Frequently Asked Questions
Can 17/20 Licensed Wineries enter
YES!
When do entries REALLY close
RIGHT NOW!
Online entries close 5 PM Friday March 7.
See you next year!
How many bottles of wine do I ship?
All entries consist of your fee PLUS 4 750ml bottles of the entered wine OR 6 375 ml bottles.
We realize that some fermented beverages, like cidar and meade, come in different sizes. If you are using 500 ml bottles, for instance, please still send 4.
Here's why:
1 bottle for the initial tasting
1 bottle if the wine goes to best of class
1 bottle if it goes to sweepstakes
1 bottle in case the submission is corked or flawed
So -- whatever you do, make sure we have at least 4. If you are bottling 375's, we need the extra bottles to make sure we have enough wine to pour if your entry progresses to sweepstakes (all judges taste sweepstakes wines, not just one panel.)
What is the wine delivery window?
NEWLY EXPANDED!
January 1 – February 29, 2008.
Where do I ship my wine?
Wine shipment window is January 1 - Feb 29 2008.
Please ship wines to our completely secure, CLIMATE-CONTROLLED storage facility.
National Women's Wine Competition 2008
c/oSonoma Storage Emporium
4201 Santa Rosa Ave
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
Deliveries are accepted from 9 AM to 5 PM M-F.
If you are hand-delivering your shipment, please call ahead and advice Sonoma Storage staff.
707-206-9400.
VERY IMPORTANT
ADDRESS shipments to National Women's Wine Competition
MARK ALL SIDES with NWWC or Women's Wine Competition
Enclose a copy of your entry with your shipment
SHIP EARLY! We check in wine every day and if there's a problem, we need time to call (example: the vintage you send doesn't match your entry. We judge what we receive. Another example: you forget to send an entry. We need time to make sure we get your wine.)
Sonoma Storage Emporium is the official storage facility of the National Women's Wine Competition. However, they are independently owned and operated. If you have questions about the competition CALL THE COMPETITION at 707-568-3900. We will respond by phone or email within 24 hours.
GOOD LUCK!
What's the Difference? Open vs. Women Winemaker's Challenge
Here's the difference:
The Open Competition is open to any winery and any wine.
The Women Winemaker’s Challenge is open ONLY to wines made by women. The woman winemaker must be responsible for the final taste of the bottle (we don’t get into all the nuances of winemaking) and must be listed in company PR as the winemaker for that vintage. (Like Reagan said, "trust but verify.")
Men winemakers can enter the Open Competition. Women winemakers can enter both.
The Challenge is a “competition within a competition,” has the same categories, and requires a separate entry, entry fee, and wine submission.
Last year we had about 100 women winemakers enter the Challenge. Many of them also entered their wines in the Open, but certainly not all. It really depends on your marketing strategy and, frankly, budget. Several women winemakers entered both sides of the competition and did very well.
SHIP WINES UNTIL MARCH 7
GOOD NEWS! We have secured permanent temperature controlled storage at Sonoma Storage Emporium in Santa Rosa, CA. That means your great wine will be pampered and coddled in 55-degree secure storage until we take it over to the Fountaingrove Hotel to be judged! Hurrah!
WINE DELIVERY WINDOW EXTENDED TO MARCH 7, 2008!
Ship your wines to:
c/o Sonoma Storage Emporium
4201 Santa Rosa Ave.
Santa Rosa, CA 95407
707-206-9400 (Sonoma Storage Emporium)
IMPORTANT! MARK ALL SIDES WITH NWWC or Women's Wine Competition. If you want to hand deliver your wines, please call Sonoma Storage Emporium before you stop by.
I'm a woman winemaker; can I enter both competitions?
Yes. Each wine you enter requires a separate fee and wine submission.
How many entries are you accepting?
2,000 in the Open Competition; 500 in the Women Winemaker’s Challenge. Given that we are accepting International wines this year (last year wineries from every major growing region in the world tried to enter), the competition will sell out fast. Don’t dawdle. If NWWC figures into your marketing plans this year, enter early. The Italians say "Subito!" and that about sums up how quickly you need to enter.
What is a Founding Member?
Any winery that entered the first NWWC competition in 2007. Founding Members are entitled to a steep discount on their entry fees, especially before January 1, 2008. If you are unsure of your status, please contact us at info@nwwc.info.
I'm a Founding Member. How do I log in?
You will need to log in for the first time, then you can change your email and/or password. Follow these steps:
The email you used to enter the competition last year is your current username. You will need that email to log in for the first time. If you have forgotten last year's email address, click on the "forget password?" link on the registration screen (instructions below). Or, email us at info@nwwc.info and we will give it to you with 24 hours. (The lost password function is faster.)
The temporary password for all Founding Members is: (aren't we clever?!).
