Wines pour into town to compete for top honors

"This is the third largest wine competition in the United States," said Jeanette Merritt, wine marketing specialist for the Indiana Wine Grape Council, located at Purdue University. "Both commercial and amateur winemakers showcase their wines to see how they stack up against the best of the best."

More than 3,600 wines will be tasted and evaluated by eighty judges from all over the United States, Canada and Europe. There are 16 panels of five judges, which are recruited from a variety of viniculture disciplines such as wine production, research, education, marketing and media, as well as knowledgeable consumers.

Each judge will taste approximately 150 wines a day. The wines are judged on five criteria: appearance, aroma, taste, aftertaste and overall balance. It is important that the judges never see the wine bottles or labels, however, they are given the variety (grape or fruit), vintage (year the grape or fruit was harvested) and the residual sugar (the level of sweetness/dryness).

The Pit Cru, made up of 85 individuals, works behind the scene to open bottles, pour wines, clean glasses and assist the judges.

"There is an art to judging wine," said Jill Blume, enology assistant for the Indiana Wine Grape Council. "The way the glass is held, swirling the wine and smelling it, then tasting the wine and spitting are all part of the art."

The judges all wear white lab coats and the tables are covered with white tablecloths so the color of the wine is not skewed or interfered with.

"It is a very sterile looking environment," Blume said.

The competition is made up of two divisions. The first is for commercial and international wines and the second is for amateur wines. The amateur division is the country's second-largest amateur wine competition. Each amateur entry will receive feedback from the judges.

Entries have been received from 41 American states and seventeen countries, including Canada, Greece, Australia, Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Chile, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Hungary, Romania, Argentina, Israel and Republic of Georgia.

Wines are awarded a gold, silver, bronze or no medal. Wines receiving gold marks from all of a panel's judges are awarded concordance gold honors and compete for best of show. The Indiana winery winning the most medals is awarded the Governor's Cup and is announced at A Taste of Indiana Agriculture.

The event is a sample of Hoosier products, featuring a variety of wines and foods. A Taste of Indiana Agriculture will take place from 6-9 p.m. Aug. 2 at the Exposition Hall at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at the entrance. For more information about A Taste of Indiana Agriculture and tickets, call (317) 927-1482.

Sponsors of the Indy International Wine Competition include the Indiana State Fair, American Airlines, Lallemand Inc., Phil Leisure Family, Indianapolis Wine Enthusiasts, Indiana Beekeeper's Association, Indiana Winegrowers Guild, Graber Olives, Oliver Winery, Purdue University, AMI Wines, and Rawles and Associates.

For additional information visit the Indy International Wine Competition Web site or contact Merritt at (765) 496-3842.

Writer: Julie Douglas, (765) 496-1050, douglajk@purdue.edu

Sources: Jeanette Merritt, (765) 496-3842, jkmerritt@purdue.edu

Jill Blume, (765) 494-1749, blume@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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