DMN Wine Competition attracts global interest

by PegNews wire

Responding to 50 - 100 inquiries daily from wine growing regions as far apart as Moldova and Oregon, The Dallas Morning News Wine Competition (TDMNWC) Chair, Rebecca Murphy, attests to the growing interest in American wine competitions. "We're hearing that a medal from a top competition can be more valuable than a critic's score," claims Murphy. "For a brand that's new to the US, one that is relatively unknown, or an established producer who wants to keep their shelf place, an award from a qualified judging panel gives the sales team something tangible to show the consumer."

James Gunter, Senior VP of Fine Wines, Glazer's Distributing, supports Murphy's claim: "This competition is a great benefit to the trade and consumers, particularly in the significant Texas market. It has a profound impact on the sales and distribution of the highly rated award winning wines and we continually encourage our suppliers to participate."

For the first time in its 24-year history, TDMNWC has received entries from Brazil and Greece. Representation from other new regions is expected as deadline approaches. "We now have 918 appellations in our database, entries from 16 countries and 18 states," says Murphy. "At over 3,300 entries, the competition is bigger and more impactful than ever and interest has never been higher."

Wine critics, distributors, importers and sommeliers make up the extensive TDMNWC judging panel which is carefully balanced to represent both coasts and significant wine markets around the country. "A wine competition is only credible if the judging panel inspires confidence," says Murphy, "And each of our 56 judges is eminently qualified to objectively evaluate multiple wines."

Ease of entry processing with user-friendly software developed by Murphy's company, Vintage Productions, provides wineries 24/7 access to their data. Deadline for wine submissions is January 18 with awardees notified late-February. For a full list of judges, or to access an entry form, visit http://www.dallaswinecomp.com/

Listed among the top four wine competitions in the country, TDMNWC was founded in 1985 by Murphy, the first female wine steward in Texas and now a wine consultant, educator and freelance journalist with a weekly column in The Dallas Morning News

Source: PR Newswire