Why we don't enter competitions anymore

We have received these invitations since 9/09.

• 2010 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition (Always won by a California Sauv Blanc)
  
• Grand Harvest Competition (Where does this get published?)
  
• Retrospective of Northwest Wines competition (The 10 second taste test.)
  
• Finger Lakes International Wine Competition (the winner sold out in 3 days -all 3 cases.)
  
• German International Wine Competition (Achtung!)
  
• Mondial du Rosé (I don't speak Frog.)
  
• BTI Chicago NOW REVIEWING All Rosé, Pinot Noir, Zin, & More! (Have you ever bought a wine they rated?)
  
• Enter the world of the best Merlot (Why?)
  
• Seattle Wine Awards (I never enter anything in Seattle. It is so predictable. I can win Gold in California but nothing on the same wine in Seattle. Probably the mold from all the rain.)
  

 

And to top it off, the competition season is just getting underway. San Francisco Chronicle, LA, Orange, and S. Berdoo County Fairs, San Diego, Long Beach, Indy International. Washington Wine Competition, Dallas Morning News, Le Monde du Chardonnay, etc. etc. etc.

Bonair Winery has a page full of awards. Has any of these awards sold any wine. Not to my knowledge. At the tasting room, wine sells on taste and price. In the supermarket, wine sells on label and price. Everybody and their dog has awards.

I know a winery that enters every contest available in the world. Then they place stickers on the bottles for all the awards the wine has won. The bottles are covered with stickers. Does this sell wine? Maybe it works for them. I say screw it. It isn't worth the time or money.

Each of those tin (actually they are pot metal) medals, and I have drawers full of them, costs about $100. $75 for the entry fee, and $25 for shipping plus the cost of giving away free wine - usually 3 or 4 bottles. Over the past few years, the number of competitions has exploded. Everybody wants your entry fee and free wine. Who cares if you got a medal at the Paducah County Fair?

I get jackasses coming into the tasting room saying, "I only want to taste your award winning wines." Well, jackass, none of our current releases are awarded. I can get an award on any wine I make (Bonair wines usually score about 80% awards, usually bronze and silver, but an occasional gold.) All I have to do is enter enough contests and not tell you about the ones I didn't win. So why don't you just try the wine and if you like it, buy it Butthead. Awards don't mean merde (excuse my French.)