Virtual Wine circle competition

[lockwood1956]

The Yorkshire Federation of amateur winemakers and brewers is running a "virtual wine circle" competition this year at its annual show in Scarborough. The idea is to get winemakers who aren't members of wine circles to become involved. You dont have to join a wine circle, you will be affiliated via the "virtual" wine circle created for the purpose.

You simply post the bottles to me and they get judged according to the UCDavis 20 point marking system. You will be given feedback as to what the Judge (Judges will be members of NGWBJ..National Guild of Wine and Beer Judges, so their opinion can be trusted) thought of your wine, and perhaps some useful advice on how to make it better

see the Federations website for more details

http://www.yfawb.co.uk

Hope to get some of you to enter

regards
Bob Morton

[coatesg]

Sounds interesting - I have very little knowledge about wines, but I do make them which my other half and family do drink occassionally...not that it gives much indication as to their quality but there we go...

I might be tempted to put a couple of entries forward. Quick Qs:

1. Any restrictions on how the wine is made (ie kits, from fruit, etc)?
2. I can't seem to find the 25cl bottles on http://www.hobbywinesupplies.co.uk - any ideas?
3. My wine is all bottled at the moment - I wouldn't normally think of uncorking and rebottling them - will it work out OK by doing this?

Cheers!

[lockwood1956]

Drop Karl an email about the bottles......or PM or email me and I will get them to you


the wine can be made from anything you like

[grumpysod]

I just got a couple of bottles from Bob and am entering a medium sweet white and a mead, any other entrants from Jim's?

[coatesg]

My two bottles are in the post! One is a kit red in the dry class - the other is an elderberry thing (which after bottling, looks like it has a little haze - ho hum).

[lockwood1956]

A big thank you to those who sent bottles in for the VWC competition at Scarborough. we are pleased to announce that the VWC will become a permanent feature of the Yorkshire Federations annual competition. There was a huge "Buzz" breated around trhis new venture, and we hope to expand it next year to include beers (yet to work out methodology for decanting into the 250ml PET bottles, all ideas welcomed via PM)

We wish also to add a ginger beer and/or a root beer class.

many thanks
regards
Bob

[coatesg]

Thanks for sorting it Bob - and I really liked the feedback sheet I got by email too. I'm sure that I must have got someone else's results though, as I got a gold for the elderberry and a bronze for the kit ! (I entered the elder as a sweet - got reclassed as a medium-dry - so just goes to show how much I know about wine )

Needless to say, in September time I now have to go out collecting pounds and pounds and pounds of elderberries from the hedgerows... (Plus my mum and sis seem to now be collecting rhubarb and freezing as much of it as they can lay their hands on after they were drinking a few bottles of that the other weekend! )

Cheers

[lockwood1956]

This is the beauty of this system, if you make a mistake entering the wine, i asked the judges to reclassify and either pass it to the judge who was judging that type, or reassess it themselves. Quite a few that were reclassified, did extremely well,( a couple scored Gold) where using the traditional system of judging they would have been discarded, and overlooked.

Unfortunately a couple of judges ignored the instruction, and patently also did not understand the marking sheet, and caused all sorts of logistical problems for Martina and I afterwards. (they will not be invited to judge again, and I have made my displeasure known in NO uncertain terms)

thanks once again for your support.

regards
Bob

[lockwood1956]

Pontefract open show is coming in August, we will take normal entries, but we also have the Virtual Wine Circle running, we will take beers this time, in our little 250ml pet bottles, i tried it and i chilled down a bottle of beer, opened it and poured into the 250ml bottle and sealed, it didn't seem to lose much carbonation, so should be fine for the comp.


who wants to enter?

[trucker5774]

I wish I had thought of something like this. I could run a beer competition (around about the same time I have a BBQ) Only the top three results will be announced, sorry unable to return any material entered into the competition

Seriously, good luck to anyone entering..................err if anyone wants an opinion before they send anything....ah never mind