2 0 0 8GOLD LIST

❛ ❜By the on-trade, for the on-trade

2011 ENTRY PACK

GOLD LIST

SILVER LIST GOLD LIST

SILVER LIST

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“The nice thing about the SWA booklet is that it’s almost a lesson in how to compile a wine list. Were you to choose one wine from each section you’d end up with a credible list - better than many real-life lists, and every wine would be a good one.”Christine Parkinson, hakkasan

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JudgEd bY ThE oN-TRAdE, foR ThE oN-TRAdE

last year’steam leaders

tasters

1. Caspar Auchterlonie, Wine Consultant2. Richard Bampfield MW, Consultant3. Susanna Forbes, Wine Consultant4. Tom Forrest, Vinopolis5. Peter McCombie MW, Wine Consultant6. Mike Palij MW, Wine Consultant7. Angela Reddin, Wine Consultant8. Louis Villard, Wine Consultant

9. Hamish Anderson, The Tate Group10. Nicolas Angelina, Noura11. Irina Atanasova , Enoteca Turi12. Joris Beijn, Andaz 13. Paolo Brammer, ETM Group14. Andrea Briccarello, Galvin Restaurants15. Salvatore Broccu, Al Duca Restaurant16. Richard Brooks, Caroline Catering17. Luigi Buonanno, Etrusca Restaurants18. Garry Clarke, The Chester Grosvenor 19. Michael Davis, ex-Pearl Restaurant20. Mark Deamer, Consultant21. Gearoid Devaney MS, Sarment22. Ivan Dixon, Harvey Nichols23. Stefano Dozzo, Roussillon Restaurant24. Sarah Jane Evans MW, Consultant25. Olivier Gasselin, Bluebird Café26. Arthur De Gaulejac, Umu Restaurant27. Robert Giorgione, Consultant28. Louise Gordon, The Westbury 29. Sarah Guignard, The French Table30. Mikaël Hannequin, 40/30 The Gherkin31. Mike Harrison, Sommelier’s Friend (ex-Hotel du Vin)32. Tom Harrow, Wine Chap33. Pierre Hobeika, Fakhreldine34. James Rylett Hocking, The Vineyard at Stockcross35. Roger Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn36. Tim Kitchener-Smith, Consultant37. Jade Koch, HG Wines38. Matej Lacko, Boxwood Café39. Martin Lam, Ransome’s Dock40. Alain Lee, Prism41. Nigel Lister, The Royal Thames Yacht Club42. Phillipe Loiseau, Hakkasan43. Alvaro Marcos Garcia, Home House44. Olivier Marie, Le Coq d’Argent45. Kelvin McCabe, Roka & Zuma46. Heather McKnight, The Fat Duck47. Miriam McLachlan, Zuma48. Michael Moore, Michael Moore Restaurant49. Mathias Negro, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester50. Emily O’Hare, The River Café51. Christine Parkinson, Hakkasan52. Dominique Raclin, Dans le Noir53. Laura Rhys, TerraVina54. Laurent Richet, TerraVina55. Maria C Rodriguez, ex-Moti Mahal56. Stephane Sanchez, Hotel du Vin Henley 57. Ronan Sayburn MS, Hotel du Vin 58. Michael Sharpe, Sycamore House Restaurant59. Thomas Sorcinelli, The Ritz60. Igor Sotric, China Tang61. Nicola Thomson, Practical Matters62. Robert Tozser, Butlers Wharf Chop House63. Agustin Trapero, Andaz (ex-The Randolph Hotel)64. Laura Ward, Vivat Bacchus65. Jules Watson, Consultant66. Laurie Watson, Chislehurst Golf Club67. Matt Wilkin MS, Consultant

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sommelier wine awards 2011 bY ThE oN-TRAdE foR ThE oN-TRAdE 3

What is the sommelier Wine aWards?The Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA) is the UK on-trade wine competition, aimed specifically at finding the best wines available to the restaurant, gastropub and bar trade. As a key publication for the on-trade buyer, the SWA winners’ booklet has become a key route to market for on-trade wines.

hoW is it diFFerent From other Wine ComPetitions?No mainstream high street wines are permitted to take part. The only exception to this rule is brands in the sparkling and fortified categories.

The judging teams are made up entirely of sommeliers and on-trade wine buyers. This is a competition that is judged by the on-trade, for the on-trade.

Judges are aware of the price of the entries as they judge, and commercial considerations are a key factor, as are potential food-friendliness and versatility.

Unlike any other wine competitions, the Sommelier Wine Awards starts with thousands of entries, and whittles them down to come up with a final balanced ‘wine list’ of Gold Medal winning wines. The judges make selections on winning wines using criteria that they would in their day jobs.

A series of ‘By The Glass’ awards are given to wines that match particularly well with various classic restaurant dishes.

A small number of wines that really capture the judges’ imagination are given a special ‘Sommelier Selection’ award.

