Tim Hanni MW: USA Wine Ratings Reviews Wines in the Way Consumers Do

Tim Hanni MW explains how USA Wine Ratings brings consumers closer to wines they are genuinely going to like.

Tim Hanni MW is one of the most influential figures in the global wine industry for the breakthrough research and work he has done on analyzing how we taste and enjoy wine. 

It’s what makes him such a central figure in the USA Wine Ratings competition as he has worked with the organizers to ensure this is a competition that is in tune with the wines that consumers want to buy when out shopping in a supermarket or buying a bottle of wine in their favorite restaurant. 

Wines that are chosen and bought because we have used all our senses. A competition that assesses wines for their quality, what they taste like, their value for money, and what they look like. Here he explains why he believes it is an event that brings consumers closer to wines they are genuinely going to like. 

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Meet the Judges of one of the most important Wine Competitions in the USA. From retail stores to restaurants to hospitality venues, these UWR Judges represent every sector of the wine industry.

A world-class wine competition requires a world-class panel of judges, and that’s exactly what the USA Wine Ratings event has assembled in San Francisco. These judges represent every important sector of the wine industry, from retail stores to restaurants to hospitality venues. Moreover, there is representation from every major wine region of the country.

The USA Wine Ratings will be assessed and judged by a leading panel of top-level wine buyers with current direct commercial buying responsibility. Or wine consultants and experts who are also directly involved in the development of new wine brands or buying wine for commercial resale.

The list of judges will be drawn from leading retail chains, wholesalers, distributors, and on-trade groups across a variety of channels and disciplines including multiple retailing, convenience stores, cash and carries, specialist retailers, casual and fine dining, hospitality, and the travel industry.

With that in mind, here’s a full listing of the judges of the USA Wine Ratings event in San Francisco.

View the first set of 2021 UWR Judges here

How The Scoring System Works

Each submission is assigned a unique submission reference number. The wines are to be assigned a score for quality and value on a blind-tasting basis. Following this, the wines will be brought to the judges and arranged together for the packaging score for that flight.

Quality Score (Q) + Value Score (V) + Package Score (P) = USA Wine Ratings Final Score.

Quality:

The USA Wine Ratings is not only about recognizing wines that achieve high-quality scores, but you would struggle to drink more than a glass of. We want to celebrate wines that are both enjoyable and easy to drink. Wines that are well balanced, where their acidity, tannins, and alcohol levels all work seamlessly together. That’s the quality factor.

Value for money:

You don't need to be the cheapest wine on the shelf to offer the best value for money. Far from it. A wine may have a high price tag, but can still offer great value providing it delivers the right quality and taste for a wine at that price point. The USA Wine Ratings will assess each wine for how much value it is offering its customers.

Package and Design:

This is arguably the most important part of a wine brand to get right. For, after all, what a wine brand looks like is how every consumer chooses the wine they want to drink with their eyes first. Up to 65% of consumers will try a new wine just because it looks good and if you can match that with a price and quality of wine that offers great value for money, then you are more than halfway home. The USA Wine Ratings will reward those brands that show they understand their customers, and the price category they are operating in, and have produced a design and package with the right personality to attract and keep their attention. 

Commercially relevant:

Crucially all the winners in the USA Wine Ratings will give future trade wine buyers, be they for a supermarket, specialist wine retailer, casual dining, or upmarket restaurant, the reassurance that these are wines that their customers want to buy.

A separate weighted score will be given for each of the parts of the judging process. The scores will be added up to give a final score from which individual prizes will be awarded.

What’s new for 2021?

In the forthcoming competition, Judges will also be entering tasting notes for each wine which will result in a unified tasting note that will be provided by USA Wine Ratings to the entrant in a way a sommelier would talk about the wine to its customer. 

Entrants will get score breakdown, tasting notes, and shelf talker templates in their zones which will further help wine brands position their message and communicate to end consumers.

We are very pleased with the first panel of judges that are planned for the 2021 USA Wine Ratings. Our aim is to not only provide more value to the wineries and wine brands that enter, but also support the hospitality industry and sommelier community in 2021 with our global drinks guides initiatives like Los Angeles Drinks Guide, New York Drinks Guide, Chicago Drinks Guide, San Francisco Drinks Guide, London Drinks Guide where top winners of the USA Wine Ratings will be promoted to drive brand awareness and foot traffic where these top wines will be sold.” - Sid Patel, CEO of USA Wine Ratings and Beverage Trade Network.

The USA Wine Ratings was first introduced in 2017 to single out and shine the spotlight on those wine brands that consumers really want to buy and have a clear market value for trade buyers.

Early Bird Submission Ends April 30, 2021.

Register your Brands for 2021 USA Wine Ratings