Regulations of VinAgora International Wine Competition
I. Conditions of participation in the competition
- The Competition is organized by the Hungarian Viti- and Viniculture Nonprofit Ltd.
- The Competition is open to wines and special wines which are bottled correspondingly to the regulations of the country of origin. The classification of wine samples into categories and groups is realized according to the current Regulations of VinAgora.
- Wine samples are allowed to be sent to the Competition by organizations, individual producers dealing with wine production and organizations dealing with wine trade.
- In order to participate in the Competition, participants must declare the quantity of wine they have in store of the particular sample, which must be at least 500 bottles. The participant declares the quantity of wine on the Application Form.
- Participants of the Competition are obliged to send six 750ml bottles without charge to the organizer, or, in case of a different bottle size, at least 4 liters. A separate label identical to that used on the bottles is also to be attached. The designation on the bottles has to correspond with the one the product is marketed with.
- In order to participate in the Competition, the participants must settle the application fees for each submitted sample according to the instructions of the organizer.
- Wine samples intended for evaluation must be declared in the Application Form with the following data, for each sample separately:
- name and address of participant,
- designation of wine, in accordance with the regulations of the country of origin (geographical origin, grape variety, trademark, year of production, lot number),
- categorization of the wine (white, rose, red / dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sweet), in accordance with the classification given at the bottom of the page
- quantity of wine in store (number of bottles)
- grape variety (varieties) and their percentage in the product,
- cultivation method and winemaking technology. -
Besides the Application Form, a chemical analysis of the sample must be submitted, including the following data:
- alcohol in percentage of volume,
- quantity of sugar in g/l,
- total acidity, in tartaric acid g/l,
- volatile acid content, in acetic acid g/l,
- total and free SO2 content in mg/l,
- for sparkling wines: pressure in the bottle in bars.A control analysis of wines is made occasionally by the Hungarian Wine Qualification Institute.
- For each sample submitted from countries outside the EU, a Pro Forma Invoice is to be attached in 3 copies by the forwarding company (2 copies should be attached to the sample and 1 copy should be sent to the Organiser by fax or e-mail). In the Pro Forma Invoice the following data are to be indicated concerning each sample: alcohol content in percentage of volume, type (white, rosé or red), value of wine and the following clause: VinAgora International Wine Competition, sample free of charge for exhibition, NO COMMERCIAL VALUE
II. Execution of the wine competition and work of the commission and the committees
- After having the samples received, the Organizer appoints a commission of experts from his country which has the task of examining the submitted samples, paying special attention to the declaration of the bottles and the data stated in the Application Form. Eventual mistakes are sorted out, while samples not complying with the present regulations are rejected from the Competition. The Commission then classifies the samples into categories in accordance with present regulations on the basis of characteristics enumerated in the Application Forms or, if necessary, by determining characteristics on its own.
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The Presidency of the Wine Competition monitores that all the rules are kept. It is composed of the following three members:
- the President, delegated by the Organizer's country,
- a professional consultant of oenology,
- a legal expert.The President, the professional consultant and the legal expert do not participate in the evaluation process, but at least one of them is presented at the venue.
- Wine evaluation is performed by international wine Evaluation Committees. Each Committee is composed of five to seven recognized tasting experts. Each foreign member of the Committee must belong to a different country. The organizing country nominates three members to the Committee. The number of evaluation Committees depends on the number of samples participating in the Competition. The choice of the Evaluation Committee members is made by the organizer who can contact the VinoFed for proposals.
- The work of each Committee is controlled by the President of the Committee. His work can be supported by the President of the Wine Competition.
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The tasks of the Committee Presidents are the following:
- to supervise, before the evaluation, the organisation of the tasting, particularly the order in which the samples are submitted,
- to supervise the opening of the samples, their temperature, their identifier and their anonymity in front of the Committee,- to supervise proper service,
- to supervise the technical secretariat's work: he informs the Committee members of the samples arriving to the evaluation, of the distribution of evaluation forms, he controls the calculation of points,
- to supervise the presentation of samples, to correct apparent mistakes in the order of presentation, and to eliminate samples not complying with the Regulations,
- to require, if necessary, and by discretionary authority, a second tasting of samples if:the majority of Committee members demand it,
considerable discrepancies appear in the evaluation of single tasters,
abnormal tastes or a deficient appearance are pointed out,
in special cases, if the wine was incorrectly rated due to a fault in the order of presentation. -
Anonymity of the wines and the following rules must be kept for the whole duration of the tasting:
- each Committee works in a separate room, in silence and under a light that does not change the colour of wine,- nobody except for people indispensable for the tasting process shall be admitted to the room,
- in the tasting room, the desired temperature shall be between 20 and 24 °C, if possible,
- smoking is forbidden and silence must be strictly preserved,
- bottles are opened and the wine is poured out of sight of the Committee members,
- each member of the Committee has her own table covered with white cloth and bearing her name/number (on the screen of the computer used for ,
- the wine glasses must be of the type approved by the OIV.The Committees work from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. During each tasting session, a maximum of 45 samples of dry wine, or a maximum of 30 samples of the other categories can be evaluated. During the session the members of the Committees have bread and water available for them. During the session, tasting series are separated by two breaks when other drinks and food may be served.
