ENTRY KIT 2009
International Wine Challenge - Sake

Co-Chairmen
The IWC has four resident Co-Chairmen and one guest Chairman, who oversee the judging panels and assist the judges with any
tough decisions. The team comprises Tim Atkin MW, Sam Harrop MW, Charles Metcalfe and Derek Smedley MW. With their combinedexperience, it is their mission to guarantee the integrity of the competition and ensure only the deserving wines receive medals.
Joshua Greene will join as the Guest Chairman for the 2009 Challenge and brings many years of industry experience to the judging panel.

Koichi Saura Sake Chairman
Koichi Saura is the President and 13th generation of his sake brewery, Urakasumi. He was the Chairman of The
Japan Sake Brewers Association Junior Council (JSBA-JC) from 2005-2008, which formed The Sake Samurai
Association in 2005 to enhance sake promotion and spread sake culture throughout the world.
Koichi Saura and the officers of the Sake Samurai Association have played an important role inestablishing the sake category at the International Wine Challenge. Their knowledge and expertise bringsa high level of integrity to the IWC and ensures that the judging process is as reputable as all the othercategories.

Tim Atkin MW
Tim Atkin MW is one of Britain’s leading wine writers, with more than 20 awards to his name. He is the wine
correspondent of The Observer and Wine Editor at Large of OLN. He also writes for Wine & Spirit, Woman andHome, The World of Fine Wine, The Economist’s Intelligent Life and OFM and appears regularly on BBC One’s
Saturday Kitchen. He is one of five partners in www.thewinegang.com, an independent tasting note site forconsumers.

Sam Harrop MWSam Started his career as a trainee winemaker at Villa Maria Wines in his native New Zealand. After arrivingin the UK, he became a wine buyer for Marks & Spencer, where he stayed for seven years and helped thecompany to transform its wine reputation. It also was during his time at the retailer that Sam passed the Masterof Wine examinations at the first attempt.
Sam finally left M&S in 2004 to start his own consulting company. He now works with a number of wineries
throughout Europe to improve the quality of wine destined for the export market.

Charles Metcalfe
Charles Metcalfe’s tasting career started at university, where he captained the Oxford tasting team to victory
over Cambridge two years running.
He joined the Evening Standard wine-tasting team and co-founded Wine International (originally What Wine?,then Wine Magazine) with Robert Joseph in 1983. They started the International Wine Challenge in 1984, andbuilt it into the world’s largest wine competition. He is also in demand as an international wine judge, and has
judged in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal and South Africa.
As well as writing books on Spanish and Portuguese wines, and on matching wine with food, Charles has beena television drinks presenter for 17 years on This Morning, Taste Today, Great Food Live, Saturday Kitchen andmany other programmes. His latest book is ‘The Wine & Food Lover’s Guide to Portugal’, written with his wife,Kathryn McWhirter.

Derek Smedley MW
Derek joined the wine trade in the propitious vintage of 1961, working for John Harveys in Bristol. From here he
moved to Gilbeys (IDV), where he worked in buying and sales. In 1968, whilst still at Gilbeys, Derek passed theMW exam. 1972 saw a move to Whitbread as buyer which lead on to his becoming the managing director ofthe wine side.
In 1985, he started Smedley Vintners, as well developing the consultancy side of his life, helping amongst
others the Tuscan Wine House Antinori. He sold Smedley Vintners in 1999 so that he could concentrate fulltime on his growing consultancy work.
He is very strong in the City, looking after the Lord Mayor of London, the Guildhall and numerous City
Livery Companies. His portfolio contains Inns of Court, Cambridge Colleges, London Clubs, Golf Clubs andRestaurants. Derek helps Warden Abbey Vineyard in Bedfordshire as well as leading wine tours for Arblaster &Clarke. He joined as co-chairman of the IWC in 2002.

www.internationalwinechallenge.com
2The Judges
The consistent quality of the judges and their judging has earned global respect for The International Wine Challengethroughout the wine making community.
The Challenge operates a tiered system of judges,
based on a tasting panel usually consisting of fourpeople. Each panel has a Panel Chairman, who leads ateam of 4 judges, and overseeing all are our Chairmen.
The structure ensures that experienced, respectedpalates judge every wine.

JudgesThe real team players of the Challenge who, with their
Panel Chairman and Senior Judges, will discuss andagree the merits of the wines before them.
Associate judges (non scoring)

Panel Chairmen & Senior Judges
The Panel Chairmen & Senior Judges are the best of
the best. They are Masters of Wine, winemakers, seniorwine buyers and experienced wine writers.
The Panel Chairman role is crucial - they control
the individual tasting panels to ensure that thequality, potential and typicity of every wine is fairly,professionally and consistently assessed.

