Wine shows are wonderful things! We enter our wines in four or five shows a year. They are a great way to assess the quality of the grapes that we grow and the wines made, by independent parties. The cost of entering can be substantial and the return on investment can, at times, be disappointing. Some argue that the results are very subjective as the perception of quality is deemed by a person’s palate (a wine judge), which can be influenced by many variables. Wines are judged on their colour, smell and taste. For colour, the maximum score a wine can receive is three points. Generally, judges are looking for vibrant, colourful wines. The colour can also indicate the wine’s age (browning of a wine is a sure sign of an aged wine). The smell of wine can be awarded a maximum of seven points. Judges are looking for aromas that align with the characters of the grape variety and wine styles. The final points, a maximum of ten, are awarded to the taste of the wine. A wine that lingers and has desirable tastes usually scores very well.
The maximum score a wine can be awarded is 20/20. A perfect score! A bronze medal is handed out to wines that score between 15.5 and 16.9. Those wines awarded a score of between 17.0 to 18.4, are awarded a silver medal. Any wine that is awarded a score above 18.5 is classified as a gold medal wine. Only gold medal wines are eligible to be judged in the trophy round. Trophies are generally awarded to wines that are deemed to be best in their category or best of the show. Basically, they are bloody great wines.
At the 48th 2020 Riverland Wine Show, Ricca Terra were awarded:
2020 Colour of Calmness - Trophy for the Best Dry Rosé of Show
2020 Twenty Two Degree Halo Red Blend -
Trophy forBest Dry Red Wine of Show
Trophy for Most Successful Exhibitor Dry Red
2020 Arinto - Gold Medal
2019 The Marathon Man - Gold Medal
2020 Nero d'Avola - Silver Medal
2020 Fiano - Silver Medal
At the 2020 Australian Varieties Wine Show, Ricca Terra were awarded:
2019 Aglianico - Chief Judges Trophy for Most Exciting Wine of Show