The wine samples are rated in homogenous series according to the following order:
- regarding color: white then rosé then red wines
- regarding sugar content: dry wines rated first,
- regarding vintage: new wines rated first,
- regarding fragrance: wines with a neutral fragrance are rated first,
- regarding wooden characteristics: wines with less wooden characteristics are rated first.Wines are evaluated at the following temperatures:
- white wines, rosés: 10 to 14 °C,
- red wines: 16 to 19 °C,
- sparkling wines: 7 to 9 °C,
- liqueur-wines: 10 to 14 °C,
- naturally sweet wines, ice wines, botrytized wines: 10 to 14 °C,
- spirituous wines of vitivinicultural origin: 12 to 16 °C.At the beginning of each tasting series, Committees make at least one evaluation for control purposes, while they can discuss evaluation aspects and the distribution of points given by members in order to establish an approximate balance among the evaluation criteria of each member. During the consequent tastings, the Committee members work in silence without giving any signs of their impressions about the sample. Before each presentation of the sample, the Committee members receive the electronic evaluation forms with all technical data of the samples to be tasted. After the sample has been tasted, the software collects the evaluation forms and the President verifies them. Committee members cannot have copies of the forms, and they cannot be informed of the prizes received by the tasted wines before the end of the Competition.
III. Evaluation form
- The evaluation of wines is carried out by the positive evaluation method of 100 points that was developed by U.I.O.E. and O.I.V. with the recommendation of Vinofed. Judges fill in the electronic evaluation forms on tablets by the WineCompass software.
- If one or more members in the Committee find the sample inappropriate, he/she/they may initiate the elimination of such a sample. If necessary, the sample may be eliminated according to the unanimous decision of the members of the Committee, while the producer receives a written justification.
- The technical service of the Secretariat uses the WineCompass software to summarize the points given by the judges and to calculate the average, which determines the final score of each sample. Scores that differ by more than five points from the average rating are eliminated.
IV. Awarding of prizes
- In the category of wines recognized by the VinAgora Diploma of Honor, the following medals are awarded: grand gold medal (at least 93 points), gold medal (at least 89 points), silver medal (at least 85 points)
- The number of medals handed out may not exceed 30 % of the number of wines per category. Should it be more, however, the presidency of the wine competition will raise the point limits in proportion to the part exceeding 30%. (For fraction numbers the relevant score will be determined according to the principles of rounding.)
- Champion Prize: The best wine in each main category (with at least 10 samples) is awarded the Champion title by the judges of the Wine Competition via parallel re-tasting of the 5 wines that have reached the highest points and at least gold medal in their category. In the still white, rosé and red categories, only a dry wine can win the Champion award, while in the sparkling category only a product made by the traditional method with under 12 g/l of sugar. In the category of botrytized wines, the minimum alcohol content must be 8% v/v.
- Best of Country: If at least 10 samples are entered from a foreign country, then the gold-medal-winning wine with the highest score of the samples submitted will receive a special award.
- Best Hungarian Varietal Wine of VinAgora: If at least 15 samples of a given varietal are entered, then among the gold-medal-winning wines of the given varietal, the sample with the highest score receives the "Best Hungarian Varietal Wine of VinAgora" title, which is also specified on its certificate.
- Prix Vinofed: Awarded by the World Federation of Major International Wine and Spirits Competitions for best dry white, rosé, and red wine and best brut sparkling wine made by the traditional method. VinAgora Champion award-winning wines in the white, rosé, red and sparkling categories also automatically receive the Prix Vinofed.
- The organizer of VinAgora reserves the right to give special prizes besides the ones listed above. However, special awards may not increase the share of award-winning wines beyond 30%.
- The organizer, Hungarian Viti- and Viniculture Nonprofit Ltd, reserves the right to compare and double-check the quality of the wine available commercially with the quality of the identical wine submitted to the competition.
- The organizer of the wine competition enables the winners of medals and of the Champion prize to state the award on the bottle (on an additional "macaron" sticker, or printed on the label) based on special regulations. Unauthorised use of references or logos will result in exclusion from future competitions.
