International Value Wine Awards
The International Value Wine Awards or IVWA are held annually each summer in Calgary, Alberta. The competition has the specific goal of determining the finest value wines in the world available to Canadians. The awards are organized and operated by Wine Access magazine; results of the competition are released on 1 October to the competition’s website,[1] and published in Wine Access magazine's October/November issue.
History
In June 2006 Wine Access held the first ever International Value Wine Awards. The awards focused only on wines that retail for less than CDN $25 a price category that accounts for 97% of wine purchases by volume in Canada. In its first year, the IVWA judged nearly 1,000 wines from 17 countries.[2]
Awards were organized by varietal or style and by country of origin. The highest rated red wine was Château Sainte-Eulalie 2003 La Cantilène, from the Minervois appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in Languedoc, France. La Cantilène is a blend of 55% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 15% Carignan.[3] It was awarded a score of 91 points. The highest rated white was Goundrey 2005 Homestead Unwooded Chardonnay from Western Australia; it scored 90 points.
In 2007 the awards returned to Calgary and again saw just under 1000 wines entered from 271 different wineries in 14 different countries.[4] Unlike the previous year, overall best red and best white awards were not handed out. The highest scoring red in 2007 was Nugan Estate 2005 McLaren Parish Shiraz from McLaren Vale, South Australia; and the highest scoring white was Cathedral Cellar 2005 Chardonnay from Paarl, South Africa. Each wine scored 92 points.
In 2008 the awards saw 1067 wines entered. Again, wines were compared against others of the same varietal or style. Results will be released on October 1, 2008 on the IVWA website and published in the October/November issue of Wine Access magazine.
Structure of the Awards
Judges
The IVWA carefully selects judges from across Canada.[5] In addition to established writer-tasters who report regularly to the public in the media, the IVWA also seeks out new and emerging talent from within the industry. This blend of experienced and emerging judges, and the representation of different regions of Canada, attempts to ensure results are balanced representations of Canadian opinion.
The Tasting Process
The IVWA diligently works to ensure results are sound. Wines are organized into flights, then tasted blind and scored independently by a panel of judges. Entries that progress to later rounds are re-scored by two additional panels that have no knowledge of the specific identity of the wines being tasted.
Categories
The official categories of the 2008 IVWA were:
After Dinner
Australia
Argentina
Aromatic - Blends
Aromatic - Single Varietal
Cabernet Sauvignon
Canada
Carmenère
Chardonnay - No Oak
Chardonnay - Oaked
Chile
France
Italy
Malbec
Merlot
New Zealand
Other Countries
Pinot gris/grigio
Pinot noir
Red Blends - New World
Red Blends - Old World
Red - Single Varietal
Riesling
Rosé
Sangiovese
Sauvignon blanc
Shiraz/Syrah
South Africa
Spain
Sparkling
Tempranillo
United States
Viognier
White Blends
White - Single Varietal
Rules
In order for a wine to be eligible to win an IVWA it must be available somewhere in Canada for CDN $25 or less to the public at retail during the calendar year of the award, or scheduled for release by April 1 of the following year, at least 300 cases of the wine must have been produced and it has to be made from 100% grapes (no fruit wines).