Each submission is assigned a unique submission reference number. The wines are to be assigned a score for quality and value on a blind-tasting basis. Following this, the wines will be brought to the judges and arranged together for the packaging score for that flight.

Scoring system

That is why the London Wine Competition will be decided based on the following judging formula:

Q (Quality Score) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = London Wine Competition Score.

A separate weighted score will be given for each of the three parts of the judging process (Quality gets twice the weight. The scores will be calculated with other judges for the same product on the team to give a final score from which individual prizes will be awarded.

Quality Score: will be marked out of 100

Value Score: will be marked out of 100

Package Score: will be marked out of 100

Definitions:

Quality: Quality will be assessed based on how agreeable the wine is for its target customer and chemical analysis. Measure quality considering the following characteristics of the beverage: Appearance, Aroma, Body, Taste and Aftertaste.

Value: The objective is to understand how well a particular wine is priced and what value it offers, greater the quality offered for the price, greater the value score will be.

Package: Packaging will be measured by how well judges think the wine will be perceived by the consumer. The package will be judged for the Off-Premise market considering factors like label design and information, closure, and overall look. This does not involve boxes, cartons and bags. It is how they think the product will be perceived when placed on a wine shelf amongst thousands of other wines.

Who are our judges?

The London Wine Competition will be assessed and judged by a leading panel of top-level wine buyers with current direct commercial buying responsibility. Or wine consultants and experts who are also directly involved in the development of new wine brands or buying wine for commercial resale.

The list of judges will be drawn from leading retail chains, wholesalers, distributors, and on-trade groups across a variety of channels and disciplines including multiple retailing, convenience stores, cash and carries, specialist retailers, casual and fine dining, hospitality and the travel industry. 

Judging procedure

All wines entered will be handled by Sensible Wine Services and organized into flights for tasting.

The wines will:

1. Initially, be tasted blind to determine its quality and drinkability.

2. Where appropriate they will also be assessed by variety, style, region, and country.

3. Judges will then determine the value score of the wine based on the quality and its retail price.  

4. The judges will then be handed the bottle or format for them to be able to assess, in detail, the design, label, and packaging and determine how well that matches up to, or complements the quality of the wine and its price point. It is how the product is perceived when placed on the wine shelf among thousands of other wines.

5. The judges can discuss the wine as a whole to help allocate scores in the three judging areas however each judge will give its independent score and a weighted average will be taken at the end.

6. The Gold winning wines and all special category wines will be re-tasted by the wine judges on the re-judging day to ensure the scoring quality.