The entry level to Challenge judging, though all will
have earned at least the Wine & Spirit Education Trust
Advanced Certificate, and more commonly, the Diploma(or an international equivalent qualification). Their
individual score does not influence the panel’s finalscore.

www.internationalwinechallenge.com
3

The benefits of being an IWC medal-winner
The commercial benefits of winning an IWC medal are far reaching. The consumer awareness of the IWC medal can help togenerate a substantial upturn in sales.
“There are very few international competitions with the high regard and international weight and respect of the International WineChallenge. Winning a Trophy from the International Wine Challenge has led to an increase in sales, particularly in the UK market,
and has strengthened our brand internationally, particularly given the nature of the global marketplace. Today more than ever, themarketplace responds to international judges with a diverse set of palates.”
Camille Seghesio, Seghesio Family Vineyards
International recognition
The UK is accepted internationally as the most open
and competitive market in the world. Winning a medal at
the IWC is a powerful accolade, not only in the UK but
also around the world.
Access to the consumer is difficult to achieve. AnIWC medal displayed on your bottle is the ultimate
endorsement the consumer can trust.
Global promotion
The competition generates millions of pounds worth offree PR for medallists. Journalists throughout the world
eagerly anticipate the announcement of medal winners
each spring. The widespread publicity that is generated
worldwide to both the consumer and trade includes:

Introduction
The International Wine Challenge - over 25 years of excellence in tasting•

The International Wine Challenge is the mostcomprehensive and influential blind wine tasting inthe world. It is also the most heavily supported bytrade and consumers.

Dates for 2009
Entries
Postal entry deadline: 13th February 2009

•The IWC is the most rigorously judged competition.
Every wine entered is assessed at least twice, andthe medal winners are judged anywhere between 3
and 6 times.

JudgingRound 1: 21st April 2009
Round 2: 22nd April 2009

•The IWC Chairmen and Judges are the world’s
finest selection of wine judges assembled at anyone time.

Trophy Tasting
22nd April 2009

•Winning a medal is an outstanding achievement.
The IWC medal allows you to stand out from yourpeers on a grand scale.

•At just £83.80 the IWC represents great value.

Discover a new market with IWC
In addition to the IWC judging, we hold parallel sessions
called the Discovery Tasting where UK retailers, importers
and distributors look for exciting new wines. If you arelooking for UK representation, the Discovery Tasting isvital for you. See page 7 for full details.

Announcement of results:
12th May, 2009 - visit
www.internationalwinechallenge.com to view thecomplete list of medal winners.
Awards dinner
2nd September 2009www.internationalwinechallenge.com
4IWC 2009 Entry Form
Company Name
Contact Name (Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss)
Address

PostcodeCountryFax		

VAT Reg No

Telephone

Personal E-mail		Company E-mail

METHOD OF PAYMENT• Postal Entry - £83.80 + VAT to enter each wine into the International Wine Challenge• Entries with a net invoice value (ex VAT) under £500 must be paid by credit card or by cheque submitted with the manual entry• Entries with a net invoice value (ex VAT) over £500 may be paid by credit card, cheque or by requesting an invoice
We wish to enter:

Quantity

Net Price

VAT @ 15%International Wine Challenge		
£83.80		
Discovery Tasting * (send additional 2		£28.50 /samples of stock, 6 samples in total)							* Full details of the Discovery Tasting can be found on page 7. 		
1. PAYMENT BY CHEQUE

Total

Total

Please make payable to “William Reed Business Media Ltd”

2. PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD
Please charge		Visa

to my credit card

Mastercard

Card number

Expiry Date

Name on card
Card holder’s address		
Signiture:			
3. PLEASE INVOICE MY COMPANY

Date:

Purchase order no (if required)

We confirm that we have read and understood the rules and instructions set out in the Entry Kit and agree to be bound by them.
This Entry Form is signed by the person responsible for submitting the entry and to whom all correspondence concerning the International
Wine Challenge should be addressed.

