A star is born

Wines & Vines, April, 2003 by Wilfred Wong

Before the 2001 Jerry D. Mead's New World International Wine Competition, few people had ever heard of Montpellier Syrah. A mere $6 red wine with no label recognition, the wine just sat in warehouses and on retailers' bottom shelves until the conclusion of this competition. Now two years later, the wine continues to be one of California's best selling red wines in this price range. What happened?

I was sitting with my panel at the conclusion of that wine judging when the sweepstakes red wines were brought out. Instructed to vote for our top wine, I chose the Cabernet Sauvignon in the lineup. When the votes were tallied, the numbers were too close to call. A run-off vote between the top vote-getters was now in effect. As I re-tasted the wines, I chose the Syrah, which had seemed even better than the first sweepstakes vote had indicated. In my notes, I wrote, "This wine appears like an expensive Rhone-style wine and even better than the Cabernet; I voted for the Syrah." Other judges agreed and it took the big award. When the wine was revealed as the 2000 Montpellier Syrah, I was absolutely astounded that a $6 wine could beat out wines of two and three times the price.

I brought that information back to the Beverages & more! corporate offices, wrote up the wine with a 92-point rating and away it went. One of our district managers ordered a palette (52 cases) for our San Rafael store, which promptly sold 30 cases that very weekend. This was graphic proof that a wine's sales fortune can certainly turn around in an instant under the right circumstances. While very dramatic in the Montpellier case, wine competitions, like critics' ratings, have often provided the major catalyst in a wine's success story.

There are more than 30 accredited wine judgings in the United States. While many of them are regional fairs, a number of them have taken on national prominence that could very easily affect a wine's sales fortunes. The San Francisco International, Los Angeles County Fair, Orange County Fair, Riverside International, Jerry D. Mead's New World International, California State Fair and the San Diego National are perhaps the top seven competitions. In recent years, the newly revamped San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition has picked up steam and is reaching big time notoriety. But even if a wine earns a high award at one of these top wine competitions, what then?

Reaction must be quick and swift in these days of hard retailing. With a 40% glut in the global wine supply, all wines face competition from close-out wines. While many of the wines being dumped are dreadful, a few are incredible good buys, and when a consumer sees a sign "was $10...now $3.99," it's just too tempting not to buy at least a bottle or two. Yet structured marketing of wine must go on, and wineries must use the wine judging circuit as a sales tool. Where should the winery's energies be directed?

Which medals mean the most? Which wines stand the most chances of redirecting a winery's fortunes?

Sweepstakes awards can be the best. After just four vintages in the marketplace, Matanzas Creek Winery had picked up two prestigious sweepstakes awards. The 1979 picked up the sweeps in the 1981 Sonoma County Harvest Fair and the 1981 Chardonnay took the sweeps in the 1983 San Francisco Fair Wine Competition. By taking two sweepstakes awards in two very prestigious judgings, the winery had achieved an almost impossible feat, catapulting it into a limelight that it has never relinquished. But double golds and golds can mean a lot too.

In the 1986 San Francisco Fair Wine Competition, the 1984 Llano Estacado picked up a double gold medal. It was the first national award given to a Texas winery. As the competition 's executive director, I was besieged by national media. The NBC affiliate in Midland, Texas sent out a reporter to cover the awards ceremony. There was lots of attention over a little ol' double gold. When I subsequently visited the winery several years later, I saw the ribbon hanging proudly in center of the tasting room wall behind the counter.

Certainly, a gold medal or higher makes the biggest impact. Yet so many wines receive gold medals, and only a few become stars. How is a star born? It comes down to the almighty dollar: value, value, value! One of the reasons the 2000 Montpellier Syrah became so hot was because it was selling for less than $6. Consumers are always looking for bargains, and in a soft economy the desire for inexpensive wine has become even greater.

Daryl Groom, executive vice president of winemaking and operations for Peak Wines International, always grins when we talk about Canyon Road Sauvignon blanc, because I have personally given that wine five gold medals. At $7.99, the wine does very well from the golds it has received. At the same time, a wine in this price-point has less chance of getting an impact score from the Wine Spectator and even less of a possibility with Robert Parker, Jr.'s Wine Advocate. Those respected journals gain their audience from their reviews of higher price ultra-premium wines. Kendall-Jackson and Gallo, entering as many competitions as any wine company, have been equally adept at winning some of the judging circuit's highest awards as well as the most in number. As powerhouses in the industry with excellent sales, they understand that wine competitions are one of the best ways to get their wines recognized.