Why enter? All winning wines that make it onto the Sommelier’s Silver and Gold Lists will be listed with a judges’ tasting note in the Sommelier Wine Awards book. Published every year, this essential, user-friendly publication is a seminal buyer’s guide, complete with category analysis, and price and importer information for the winning wines. It is wholly aimed at helping the country’s wine buyers and restaurateurs gain easy access to great wines that will really improve their list.

• All winning wines will be clearly credited to the merchant supplier. Submitters may use both the medals and the judges’ tasting note endorsements on merchant and restaurant lists, websites and marketing literature.

• To maximise impact the Sommelier Wine Awards book will be distributed on its own,

in late May 2011 to Imbibe’s UK database. Imbibe is unquestionably the UK’s leading on-trade magazine, with 12,000+ buyers throughout the UK. This means not just Michelin star restaurants or country-house hotels, but modern metropolitan eateries, chain restaurants and UK-wide foodie pubs, as well as UK head offices, wholesalers and specialist independent retailers.

An additional 3,000 copies will be given out at Imbibe LIVE! at London’s Earls Court on 5th and 6th July 2011.

All SWA winners (gold and silver) will be actively promoted to a wider audience on www.imbibe.com, marketed to over 30,000+ UK on-trade drinks professionals.

SWA winners will be promoted on the new Imbibe E-zine.

Those merchants that have stood out in one or other part of the competition will be considered for a special Merchant Award.

At the Imbibe LIVE! show in Earls Court London, there will be dedicated SWA tastings over the two days of the show, allowing visitors to taste a good selection of the winning wines. Exhibitors will be able to distinguish their winning wines at the show with neck collars or stickers.

SWA books will be available at all Imbibe tastings during 2011.

A PR campaign will promote SWA to the wider press.

There is no more cost-effective means of getting your wines in front of this hard-to-access UK audience than the Sommelier Wine Awards. And don’t forget, too, that each of the 70-odd judges is a potential customer!

hoW does the ComPetition Work?The tasting panels are made up of top sommeliers and restaurateurs; each panel chaired by an MW or consultant who understands the particular needs of the on-trade.

Wines are tasted blind and by category (see the end of this form). The trade list price (excluding VAT) of each wine will be known to the judges to allow them to assess value for money.

At the end of the first round of tasting, tasters will have eliminated around two-thirds of the wines. Those remaining will have been championed by one or other section of the judges and will be given a Silver Medal – a kind of shortlist of great wines. These Silver Medal winning wines will then be re-tasted and an ultimate Gold List of the ‘top’ winners will be drawn up.

By the end of the competition, the judges will, in effect, have put together a wine list of Gold Medal winning wines. Like every restaurant list, it will have good value and house wines, fizz, fortifieds, favourites like Sancerre and Rioja, modern wines from Old and New Worlds, and a few quirky or expensive wines that are there just because the buyer likes them! If an on-trade buyer is trying to fill a gap on their own list, the Sommelier Wine Awards book is the perfect place to start.

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ALL WINES SUBMITTED ARE SUBJECT TO THE ENTRY FEE, IF A WINE IS DISQUALIFIED FOR NOT MEETING THE ABOVE CRITERIA THIS WILL NOT BE

REIMBURSED. PLEASE READ THE CRITERIA CAREFULLY.

What are the tastinG Criteria?In the wine itself, marks are awarded for balance, expression and food-friendliness. But since these are wines with a definite commercial purpose, value for money and versatility are key, too.

does Food Come into it?Very much so. As well as judging every wine with food-friendliness in mind, our panel chooses wines from the Gold List to match with a selection of classic restaurant dishes for the ‘By The Glass’ awards (see menu overleaf).

In addition, the judges have the freedom to bestow outstanding wines with the ‘Sommeliers Selection’ award.

Can the merChants Win aWards, too?Yes. Every year there will be a special award to the merchant who secures the most listings on the Gold List.

There will also be discretionary awards for excellence in specialist areas.

Can i enter the same Wine For diFFerent seCtions?Yes – though each submission must be paid for. Thus, if an importer wants to enter a Pinot Grigio, say, as both a Varietal Classic and also a House Wine, that would count as two entries. All the categories are listed at the end of this form.

What are the Criteria For entry?The wine must

… be available to the UK on-trade, either through importers, merchants etc or directly from the winery. Older vintages are acceptable, provided there are not less than 20 cases of stock available. Wines may bear temporary labels, if finished labels are not yet available.

… be mainly destined for the on-trade. A presence in the smaller independent merchants is perfectly acceptable, but wines on sale in the high street supermarkets or multi-grocers (and affiliated websites) are NOT allowed to enter. Any wine entered and found to have broad off-trade distribution will be disqualified. The only exceptions are sparkling and fortified wine, where high-street available wines may enter.

… bear the current TRADE LIST price ex-VAT – not the ‘special price’ at which the wine might sell to favoured clients.

There is no limit on the number of wines entered per submitter.

For the first time, the competition is open to wines that are looking for UK distribution, or are prepared to ship directly to on-trade customers. By submitting your wines you agree to the conditions of entry. The judges’ decision is final.