LOGGING IN THE FIRST TIME:
Go to www.nwwc.info.
Click on the big ENTER NOW button on the home page.
On the next page, look for the "enter online" link under the Founding Members section.
Click on "enter online"
You will be taken to a log-in screen.
Use your username (last year's email address) and "password" to log in for the first time. Use the "forget password?" link if needed.
Once you have logged in the first time, you can change your password and your username (email).
To change your username or password, go to “My Company” then edit “My company” and enter a new username (username is always your email – whatever email you want to use).
Who can enter the National Women's Wine Competition?
Any commercial winery in the world may enter the Open Competition. Your wines must conform to applicable Federal guidelines. U.S. 17-20 licensed wineries may enter.
If you are a woman winemaker, you may compete in both the Open and the Challenge Competitions. EACH competition requires a separate entry and a separate wine submission for each entry.
Why are you limiting entries this year?
Chaos control. Wine competitions fall in the category of herding cats -- the challenge is inventory control and logistics.
The 2007 competition received 1866 entries and we turned people away – amazing!
This year, we have chosen to limit entries so we can assure excellence. (Plus none of the Directors particularly want to spend the last month before Competition putting in 20 hour days again. We'd like to still be able to read the labels when the competition begins.)
I'm new to the competition. How do I enter my wines?
1. Click on any “enter online now” link on the website. You will be taken to a log in screen.
2. Click on the “Not Registered Yet? Click here.” link. You will be taken to the registration screen.
Fill in all the requested information. Click “register” at the bottom of the page and you will be taken to a screen to enter your wines. If you want to enter multiple wines, there is an "Add Entry" link to click after each wine that will let you enter another wine.
Your information will be kept year to year. You can easily change your username (email address) any time you want by logging in and going to "My Company" and changing the email address. Same with your password.
I am unsure which category my wine should be entered into. What should I do?
Call our office at 707-568-3800 and we will help determine the category in which your wine will show best.
Why do I need to list residual sugar?
In competition, wines are flighted and tasted according to their sugar content (unless the wine is completely dry, i.e. < .3 residual sugar). If we don’t know the sugar content of your wine, we don’t know where to put it in the progression of wines in a flight. And that can be disastrous. You really DON’T want your less sweet wine to follow a more sweet wine because your wine will taste SOUR by comparison. This can strongly affect the results of the judging. To make sure your wine is judged properly and shows to its best advantage, please, please, please dig up your tech sheets and give us accurate information. It’s for your own good!
Why should I enter the National Women's Wine Competition?
According to Lisa Shara Hall of Wine Business Monthly, "Wines are increasingly facing a very competitive playing field, and most producers are looking for a way to single out their wines to the consumer. A medal can help tremendously with marketing efforts."
Now, it's true -- A medal from any competition will help you sell more wine. But a medal from NWWC can super-charge your sales because it says "women love this wine!" Depending on which marketing research you read, women make 60-70% of all wine purchases in the U.S. Doesn't it make sense to you that you’d want your incredible wines to be tasted and approved by the top women palates in the industry today?
NWWC is the first, and still the only, U.S.-based wine competition where all judges are extremely qualified women who have palates consumers can trust. For men buying wine for the women they love, an NWWC medal is a guarantee that women with great taste have vetted the wine. For women buying wine for themselves, it's like getting a girlfriend to say "hey, this is terrific – try it!"
Who wouldn't want a medal from NWWC?! It proves you have the wines women love!
Plus, we're not satisfied with giving you a medal and a pat on the back. We also give you tools to sell your great wine. Winners get free marketing materials, a supply of winners stickers, a logo to display on your website, and we mail a list of all winners to an exclusive list of top wine buyers in America.
When will the competition be held?
March 16-19 in Santa Rosa, CA.
Is the competition open to the public?
No.
Can I talk to a real person?
You bet! We’re here to help. Call us at 1-707-568-3900 and we’ll generally answer right away. Or email us at info@nwwc.info. One of the directors will answer you personally. (We refer all technical questions, such as categorizing wines, to Head Judge Rebecca Murphy.)
I want to enter multiple wines. What do I do?
After logging in (see Log In FAQ) go to the My Entries screen and click the
"Add Entry" link. Fill in the info and click OK. Repeat as many times as you like.
Help! The Web Gremlins have attacked and I'm having problems. Can I talk to a real person?
YES! CALL THE COMPETITION OFFICE
707-568-3900.
If we don't have the answer, we'll get you the answer.
If you are a Founding Member, you have to use LAST YEAR's email address and "password" as your temporary password to log in. You can change both once logged in (go to "My Company") as many times as you want.
If you cannot remember what email you used last year, click on the password lookup option. If you still have problems, give us a call. We are here to help.