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Further special prizes:
Csonka and Sons Ltd's Award for the most successful family winery
Bóna Labels's Award for the most creative and expressive dressed bottle
Hovány Group's Award for the most succesful young winemaker
Amorim Cork Hungary Ltd's Award for two wineries, dedicated to cork closure
VinCE Magazine's Award for the newcomer of VinAgora
Chef Market's Award for the most deserving wine from environmentally conscious production
Classification of wines
A. "STRICTO SENSU" WINES
| Category | Pressure | Type | Sugar content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Still white wines | |||
| 1.1. Still white wines of non-aromatic varieties |
|||
| 1.1.1. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Dry | 0 - 4 g/l |
| 1.1.2. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Semi-dry | 4,1 - 12 g/l |
| 1.1.3. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Semi-sweet | 12,1 - 45 g/l |
| 1.1.4. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Sweet | more than 45 g/l |
| 1.2. Still white wines of aromatic varieties (Gewürtztraminer, Muscat Ottonel, etc.) | |||
| 1.2.1. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Dry | 0 - 4 g/l |
| 1.2.2. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Semi-dry | 4,1 - 12 g/l |
| 1.2.3. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Semi-sweet | 12,1 - 45 g/l |
| 1.2.4. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Sweet | more than 45 g/l |
| 2. Still rosé wines | |||
| 2.1. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Dry | 0 - 4 g/l |
| 2.2. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Semi-dry | 4,1 - 12 g/l |
| 2.3. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Semi-sweet | 12,1 - 45 g/l |
| 2.4. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Sweet | more than 45 g/l |
| 3. Still red wines | |||
| 3.1. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Dry | 0 - 4 g/l |
| 3.2. | CO2 < 0.5 bar, at 20 °C | Other | more than 4 g/l |
| 4. Pearl wines | |||
| 4.1. Pearl wines of non-aromatic varieties | |||
| 4.1.1. | 0.5 < CO2 < 2.5 bar at 20°C | Dry | 0 - 4 g/l |
| 4.1.2. | 0.5 < CO2 < 2.5 bar at 20°C | Other | more than 4 g/l |
| 4.2. Pearl wines of aromatic varieties | |||
| 4.2.1. | 0.5 < CO2 < 2.5 bar at 20°C | Dry | 0-4 g/l |
| 4.2.2. | 0.5 < CO2 < 2.5 bar at 20°C | Other | more than 4 g/l |
| 5. Sparkling wines |
|||
| 5.1. Sparkling wines of non-aromatic varieties | |||
| 5.1.1. |
CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Brut nature, extra brut, brut | 0-12 g/l |
| 5.1.2. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Extra dry | 12,1-17 g/l |
| 5.1.3. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Sec / dry | 17,1-32 g/l |
| 5.1.4. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Demi-sec | 32,1-50 g/l |
| 5.1.5. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Doux | more than 50 g/l |
| 5.2. Sparkling wines of aromatic varieties | |||
| 5.2.1. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Brut nature, extra brut, brut | 0-12 g/l |
| 5.2.2. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Extra dry | 12,1-17 g/l |
| 5.2.3. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Sec / dry | 17,1-32 g/l |
| 5.2.4. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Demi-sec | 32,1-50 g/l |
| 5.2.5. | CO2 > 2.5 bar at 20°C | Doux | more than 50 g/l |
B. WINE SPECIALTIES
| Category | Sugar content | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. Naturally sweet wine specialties (excluding botrytised wines) (Late Harvest, Ice Wine) |
|||
| 6.1. Naturally sweet wine specialties of non-aromatic varieties |
|||
| 6.2. Naturally sweet wine specialties of aromatic varieties |
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| 7. Botrytised wines (Tokaji aszú, Szamorodni, Trockenbeerenauslese, Sauternes, etc.) | |||
| 7.1. Botrytised white wines | |||
| 7.1.1. | 0-4 g/l | ||
| 7.1.2. | 4,1-20 g/l | ||
| 7.1.3. | more than 20 g/l | ||
| 7.2. Botrytised red wines | |||
| 7.2.1. |
0-4 g/l | ||
| 7.2.2. |
4,1-20 g/l | ||
| 7.2.3. |
more than 20 g/l | ||
| 8. Fortified wines | |||
| 8.1. Fortified wines, excluding wines under a film of yeast (flor) (Port wine, Marsala, etc.) | |||
| 8.1.1. |
0-6 g/l | ||
| 8.1.2. | 6,1-40 g/l | ||
| 8.1.3. | 40,1-80 g/l | ||
| 8.1.4. | more than 80 g/l | ||
| 8.2. Fortified wines under a film of yeast (flor) (Sherry) | |||
| 8.2.1. | 0-6 g/l | ||
| 8.2.2. | 6,1-40 g/l | ||
| 8.2.3. | 40,1-80 g/l | ||
| 8.2.4. | more than 80 g/l | ||
| 9. Wines under a film of yeast (excluding fortified wines) (Vin jaune) | |||
| 9.1. | 0-4 g/l | ||
| 9.2. | 4,1-20 g/l | ||
| 9.3. | more than 20 g/l | ||
| 10. White wines with maceration (for at least 1 month) (Orange wine) | |||
| 10.1. | 0-4 g/l | ||
| 10.2. | more than 4 g/l |