GAN EDEN: New Medals

I try to enter most competitions, but I sometimes miss deadlines. When I do enter, it is usually 2 to 4 wines which I enter into any particular competition. Generally, it depends on the cost of competition entry. It ranges from $25 per wine to $95 per wine, with an average of around $65 per wine. As you can see, it can get expensive after a while.

Typically, medals don't mean very much to me, as I try to evaluate wines on their own merits, and make up m own mind as to their sensory qualities. If the truth be told, there probably is not one winery in California which does not consistently win medals in competition, and there are probably few wines in California which have not won at least one medal in competition. So medals are more hype, and less a commentary on the quality of wine.

So what can one ideally learn from medals? Wines for which a given vintage wins many medals in competition are probably solid bets, in terms of quality level. Wines which win many medals year after year, with many vintages, are probably worth a shot even if one doesn't know the medal history of the current vintage. Wines which win a few medals for a given vintage are worth a try in any case, since the quality level has impressed judges on at least a few occasions. Wines (of a particular vintage) which win diverse medals (perhaps a mixture of golds, silvers and bronzes) are probably different than the norm, stylistically, and might appeal strongly to some groups of judges and less strongly to others, while they all recognize a high level of quality. Wines which consistently win golds, or silvers, or bronzes are probably made in a universally appealing style, with the perceived quality level indicated by the medal won. Finally, wines which win one or two medals, when entered into several competitions, probably won that medal as an aberration. So if you see an advertisement touting a few medals over a broad product line, it really has very little real meaning.

Does that mean you should not buy a wine (either mine or those of another company) when it wins few or no medals in competition? Absolutely not! Enjoying a wine is extremely subjective. You might strongly enjoy a wine which a small group of judges doesn't enjoy, or vice verse. Discerning what appeals to you (or doesn't) about a wine can help you maximize your chances of finding the optimal bottle of wine the next time. Perhaps you enjoy high acidity, which many don't enjoy (GAN EDEN wines have often been accused of having too high an acidity level, whereas I often find them to be optimally balanced). Or perhaps you enjoy very fruity, low acid wines of the type prevalent in today's marketplace (I find such wines particularly disturbing, but there is no question that most consumers find low acidity appealing). The same holds true for residual sugar, oak level, and a host of other stylistic factors. Few judges are unbiased in terms of stylistic likes and dislikes, and medals often reflect the stylistic preferences of the judges. Who knows? A wine which never won a medal may be your favorite over a host of consistent medal winners. So you should make it a point to try different wines on a frequent basis.

You can see that the 1997 Limited Reserve Cab won quite a few medals, much more difficult to do in the $40 price range than the $10 price range, since they are typically tasted against similarly priced wines. That means it holds it own against pricey competition, and that's another indication of its quality.

Medals: 2001, 2002,2003 and 2004

Please note: Not every wine is entered into every competition. In 2004, in fact, I usually entered only the 2000 Cab, 1997 Limited Reserve Cab and the Syrah. The Black Muscat and the Late Harvest Gewurz were entered exactly once. The 2000 Chard was entered a couple of times. Bottom line is that we took fewer medals in '04, but also entered fewer competitions with fewer wines.

Press here to see a list of older medals (except for a complete listing of 1999,2000 and 2001medals) won by the wines currently being sold!

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