With the current global pandemic in hand, a lot of wineries and wine brands are facing trouble when it comes to sales, and being recognized by buyers. Wineries and brands are constantly looking for a way to sustain themselves - and the one solution for all of this is to be seen by industry experts.

Think about it this way, if your wine is tasted, and judged by an industry leader who is either a Master Sommelier, Sommelier, or someone who buys and sells wine on a daily basis, you will be able to know where you stand in the market. This means that you will be able to know the demand for your type of wine currently and what people are looking for, and through this you can shift yourself accordingly.

In the days of social distancing and isolation, the best way to give credibility to your wine is by entering into wine competitions.

USA Wine Ratings is judged by a top-tier panel of judges with commercial buying expertise. Its selection of judging criteria is very effective in surfacing new trends, ideas, and concepts in the wine industry.

The 3rd edition of the USA Wine Ratings is on track & will take place in San Francisco, CA on October 24. The competition looks to recognize, reward and help promote wine brands that have successfully been created to identify and target a specific wine drinker.

Over the years, all wine competitions have been judged similarly, by having judges blind taste wines and score them based on the quality of the wine. However, USA Wine Ratings tends to take a different approach to this. After speaking to a plethora of industry leaders, Beverage Trade Network, organizers of USA Wine Ratings, found that the true selling point of a wine depends on three main things: Quality, Value, and Packaging.

For a customer, they buy with their eyes first, meaning the packaging matters. Second, comes the value - customers don’t want a wine that isn’t worth their money, and of course, quality always plays the most important role in all of this. What this basically means is that, it is a combined effect, and just one thing is not enough to judge.

This is exactly why USA Wine Ratings judges wines based on Quality, Value, and Packaging.

Avail the early bird discount before July 20, and save upto 25%

USA Wine Ratings Judging Process

The USA Wine Ratings competition has created a 100-point rating system that takes into account three different criteria (Quality, Value and Packaging) rather than just the wine-making technique or overall taste.

The USA Wine Ratings will be decided based on the following judging formula:

Q (Quality Score) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = USA Wine Ratings Score.

A separate weighted score will be given for each of the three parts of the judging process. The scores will be added up to give a final score from which individual prizes will be awarded.

Quality Score: will be marked out of 50

Value Score: will be marked out of 25

Package Score: will be marked out of 25

USA Wine Ratings Judging Panel

The judging panel at the USA Wine Ratings consists of top-level wine buyers who are directly involved with current commercial buying, wine consultants, sommeliers, masters of wine, and other industry experts who are also directly involved in the development of new wine brands and buying wine for commercial resale.

Judges at the 2020 USA Wine Ratings are drawn from leading retail chains, wholesalers, distributors and on-trade groups across a variety of channels and disciplines including multiple retailing, convenience stores, cash and carries, specialist retailers, casual and fine dining, hospitality and travel industry.

2020 USA Wine Ratings Awards

To receive a

● Gold: you need to score 90 or over.

● Silver: you need to score between 80-89.

● Bronze: you need to score between 70-79.

Along with Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, USA Wine Ratings also offers a plethora of ‘Special Category’ awards which include :

● Wine Of The Year

● Winery Of The Year

● Best In Show By Country

● Best In Show By Varietal

● Best Wine Of The Year By Quality

● Best Wine Of The Year By Value

● Best Wine Of The Year By Package

Check out 2019’s Winning Wines

Benefits of winning a USA Wine Ratings Medal:

● Commercial Relevance

A medal from USA Wine Ratings will give future trade wine buyers, be they for a supermarket, specialist wine retailer, casual dining or upmarket restaurant, the re-assurance that these are wines that their customers want to buy.

● Cross-Industry Recognition

 The USA Wine Ratings also recognizes the huge talent and skills that now exist right through the wine supply chain. From the winemakers, growers and producers that are making the wines; through to the specialist importers and wholesalers that help bring them to market; along with the designers, packaging experts and brand development teams that ensure there is a market and customer base to sell to.

● Build Consumer Awareness

 Winners in the USA Wine Ratings will be supported by a strong consumer awareness campaign, particularly through social media channels and wine comparison apps, to promote this new global rating.

Key Dates:

Early Bird Registration Ends: July 31, 2020

International Registration Ends: Aug 31, 2020

Domestic Registration Ends: Sep 15, 2020

Warehouse Closes For Samples: September 30, 2020

Judging Dates: October 24, 2020

Winners Announced: November 09, 2020

2020 USA Wine Ratings Fee:

$85 Early Bird Pricing - From Feb 21, 2020, to July 20, 2020

$120 Regular Pricing - From Aug 1, 2020, Onwards

Click here to enter your wines in the 2020 USA Wine Ratings and avail the early bird offer before July 31