“We have found the Sommelier Wine Awards the most useful of any of the awards for the on-Trade. They grab the attention of on-trade buyers and have really helped us build sales through wine savvy outlets.”david Gleave, liberty Wines

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hoW do i enter?WHERE, WHEN AND HOW MUCH?Timescale

Entry forms must be emailed to Chloé Kingham at Monomax (see below) by 28 January 2011.

Wines must be submitted with a signed hard copy of the SWA entry form (on Excel) to Sensible Wine Services (see below) by 7 February 2011.

Judging will start 21 February and continue until mid March 2011.

Results will be available in early May 2011.

The Sommelier Wine Awards book will be published in June 2011 and distributed to the Imbibe database.

HOW TO ENTERFill in the Excel entry form and submit it to: chloe@imbibe.comDeadline for entry forms: 28 January 2011

Costs Entry cost is £85+VAT per wine, per

category You will be invoiced for your entries.

NB: Amends to submitted entries will receive a penalty charge of £30

Payment You can pay by credit card, cheque or

bank transfer. Entries of 6 wines or less must pay by credit card (please contact Chloé Kingham, as above).

Cheques payable to: Monomax Ltd. Must be sent with a signed copy of the entry form to:Chloé Kingham, Monomax Ltd, Quadrant House, 250 Kennington Lane, SE11 5RDFor BACS payment (paying by electronic transfer):

Account name: Monomax LtdBank: HSBC, 567 Fulham Road, London, SW6 1EX, EnglandSort Code: 40 03 09Account number: 51726099Deadline for payment: Our payment terms are 30 days from date of invoice.

Wine delivery address (9am-4pm)Sommelier Wine Awards, c/o Sensible Wine Services Ltd, Unit 7 Underlyn Farm, Underlyn Lane, Marden, Kent, TN12 9BQTel/Fax: 01622 832 640

Deadline for delivery of the wines: 7 February 2011To check on your delivery email: karl@sensiblewine.comTel/Fax: 01622 832 640

All boxes must be clearly marked (on the outside) ‘Sommelier Wine Awards’.

Please send four bottles of each wine with a copy of the entry form, showing what has been sent. NB. Neither Square Meal/Imbibe nor Sensible Wines will take responsibility for arrival of wines/damage in transit. Tax and duty charges (inc carriage and clearance) must be prepaid. Otherwise wines will not be accepted.

QUeriesIf you have any queries, call competition director Chris Losh on 01273 388 975 or 07771 547769 or email: chris.losh@btinternet.com. Alternatively call Chloé Kingham at Imbibe on 020 7840 5240 or email: chloe@imbibe.com.

danny sPenCer, boUtinot

“ for thirty years at boutinot it’s always been all about the wine. And it’s for the same reasons that we view the SWAs as so important. Wines tasted blind, measured for quality and value and the ratio between the two. The Sommelier Wine Awards are now established as the barometer for our business, not least because of the calibre and breadth of experience available from the judging panel themselves.”

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bY the glass menu

starters Pan Fried scallops

Peking duck with

hoi sin sauce

Mushroom risotto

mains Char-grilled steak

Poached white fish

Prawn Green Curry

Veal in light cream sauce

Rack of lamb

Slow-cooked pork

Beef Casserole

Rack of lamb

the CateGoriesThese categories appear in a drop-down menu on the entry form, where applicable featuring red and white sub-categories.

ESSENTIALS Sparkling - Rosé Sparkling - Under £14 Sparkling - £14-20 Sparkling - £20-40 Sparkling - £40+

House Wine under £5 ex-VATHW - Red (under £5) HW - White (under £5) HW - Rosé (under £5) Var Classics - Pinot Grigio Var Classics - NZ Sauvignon Var Classics - Oz Shiraz Rosé (over £5) Stickies - White Stickies - Other

Port Ruby Port Tawny Port LBV Port Reserve Port Vintage Port Other Sherry - Dry Sherry - Medium Sherry - Sweet Other Fortified

NEW WORLD Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Chardonnay Riesling Pinot Gris Gewurztraminer Chenin Blanc Viognier Torrontes Other Whites

Cabernet/Merlot/Cab Franc Syrah/Rhône Blends Pinot Noir Malbec Carmenère Other Reds

OLD WORLDFRANCE Bordeaux (white) Bordeaux (red)

Burgundy (white) Burgundy (red)

Rhône (red) Rhône (white)

Chablis Sancerre/Loire (white) Sancerre/Loire (red/rosé)

Other France (white) Other France (red) Other France (rosé)

ALSACE/GERMANY/AUSTRIA Riesling (dry) Others (dry) Medium Sweet Red ITALY North East (red) North East (white) North West (red) North West (white) Central (reds) Central (white) South (red) South (white) Sicily (red) Sicily (white)

Barolo/Barbaresco Chianti

SPAIN (red) SPAIN (white)

Rioja (red) Rioja (white)

PORTUGAL (red) PORTUGAL (white)

Other Europe (red) Other Europe (white)

SEE EXCEL ENTRY FORM FOR PRECISE LIST