Print
name &title

SignatureDate

We will use this data for the purposes of administering your entry in the International Wine Challenge. If you do not wish us to contact you regarding yourentry please tick the relevant IWC boxes.
We may also use it to contact you about William Reed products or allow carefully selected third party companies to let you know how you can benefit fromsimilar offers (mail and telephone only). If you do not wish this to happen please tick the relevant box.
IWCWR
3rd party members		

MailTelephone

FaxingEmailText Messaging

We do not share your data with third parties for Email, Fax or SMS purposes

www.internationalwinechallenge.com
5IWC 2009 Entry Formi)

ii)

Entry details must be completed in black ink andBLOCK CAPITALS. All details will be reproducedfor results and certificates. William Reed takes noresponsibility for corrections of errors or illegible
text made by the entrant.

iii)
iv)

Complete the Method of Payment Form on page 5
Photocopy the Entry Form for your records andreturn the original by post WITH PAYMENT toThe International Wine Challenge,		
William Reed Business Media Ltd,			Broadfield Park, Crawley,				
West Sussex RH11 9RT UK				by 13th February 2009

Complete the Entry Form together WITH ACCENTS.
PRINT THE BLANK ENTRY FORM TO ENTER
MORE THAN ONE WINE.

PLEASE PRINT THIS ENTRY FORM FOR EACH WINE YOU ENTER

Submitters Details:

Entry:ofWines Entered

Name of Company entering the Wine

1.						:

( 						 I would like to enter this wine into the Discovery Tasting.		
2.

(Yes)

No) Sake Name/Brand (as it appears on the label):

3. 			

Year brewed:

4. 			

Sake Producer Name:

5. 			Country:

6. 			

Prefecture:

7.

8.			

City:

/

:		 Choose the category of the sake:

Junmai/Junmai-Ginjyo/Junmai-Daiginjyo

Honjyouzou

Ginjou/Daiginjyo

Koshu

5
9.		

(10.

40%)

(11.

)
(+8 )

12.		

Rice variety (e.g. Yamadanishiki):
Sake Meter Value (e.g. +8):

(13.
14.

Rice Polish rate (e.g. 40%):

(()

1.2 )

Yeast (e.g. origional, kyoukai):Acidity (e.g. 1.2):

15.5%)		

Alcohol level:

15.			UK Importer:

16.

Number of bottles produced:( 720 ml17.

)		( 720 ml)18.			
19.

(1,400

Number of bottles available to UK market:
Available in the UK, tick relevant box:

)

Yes

No

Retail price in Japan. (e.g. 1,400 yen):20.

()		 If available in the UK, UK retail price per bottle (£ inc. VAT):		
21.		 If available in the UK state your principle UK stockists:
22.

()		 Principle stockist (outside UK contact details):23.

() Bottle size: 1500ml

24.			

Barcode number:

25.			

Type of closure used:		

26. 		

Glass Colour:

27.				

Tick relevant box:				 (			)		28.			

720ml

Is this the first year of production of this wine?

750ml

500ml

375ml

Organic		

Conventional		

Yes		

No

www.internationalwinechallenge.com
6Other:

The IWC Discovery tasting
An excellent opportunity for producers to discover UK representation.
Looking for UK representation? The IWC Discovery
Tasting will provide a platform to the UK market if you
have entered the IWC, but don’t yet have the rightimporter for your wines.
The Discovery Tasting is an integral part of theInternational Wine Challenge. It takes place inMay after the IWC tastings. This is the time of year
when UK buyers are looking for new wines to stockduring the summer and for the all-important winterselling season. We know all the key players, fromsupermarket buyers to agents, independent wine
merchants to sommeliers, and invite them all.
The Discovery Tasting provides them with theopportunity to taste, at their leisure, without interruption,
any style of wine from anywhere in the world that islooking for an importer and has entered the IWC. Winesare grouped by country, enabling tasters to browse
through any section in which they’re looking to fill gaps
on their shelves.

IWC staff are on hand to open bottles and provide
contact details for the wines’ producers.
At a time when wine consumption is on the increase, theIWC Discovery Tasting provides a producer who wants
to get into the UK market with an invaluable opportunity
to put his or her range in front of the people who makethe buying decisions.
The IWC Discovery Tasting costs £28.50 per wine
entered, in addition to your standard IWC entry fee.
Compare that with the cost of a sales trip to the UK, andpresenting your wines to several buyers - if you can get
appointments with them!
The IWC Discovery Tasting is an essential tool foranyone seeking access to UK buyers. If you wish toparticipate, tick yes to Question 1 on page 6 of the Entry
Form.

www.internationalwinechallenge.com
7

The International Wine Challenge is organised by

Broadfield Park, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 9RT
Tel: +44 (0) 1293 867 648 Fax: +44 (0) 1293 867 606
E-mail: iwc@william-reed.co.uk

www.internationalwinechallenge.com