INTERNATIONAL SWEET WINE CHALLENGE
RULES AND REGULATIONS 2011
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The International Sweet Wine Challenge is only open to sweet unfortified table wines that are commercially labelled with the seal/cork that the consumer will break to consume. They must bear a commercial label. While the Challenge is aimed primarily at white grape varieties, entry of sweet red wines will be accepted and judged on their merits as part of the Challenge.
GENERAL
1. All classes are open for competition to winemakers and distillers and wine and spirit merchants. A wine merchant shall mean any person, association or company buying wine and brandy for re-sale or wholesale. A winemaker shall mean any person or firm manufacturing wine from grapes.
2. An Exhibitor shall mean the person(s), business or company as designated on the Wine Show entry form and also includes an agent and anyone acting or purporting to be acting on the Exhibitor's behalf, whether or not employed by the Exhibitor.
3. The Committee means the International Sweet Wine Challenge Committee convened under the Riverina Winemakers Association Inc.
4. "Riverina" means the geographical indication registered as "Riverina".
5. 2011 entry fee is $45.00 (inc. gst). Overseas entries are $A25
6. There is no limit to the number of entries in any Class.
7. Domestic entries in all classes shall comprise FOUR bottles. Overseas entries in all classes shall comprise a minimum of THREE bottles.
8. An exhibitor may be awarded more than one medal in any one Class.
9. No exhibit may be entered in more than one class, and no exhibit may be entered in the show by more than one exhibitor.
10. MINIMUM QUANTITIES: With the exception of the MUSEUM CLASS, the minimum quantity is 50 by one-dozen cases of 750 ml bottles or equivalent at the time of entry or at the time of judging.
11. MUSEUM CLASS - This class is for wines which are no longer commercially available. For this class there is only a trophy winner and no medals are awarded. There are no minimum quantities. Wines must bear the commercial label.
12. Exhibits will be judged on points on the following scale:-
| Colour and Clarity | 3 points |
| Bourquet | 7 points |
| Palate | 10 points |
| TOTAL | 20 points |
13. Medals will be awarded as follows, based on the average score of the three judge panel:
| Bronze Medal | 15.5 to 16.9 points |
| Silver Medal | 17.0 to 18.4 points |
| Gold Medal | 18.5 to 20.0 points |
14. No person will be permitted to inspect an entry form after receipt by the Secretary. No person will be permitted access to the exhibits, with the exception of the Judges, Stewards, Secretary and staff, until the awards have been determined.
15. Australian exhibits are to bear the labels supplied by the Committee. Committee labels should be applied to entries in a manner that allows the organisers to ascertain product descriptions and other label matters.
16. International entries for the sweet wine challenge may be posted to Box 2401, Griffith NSW 2680, Australia or delivered to 15 Holmes Crescent, Griffith, NSW 2680 by Friday 26 August 2011. Australian entries must be delivered to the Riverina Wine Show, cl-Patrick Portlink, Mackay Avenue, Griffith NSW 2680, Attention; Dennis Patten (Ph: 02 6969 0500) by Friday 26 August 2011.
17. All exhibits shall become the property of the Committee.
18. Entries may be from any country and must be commercially available in the country of origin either at the time of entry or time of judging (exception - Museum Class).
19. No protest will be entertained unless made within seven (7) days of the announcement of the awards.
20. No entry will be received from any person or persons disqualified by this or any other similar Wine Show Organisation. Should any entry be accepted, it shall, when discovered, be deemed void, and the entry fee and exhibit shall be forfeited.
21. All persons exhibiting shall accept the decision of the Judges appointed by the Committee, as to the merits of the exhibits.
22. Exhibitors agree that their results can be published in the catalogue of results.
23. Up to 3 dozen wines may be requested at wholesale price for the presentation dinner (Australian entries only).
24. Audit of exhibits and use of medals will be undertaken. This may involve establishing minimum stock levels and consistency between exhibits and commercially obtained products. It is a condition of entry that exhibitors will cooperate with auditors acting at the request of the Committee.
TROPHY AND MEDAL ASSESSMENT
25. Judges will judge each Class without collaboration. The Chairman of Judges shall have the final power to arbitrate the Awards. Where possible wines will be judged in ascending order of sweetness within a class.
26. Judges will not have access to the exhibits apart from the glass placed in front of them by the Stewards. Judging will be conducted in accordance with the rules of the show.
27. The judges shall have the power to disqualify or dismiss, as not being eligible for judging, any exhibit which, in their opinion, does not comply with regulations in every respect, and any such disqualification shall be accepted as final.
30. With the exception of the Most Successful Exhibitor Trophies and the Museum class, trophies will only be awarded where a wine has won a gold medal in the Show.
28. Awards may be withheld in any Class where exhibits are considered unworthy.
DISPLAY OF AWARDS
29. International Sweet Wine Challenge adheres to the Winemakers Federation of Australia Code of Practice governing the display of awards. This states that producers will not use medals, stickers, symbols or other devices on a bottle in order to misleadingly convey the impression the wine has received an award at an open, objective and independent competition.
30. Awards received by an individual wine will bear the year of the award and the class description and shall only apply to wines bearing the name under which the exhibit was entered.
31. Compliance by a producer to the Winemakers Federation of Australia's Code of Practice for the display of awards is a prerequisite for entry to the International Sweet Wine Challenge.
32. Any exhibitor making improper use of Awards for Advertising purposes may be disqualified from any future shows.
