On May 25, 26, 27, 2018 the first independent international wine competition, the Russian WinesCompetition© involving Masters of Wine and Weinakademikers organized by Leonid Fadeev (ExecutiveDirector of Cote Rocheuse) will be held in Krasnodar Region, Russia’s winemaking region.
The international panel (France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Russia, the Czech Republic, Sweden) of nine qualified and certified wine experts will do a blind wine tasting of Russian- made wines grading them on a 100-point scale by making use of specialized VinAgora International Wine Competition Evaluation Software approved by OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine) for the purpose of holding competitions.
A tasting is carried out in four categories: sparkling wines produced by the traditional method; sparkling wines produced by the tank method; still white wines; still red wines.
180 Russian wines are to be evaluated. Experts are supposed to deliver a judgement on every sample acting in all objectivity and impartiality relying on their experience and highly proficient wine qualifications.
The aims and objectives of the competitions:
- To get impartial information as for the quality of Russian wines evaluated by certified and professional tasters – Masters of Wine and Weinakademikers;
- To hold a tasting competition with independent panel involved;
- To promote Russian quality wines;
- To provide consumers with reliable information on the quality of Russian wines;
- To tighten requirements imposed on panel members involved in Russia-based international wine competitions;
- To prevent Russian wine producers from stagnating and to encourage them to keep working on the wine quality;
- To promote competition triggered by Russian wines evaluation results; To spread information on Russian wines in the world wine community.
Tasting panel members:
Caro Maurer - Master of Wine (Germany);
Frank Smulders - Master of Wine (the Netherlands);
Jeremy Cukierman - Master of Wine (France);
Madeleine Stenwreth - Master of Wine (Sweden);
Yiannis Karakasis - Master of Wine (Greece);
Klara Kollarova - Weinakademiker (the Czech Republic);
Leonid Fadeev - Weinakademiker (Russia);
Tatiana Selivanova - Weinakademiker (Russia);
Zoltan Santa - Weinakademiker (Hungary).
Winemaking consultant:
Frank Duseigneur – Oenologist (France).
The winemaking consultant’s contest responsibilities involve:
checking wines for faults;
if necessary, clarifying wine issues and counselling the tasting jury on the quality of samples;
providing explanation (on the tasting jury’s demand) for the nature of the revealed wine faults.
During the competition the wine consultant tastes wines along with the tasting jury, though he is not supposed to give scores. The final decision on each tasting sample is taken by the tasting jury.
Competition facilitator:
Leonid Fadeev – Weinakademiker (Executive Director of Cote Rocheuse)
Impartiality concept
Panel members do not have any labour and/or direct commercial relations with wine producers whose wines are tasted at the competition;
No panel members belongs to any associations with producers whose wines are to be tasted at the competition;
The wines to be tasted are bought in retail chains the way consumers do; obtaining wines from producers is unacceptable;
No help (including financial) offered by producers whose wines will be tasted is accepted;
Objectivity concept
All tasting panel members are professional tasters which is confirmed by the facts that they
Did wine courses at The Institute of Masters of Wine, Weinakademie Osterreich and Wine and Spirit Education Trust;
Got qualifications in wine;
Earned titles of Master of Wine, Weinakademiker and DipWSET.
Every tasting panel member has to have at least 5-year experience in wine business;
Seven panel members are foreign residents whereas only two of them are representatives of the host country;
A new panel chair out of Masters of Wine is appointed every day;
Wines are graded on a 100-point scale with specialized VinAgora International Wine Competition Evaluation Software (Hungary) under its developers’ supervision;
Wines are evaluated without any bias or personal preferences. Subjective evaluation following theprinciple “like/dislike”, “wine style that appeals/ doesn’t appeal to me” or “my favourite/least favouritekind of wine” is unacceptable
There is an odd number of experts, 9;
Wines are tasted blindly, submitted to a tasting by the impartial staff of VinAgora International WineCompetition’s Evaluation Software (Hungary) on condition of anonymity until grades are revealed;
No more than 30 percent of wine samples are awarded medals; The competition results will be available free at VINEANDWINE.VIN
Based on competition results the best wines in every category will be given the title of the best Russian wine of 2018 according to Russian Wines Competition©.
Primary sponsors
Cote Rocheuse Chateau de Talus
The competition is supported by
Weinakademie Osterreich
World Sommelier Academy of Bordeaux
Technical support and competition’s evaluation software by
Hungarian Viti- and Viniculture Nonprofit Ltd
Project coordinator
Leonid Fadeev – Cote Rocheuse
Venue
Kempinski Grand Hotel - Gelendzhik Black Sea
