Judging Criteria.

Wines are assessed blind by a leading panel of industry leaders, including critics and commercial decision makers across a variety of channels and disciplines.

Judging Process.

Wines are pre-poured in coded glasses to guarantee anonymity. No bottles are visible to judges until the competition is completed. If judges believe a product is flawed, a second bottle shall be opened and tasted.

While tasting, judges evaluate each product on its own merit, and is not compared to other entries in the flight. During this stage, judges determine which entries are worthy of a platinum, gold, silver, or bronze award. If the wine is flawed or unpalatable, no award is given. Entries that receive gold from all judges on a panel earn a platinum award.

On the final day of the competition, platinum and gold winners advance to the sweepstakes round. Judges determine Best of Class and Best in Show winners.

Awards.

All platinum, gold, best of class and best in show will be recognized in the Boston Globe. All winners will be recognized on bostonwinecomp.com. Additionally, winner imagery and the online marketing toolkit is available on the Winners page. Point of sale material including medallion bottle stickers, bottle neckers, and shelf talkers are also available for purchase.

  • PLATINUM

    Platinum indicates a unanimous gold decision by the panel of judges. Its the highest award given in the competition.

  • GOLD

    A superb wine with great personality, character and complexity; wines of this caliber set the standard for all other wines of its type.

  • SILVER

    An accomplished wine with considerable personality. A classic example of its style; wines of this caliber are among the best examples of its particular category.

  • BRONZE

    Commercially sound wines that provide an enjoyable drinking experience; they are modestly attractive, and free from significant flaws.