Promoting the growth and expansion of home brewing & winemaking

Annual Wine Competition held April 18, 2009

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BEST OF SHOW WINNERS

GRAND CHAMPION

BOB BENNETT

2006 Port-Cabernet Sauvignon

2009 results: Click here.

The Fermenters International Trade Association (FITA) conducts a yearly wine competition. Gold Medal winners are then eligible to have their wines judged in the Best of Show judging which is held in conjunction with the annual FITA conference.

FAQ

Only members of FITA are eligible to submit entries to the annual wine competition. Join today so you can compete in our next one!

ENTRY FORM

RULES & REGULATIONS

2009 INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR WINE COMPETITION

U. S. Competition hosted by: The Grape & Granary, Akron, Ohio
2010 competition will be held sometime in April.

Check back for date and details.

1. JUDGING. Entries will be scored using a modified Davis 20-point system. Multiple gold, silver and bronze medals may be awarded to wines of appropriate merit in each category. Gold medal winners in each category will advance to the Best of Show round held at the FITA annual conference. Gold medal winners will be notified and encouraged to submit ONE bottle to the Best of Show judging. (See paragraph 9 for additional details.) No additional entry fees are required for the Best of Show round.

2. ELIGIBILITY. This competition is open to all amateur winemakers 21 years or older. All entrants must be sponsored by an FITA retail member in good standing. Judges may enter wines into categories in which they are not judging.

3. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS. Only ONE bottle, free of any label or identifying marks, is required for each entry. Still wines must be in standard 750ml corked wine bottles and free of labels, capsules or wax. Sparkling wines must be bottled in 750ml champagne bottles with the proper closure and wire. Ice wines and late harvest wines may be submitted in 375ml bottles. All entries become the property of FITA and no wines will be returned. It is the entrant’s responsibility to select the proper category. Dry wines should have less than 2% residual sugar (S.G. 1.002 and under) and all other wines are deemed sweet. Misclassified wines will be judged but will not be eligible for awards. Improperly completed entry forms or wines arriving after the deadline will be judged, but will not be eligible for awards. If your entry is awarded a gold medal, you will be requested to send ONE additional bottle to be judged for Best of Show at the annual FITA conference. See paragraph 9.

4. ENTRY FEES. A fee of $12.00USD/$12.00CAD per entry is required. Entry fee must be paid by check or money order, payable to FITA. Currency will not be accepted. PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH!

5. REGISTRATION FORMS. All entries must be accompanied by a fully completed registration form and entry fee. The registration form should be attached to the bottle with a rubber band.

6. DEADLINE. Wines must be received at the competition site NOT LATER THAN April 11, 2009.

7. SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS. Ship only by UPS or FedEx Ground Service. Label the box “Glass” (simple, but true). Your local FITA shop should be able to help with this. You must pack the bottles so that they will not break. Use bubble wrap or foam wrap on each bottle and pack tightly in Styrofoam peanuts. Again, your local shop should be able to offer help. Ship your entries to:

              THE GRAPE & GRANARY, INC.
                 915 Home Avenue
                 Akron OH 44310

8. CATEGORIES:

1. Red Vinifera - Dry (not for kit wines, see Category 6)
2. White Vinifera - Dry (not for kit wines, see Category 6)
3. Native American Grape - Dry
4. Red French Hybrid - Dry
5. White French Hybrid - Dry
6. Concentrate/Kit - Dry
7. Fruit - Dry
8. Berry - Dry
9. Novelty - Dry
10. Rose - Dry
11. Red Vinifera - Sweet (not for kit wines, see Category 16)
12. White Vinifera - Sweet (not for kit wines, see Category 16)
13. Native American Grape - Sweet
14. Red French Hybrid - Sweet
15. White French Hybrid - Sweet
16. Concentrate/Kit - Sweet
17. Fruit - Sweet
18. Berry - Sweet
19. Novelty - Sweet
20. Rose - Sweet
21. Sparkling - Sweet or Dry
22. Specialty - Sweet or Dry

For the purpose of this judging, the following shall apply:

Native American Grapes include, but are not limited to: Aestivalis, Lambrusca, Riperia & Rotundfolia. Novelty shall apply to wines made from an ingredient not covered in other classes; i.e., vegetable, cereal, herb, honey, flower, etc. Rosé (blush) is usually considered a red wine made in a blush fashion.

Specialty wine shall apply to the special process such as Nouveau, Sherry, Madeira, Port or other high alcohol or special wine-making methods. Sparkling wines may be made from any ingredient as long as the wine has effervescence.

9. AWARDS. There will be six Best of Show Awards:

Grand Champion (overall best wine in competition)
Red Wine (includes all red vinifera, native & hybrid, blush & rosé wines)
White Wine (includes all white vinifera, native & hybrid wines)
Country Wine (includes all fruit & berry wines)
Specialty Wine (includes all specialty & novelty wines)
Concentrate/Kit (best wine made from a kit with no added/other ingredients)

Gold medal winners will be requested to send one bottle for Best of Show judging to:

Best of Show results will be announced at the FITA conference on
All awards are at the discretion of the judges.

10. NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS: Medal winners will be posted at www.fermentersinternational.org within the week following the completion of the first and Best of Show judging. Score sheets and awards will be sent to the sponsoring shops as soon as possible thereafter for distribution.

ENTRY DEADLINE IS

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2008 Best of Show results
Click here to see complete listing.

BEST OF SHOW WINNERS

Grand Champion - Bob Wilson
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Sponsored by The Purple Foot

Best of Show Red - Bob Wilson
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Sponsored by The Purple Foot

Best of Show White - Werner Klingbeil
2007 Vidal
Sponsored by The Grape & Granary

Best of Show Specialty - Phil Moore
2005 Cream Sherry
Sponsored by Bet-Mar Liquid Hobby Shop

Best of Show Country Wine - Jean-Marie Kabanda
2007 Pineapple
Sponsored by Roberson's

Best of Show Kit - Darwin Winke
2007 Grenache/Mourvedre
Sponsored by Von Klopp Brew Shop

Many thanks to the following wine kit manufacturers who are giving free kits to the kit medal winners:

Advintage Distribution - http://www.advintage.ca/english
Cellar Craft - http://www.cellarcraftwine.com (gold medal winners only)
Heron Bay Wines - http://www.heronbaywines.com
Mosti Mondiale - http://www.mostimondiale.com
RJ Spagnols - http://rjspagnols.com
Vineco International - http://www.vineco.on.ca
Winexpert - http://www.winexpert.com

Annual Wine Competition held April 18, 2009

BEST OF SHOW WINNERS

2009 results: Click here.

FAQ

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2008 Best of Show results Click here to see complete listing.

Results

2008 Best of Show results
Click here to see complete listing.