At the Harvest Challenge, judges taste wines with other wines of the same appellation. Thus, with cross-regional competition removed, the inherent quality of wines can be seen without the influences that sometimes eclipse even a wine of very high quality.

Beyond the determination of medals, the Harvest Challenge affords its winners a unique selling proposition – its region ranked against its competitors.

“The specialized nature of this competition is what attracts our judges…and the wines submitted. It’s always interesting to see the outcome where the smallest nuance can influence how a judge will rate a wine against another in a shared terroir,” according to chief judge and competition owner, Debra Del Fiorentino.

A goal of Harvest Challenge is to learn how soil and climate contribute to the excellence and distinctiveness of wines.

“Over the course of this event, judges have learned to recognize when a wine’s region is —and is not—a factor of wine quality” adds Del Fiorentino.