Michigan Wine Competition Results 2013

Mark Ganchiff

Mark Ganchiff is the publisher of Midwest Wine Press, the leading source of news on the growing wine industry in the central United States. Mark has been a wine judge at the 2012 and 2014 INDY International Wine Competition, the 2014 Cold Climate Wine Competition, the 2013 Mid-American Wine Competition, the 2012 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition and the 2013 Michigan Wine Competition. He also enjoys speaking at wine events including the Cold Climate Wine Conference, the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association Annual Meeting, the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference and the Wisconsin Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Mark's articles about regional wine have appeared in Vineyard & Winery Management, WineMaker and several regional magazines. Mark is a Level One Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers. He lives in Louisville, but also has a residence in Chicago.

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8 Responses

  1. Peter Botham says:

    When is a competition not a competition, when 70% of the competitors are winners. This is why wine competitions have become a joke, not to mention the fact that it seems like there is one every week or so. It’s kind of like grade school soccer where you get a trophy for participation.
    No offense to the judges but the bar needs to be set way way higher. Kind of like high school grade inflation where everybody is on the honor roll.

    • Mark Ganchiff says:

      Good points, different wine contests have different criteria for medals. At the Michigan Competition, judges were instructed not to award Bronze medals unless the wine was remarkable in some manner. When a winery pays to enter a wine in a competition, one would think they winery is sending their best product(s). However, I have tasted flawed wines in competitions which leaves me scratching my head.

      • Jeremy Haese says:

        This is why I wish there would be some kind of Midwest wine critic board putting out some non bias actual indication of quality. It is pretty hard to order wine based on the award(s) they have won and trust you are going to get a product that matches the hype

  2. Paolo Sabbatini says:

    Mark very nice summary article on the competition. Well done.

    • Mark Ganchiff says:

      Thanks Paolo!

      We appreciate your support of Midwest Wine Press. We’re proud to tell the unfolding story of Michigan wine and the pivotal role that Michigan State plays in the growth of the industry.

      Mark

  3. Bill says:

    I feel that this year in particular there was a very good panel of judges with diverse backgrounds. Once again it was a very well run competition. One of the best in the country in my opinion.

    • Mark Ganchiff says:

      I agree Bill, wine competition judges should come from all backgrounds. As a “consumer” judge, I always try to represent the tastes of the average tasting room visitor. Some of the somms don’t think fruit wine has “character” but we Midwesterners know better.

  1. August 14, 2013

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