Fame is sort of a shaved pig with a greased tail, and it is just after it has slipped by the palms of hundreds, that some fellow, by mere probability, holds on to it! ~ Davy Crockett
Critics! These cut-throat bandits within the paths of fame. ~ Robert Burns
If, by probability, you’re a subscriber to the San Francisco Chronicle you’ll discover in immediately’s paper a particular part on the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competitors, which features a itemizing of award-winning wines Gold Medal and better.
And yep, we’re in it!
The SFCWC is taken into account essentially the most prestigious industrial wine competitors in North America, partaking the most effective winemakers from the US, Canada and Mexico. The 2025 competitors attracted practically 5,500 totally different wines from 950+ wineries.
The truth is that a lot of the wines submitted are rattling good, and about 85% of them ultimately received a medal. And why shouldn’t they? The effort issue and sheer expense of coming into a wine (the $80 price per entry, the 4 pattern bottles required for every entry, the necessity for cautious packaging, and the costly transport) actually isn’t value it should you don’t totally consider that your wine is sweet sufficient to medal within the first place. Not quite a lot of plonk being poured down the drain on this competitors.
The judging is blind with 50 consultants within the wine business convening in three-judge or five-judge panels to guage every wine. Based mostly on the general complete of factors earned (from all three or all 5 judges on a panel) for such attributes as look and coloration, aroma and bouquet, acidity and taste—if the rating is excessive sufficient the wine can earn a Bronze, Silver or Gold medal.
If all of the judges on the panel unanimously give the wine sufficient factors for a Gold medal it’s awarded a Double-Gold. Solely about 8% of the wines entered in 2025 received a Double-Gold. Past that, the very highest rating earned in every particular class is awarded Better of Class, and all of these compete for the Sweepstakes Award (Better of Present) which is voted on by all 50 judges and awarded to about 10 wines representing the very most interesting in broad classes like Finest Purple Wine, Finest Glowing Wine or Finest White Wine.
It actually goes with out saying that I’m over the moon (ha!) with the success of our 2021 Eclipse Malbec! I positive want I’d made two or 3 times as a lot of it, as awards of this stature have a really optimistic impact on gross sales. After we received a Double-Gold and Better of Class within the Sonoma Harvest Truthful for our 2022 Vino Tinto Rústico we promptly offered 14 circumstances of wine at Bottle Barn, they usually got here to us for the order. However alas, we’ve been offered out of the 2021 Eclipse Malbec for fairly some time because of it’s wonderful again story—so now it’s simply all the way down to bragging rights!
Nevertheless, we earned (and realized) much more from the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competitors than simply our breakout success with the Eclipse Malbec. We had entered six different wines as a part of our general effort of attempting to see simply the place we stood when put next with the most effective wines on the market. About 45% of the wines entered received a Silver Medal. We clearly stood firmly in that group.
Certain, it’s all subjective. And you may simply rationalize your outcomes, each good and dangerous. However on the finish of the day, it’s only a handful of excellent individuals who don’t know you, and might’t see whose wine it’s they’re judging, attempting to provide as sincere of an opinion as doable. And that’s value its weight in gold—even should you may receives a commission in silver or bronze, or possibly even stiffed!
As I just lately quipped to a pal of mine not given to gratuitous reward, however who nonetheless was relaying some very optimistic feedback he had acquired on a bottle of my wine at a current ceremonial dinner, “You understand, it’s humorous, however I appear to drift between complete elation and a crippling disaster of confidence with my wines. It’s an nervousness that may most likely by no means utterly go away, however real suggestions is a salve that soothes.”
And that pricey reader just about sums up winemaking. You’re continually wrestling with a residing factor, attempting to coax out its perfect attributes with out compromising its singularity. Rattling proper I would like some suggestions!
