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WINE COMPETITIONS

represents. Wine lovers should know that the different countries have served on the annual
medal was awarded by experts, by the “crème juries. For the past five years the competition
de la crème” of the wine world and are there- has been averaging around 2000 entries annu-
fore trustworthy. ally (with the exception of 2020, when entries
We all acknowledge that there lies commer- were down 25%).
cial value in a medal - however, the award The reputation and ultimate goal of interna-
sticker also represents an international set of tional competitions
values to which each international wine com- By general definition, an international wine
petition should aspire. competition is one which accepts wines from
One of any worthwhile competition’s big- other countries than the competition’s home
gest assets is its judges - which was my ulti- country. I would like to add to that definition
mate reason for creating the Michelangelo that a minimum percentage of the judges
in 1997. I believe that a country’s wines are must be from outside the home country, and
best evaluated by an objective, neutral panel thirdly, that internationally recognised sco-
of judges who have no vested interest in the ring and judging systems are used. This inclu-
outcome. des the standard internationally acceptable
The Michelangelo is the only competition in 100-point system.
South Africa with more than 80% judges from Limited budgets may put the brakes on
outside the country. Our judges are hand-pic- wineries’ choices of which competitions to
ked experts from every continent and from support - the size and the prestige of the com-
every level of the global wine industry. Since petition, its history and the value-add for its
the Michelangelo competition’s creation in winners are all significant considerations. This
1997, a total of 228 individual judges from 47 is the business of every international compe-
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