bristol in Paris, in front of a jury of professionals. Ten finalists, five in each category, will be selected to be flown to Paris France, all expenses paid, for the event.
Registration by contestants is by internet only and is free. To enter this competition visit www.winewomenawards.com where news of the Canadian winner can be found (June 20, 2007). Sarh Ahmed o fthe UK who helped research material for the forthcoming 6th edn of The World Atlas of Wine was one of the 10 finalists called to Paris for the final judging.
This contest has both a professional and amateur category open to women who genuinely enjoy wine personally.
This Award is inspired by today’s women whose growing influence and recognition play an increasingly important role in the wine business. The ceremony will nominate two women which will represent Wine Women of 2007, one in each category respectively.
Due to the overwhelming success of the 2005 Wine Women Awards, the sponsors glass makers Mikasa, Moët & Chandon, La Sommelière, the Hotel Bristol and Le Bottin Gourmand restaurant guide offer prizes valued up to 4000 euros.
Female contestants may include sommeliers, wine waiters, restaurateurs, wine managers, educators, event coordinators, viticulturalists, oenologists, producers and amateurs.
The competition will take place on June 14, 2007 at the Hotel Bristol in Paris, in front of a jury of professionals. Ten finalists, five in each category, will be selected to be flown to Paris France, all expenses paid, for the event.
Registration by contestants is by internet only and is free. To enter this competition visit www.winewomenawards.com where news of the Canadian winner can be found (June 20, 2007). Sarh Ahmed o fthe UK who helped research material for the forthcoming 6th edn of The World Atlas of Wine was one of the 10 finalists called to Paris for the final judging.