By Jim Boyce | Results for the seventh International Organic Wine Awards are out and a Chinese entry has taken top spot.
Saint Louis Ding in Ningxia not only scored 99 points for its 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon but also 97 points for its 2014. Two other Chinese wines also scored over 95 points to merit “top gold” status, a level described as including the “world’s best wines”: Bainian from Xinjiang for its 2012 Weixu Hegu dry red and Chateau Aroma from Ningxia for its 2010 Cabernet Sauvigion. The contest draws about 1,000 entries from 20 nations.
There were five Chinese wines that scored between 90 points and 95 points to win “gold” medals. They include three entries from Huida in Ningxia, including Qianhongyu Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 (95 points), Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (94 points) and Longshanghong Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet 2015 (93 points). Chateau Bolongbao from Hebei province received 94 points for its Cabernet-Merlot Reserve 2014 while Chateau Aroma had the same score for its Gaya Cellar Red 2012.
The contest had 32 judges, headed by Martin Darting of Sensorik International, and used a system called PAR (Product Analysis Ranking):
The 100 point PAR evaluation system starts at 55 points. Wines ranking below 50 points are referred to as faulty. Wines ranking up to 55 points are accepted although they clearly have a deficiency. 56 points and more indicate a flawless wine with different possible quality levels.
Wines are checked for faults, market suitability and more, says a source involved in the contest. “One wine takes around five minutes to evaluate [by a panel] and all judges need to be in unison with the result,” he adds. In the case of wines that initially receive “top gold” status, the bottle is kept and judged 24 hours later by a second panel, he says.
Several Chinese wines also received silver and bronze medals.
Silver
- Chateau Bolongbao Merlot 2012 (89 points)
- Chateau Aroma Lakeside Red 2010 (89 points)
- Chateau Aroma Gaya Shore Cellars Red 2011 (88 points)
- Yiyun Manor in Xinjiang Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (86 points)
- Hansen Inner Mongolia Merlot 2014 (85 points)
Bronze
- Yiyun Manor in Xinjiang Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (82 points)
- Hansen in Inner Mongolia Three Star Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischt, Cabernet Franc (80 points)
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