Tag Archives: Indy International

Indy International 2012

Let's get the apologies out of the way first. First, to Bernie Parker of Indiana's Oliver Winery, who was the fourth judge on our panel at last week's 21st annual competition. I'm afraid he had to listen to the Wine Curmudgeon bellyache more than once about the quality of the wine we were judging, which is something no one should have to put up with as often as he had to put up with it.

Second, to two wines from our group that probably deserved double golds. They were an auxerrois from Canada's Gehringer Brothers, and a sparkling wine made with frontenac gris from Four Brothers in Minnesota, and each was better made than similar wines we tasted during the best of show taste-offs. As noted here before, judging is not an exact science, and these wines reminded me of that. More, after the jump:

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Off to Indy

I ?m judging the 21st annual Indy International Wine Competition this week, so I might be a little slow answering emails and moderating comments (which is still on since TypePad ?s success in blocking the spambots has been intermittent at best).

I enjoy judging Indy because the people are top-notch, and I get to see old pals every year; many of the grapes used to make the we judge wine are just as odd as I am; and it ?s probably the premier regional wine competition in the world (though, as I am always reminded by the organizers, it ?s much more than just a regional competition).

I ?ll have a full report next week when I get back. Of course, I will be tweeting. Sigh.

Indy International 2011

The 20th annual Indy International wine competition offered a variety of insights into wine competitions and U.S. regional wine. It offered a glimpse of the future of the former with a test of electronic scoring, while reaffirming that the latter are legitimate members of the wine community and deserve to be treated as such.

This year, there were 2,500 entries from 15 countries and and 38 states, which seemed to be not as many as last year. But my panel judged 212 wines over two days (not including the final round of taste-offs), and that was enough.

More, after the jump:

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Indy International, day 2

A quick note before the final day of judging today, when we pick the best of the best. Yesterday, our panel gave a double gold to a red Bordeaux blend made with cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. We won't know the name of the wine until later today, but it's worth noting that we think it came from the U.S. East Coast.

It was an excellently made wine (my pal Dave Falchek called it a knee-buckler) that combined the structure of the cabernet franc with the fruit of the cabernet sauvignon. Equally as important, the wine showed its terroir — it was lean and reserved, and was noticeably different from similar California wines.This is not to say one style is better than another, but that they are different, and one of the great joys of wine is appreciating those differences.

Indy International, day 1

What can you say about a day judging wine when the last flight includes ouzo? Yes, the Wine Curmudgeon understands that this beats working for a living.

A couple of highlights from the first day of the three-day competition, held at Purdue University:

? I'm judging with Rene Chazottes of the very fashionable Pacific Club in Los Angeles and Indiana wine distributor Michel Pascal. We judged together here last year, and I learned a lot. Learning even more this year. Michel, for example, grew up on a vineyard in the Rhone, which gives him a perspective not many others have. Our head judge is Amanda Stewart, who is doing important research on growing hybrids.

? Gave a gold medal to a chambourcin and a double gold to what seemed like a cool climate syrah among the 100 or so wines we tasted today. Otherwise, quality seemed uneven, though there were some very well done sparkling wines, including a catawba.

? We judged a bunch of white wines made with grapes I had never heard of, like ehrenfelser and geisenheim. One of the reasons I enjoy this competition so much is because I get to taste these kinds of wines. Anyone can judge chardonnay; who gets to judge ehrenfelser?