Stellar coverage from the LIWF
Posted by Ray O'Connor | Filed under IWC, Out and about, interviews
Finally getting around to pulling all the coverage reports together following the hectic 3 days at the LIWF and the just as hectic aftermath with hundreds of medal sticker requests rolling in. As promised, we announced the results of the 2010 International Wine Challenge on our stand at 11am and as usual there was a massive turn out for the highly anticipated event. You can catch the highlights of the moment here.
National newspapers such as The Guardian, The Independent and The Observer enjoyed hearing of the results and published details of the success of the two English Gold medal winning wines and the fantastic results from around the world. Regional,online and international press were just as enthusiastic about the announcement with Business Scoop NZ and South African Wine, amongst others, running with the IWC medal winners story.
I managed to grab a word with Cherie Spriggs of Nyetimber, West Sussex who picked up a Gold Medal for their Blanc de Blanc 2001. You can watch this clip on the right hand player or on the Wine Challenge You Tube Channel where you will also see me speaking with Sam & Bob Lindo of Camel Valley Vineyards, also Gold medal winners for their Brut Rosé.
Finally, BBC’s Watchdog show last week highlighted the success of the above home-grown talent as well as that of Ancre Hill Estate in Monmouthshire, Wales, apparently surprising even the likes of Anne Robinson. You can watch the clip on the BBC iPlayer until this Thursday, 27.05.10. Scroll forward to 48.10 in the timeline for the clip.
Tags: English wine, LIWF, Watchdog, Welsh wine
Oz Clarke shares his views on the IWC
Posted by Ray O'Connor | Filed under IWC, interviews
It was an especially good year for quality judges at the International Wine Challenge this April as our Panel Chairs concluded on very fine judgements of wines entered. Not only were the palates of our Panel Chairs on form, but those of all our judges seemed to synchronise well to come to a diplomatic understanding of the wines being judged. The standard of judges has risen dramatically over the past few years as the line up is hand selected weeks in advance.
But considering the number of bottles which are tasted each day, it is our priority to see that each wine is given the time and understanding it deserves. To ensure this standard is maintained we wheel in our Co-Chairs (Derek, Charles, Tim and Sam) to scrutinise every wine again to give it the best opportunity of expressing itself that it can. Again, due to the number of wines to taste, expert assistance is required. Step forward Spanish wine writer Victor de la Serna and UK communicator, Oz Clarke.
Oz shared his enthusiasm with me when I interviewed him recently for this blog. Commenting on his two weeks at the Wine Challenge he told me ” I think I’ve had the most challenging, enjoyable and informative two weeks of wine tasting that I’ve ever had in my life”. Oz and the other judges were fortunate enough to taste a vast selction of wines from around the world, of varying size and quality of production. This, he felt, was where the Wine Challenge proves its understanding of international diversity, commenting on how everyone from the small boys to the big boys gets an equal chance. He added, “I think it’s a great force for good and a great force for encouraging innovation and encouraging change, but also rewarding good tradition.” I couldn’t agree more.
Having tasted wines from countries as unlikely as Denmark Oz encourages the consumer to move off the ‘usual suspects’ of wine and to experiment with more obscure styles of wines. “We’ve tasted this for you.” he says “We reckon it’s good. Be a bit braver and broaden your spectrum of enjoyment.”
Watch the video here.
The full list of medal winners will be available on the IWC website from midday on Tuesday 18th May, 2010.
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