Wine competitions and awards were always intended to recognize and celebrate the best wines in the market. However, their proliferation has made things a bit confusing for consumers. We will try to give our perspective on the complicated mess of wine competitions and wine awards. In this way we hope you might understand why Fancrest Estate does not enter competitions, and why our wines do not display awards.

One of the issues with wine competitions is the lack of consistent points allocations to bronze, silver, and gold medal awards. The points awarded a gold medal in one competition may only get a silver in another. This can make it difficult for consumers to understand, contrast, and compare the quality of the wine they are thinking of purchasing.

Additionally, in the judging environment, judges are likely to experience taster fatigue in the face of large classes and large flights of wines. Taster fatigue is very likely to affect their ability to accurately judge the quality of the wine. Subtle, elegant wines lose out the most under these conditions to bold, in-your-face entries.

Wine Competition organizers may also be more motivated by paid entries and commercial opportunities, than by protecting the integrity of the system.

There is no question that wine producers are under pressure to use medals to promote sales and that this strategy is somewhat effective. Consumers therefore need to be aware that not all medals are created equal. Some wine competitions may be more prestigious than others, and some medals may be awarded more liberally than others. It’s important to do your research and understand the reputation of the wine competition before making a purchase based on a medal.