Food Science Extension

INDY International attracts wines from across the globe and judges from across the country

Story by Emma Ea Ambrose
June 6, 2018

Jill Blume, an enology specialist with the Department of Food Science, and Katie Barnett, a wine grape marketing Extension specialist, demonstrate the process of judging a wine for the INDY International Wine Competition.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The INDY International Wine Competition will host its 27th annual contest on June 6 and 7 at Purdue University. The competition is hosted by Purdue’s Wine Grape Team, a group of specialists working to advance Indiana’s wine industry.

INDY International receives nearly 2,000 entries from amateur and commercial vintners. The wines come from across the globe and a panel of judges, comprised of wine specialists, vintners, and other industry professionals, taste and grade the vintages.

The wines are evaluated on a number of different metrics – including taste, smell, color, aftertaste, and overall drinking experience. Amateur and commercial wines are held to different standards and judges try to provide participants with feedback about their wine, especially if it did not receive a medal, said Jill Blume, enology specialist with the Department of Food Science.

“All of the amateurs will receive their scoresheets back,” said Blume. “Especially for amateurs, it’s always important that we provide them with as much feedback as possible.”

At the competition, the judges taste the vintages in complete silence and without knowledge of the wine’s origin, which helps prevent unconscious bias. The process of tasting and rating a wine takes time and a refined palette, Blume said.

Sources: Jill Blume, 765-494-1749, blume@purdue.edu
Katie Barnett, 765-496-3842, vino@purdue.edu

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