ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS

Eligibility

To qualify for entry in the Critics Challenge International Wine & Spirits Competition, the wine or spirit must have been produced for commercial sale. Homemade wines or spirits will not be accepted for judging.

Each wine or spirit category and other particulars are determined by the information on the bottle label.
 

Award Categories and Scoring

Wines

Judges will award Silver honors to wines that demonstrate above average character for the wine type and place of origin. Gold honors will be awarded to wines that deliver additional complexity and character and rise above a straightforward recommendation. Platinum awards will be reserved for the very best wines of the competition, wines that exhibit profound qualities as determined by the judges.

Gold awards will be assigned a score ranging between 90 and 93 points. All wines awarded Platinum will be given a score ranging between 94 and 100 points. Awards and scores will be announced on our Results page and by regular mail.

Judges' comments on all Gold and Platinum award wines will be posted with the results, and all Platinum award wines will be reviewed independently at WineReviewOnline.com, the online wine publication.

Spirits

Judges will award spirits of above average character a Silver award. Spirits of exceptional quality will be awarded Gold, and spirits that receive a unanimous vote of gold will be given Platinum award.

All Platinum award winning spirits will be reviewed independently at SpiritsReviewOnline.com, the online spirits publication.

Deadlines

Early-Entry Discount Deadline:  May 9, 2025

Final Entry Deadline:  May 30, 2025

Product Deadline:  June 13, 2025

Entering

Entering Wines

A complete wine entry is comprised of three (3) 750ml bottles, OR two (2) 1.5 liter bottles, OR six (6) 375ml bottles, OR two (2) boxes, or four (4) cans.

Technical information about each wine will be collected, including brand, product name, varietal composition, vintage, appellation, vineyard designation, and retail price. Percentage of residual sugar (not grams per liter) and alcohol percentage (per label) must be listed on the entry form with each entry.  The brand name, product name, vintage and appellation will appear on the award certificate and published results, so they should be given as they appear on the bottle label.

Note: Residual sugar percentage (NOT grams per liter) and alcohol percentage are important factors in ensuring that your wine is flighted in a way that it can show its absolute best - please take care in entering these numbers.

To enter wine online, click here: Critics Challenge Online Wine Entry

If you prefer to mail an entry form with payment (check or credit card), click here:  Manual Entry Form

Entering Spirits/Cocktails

A complete spirits entry is comprised of two (2) 750ml bottles, OR three (3) 500ml bottles, OR four (4) 375ml or smaller bottles, or, four (4) RTD cans or bottles.

Technical information about each spirit will be collected, including brand, product name, spirit base, vintage, country of origin and retail price. Percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV, per label) must be listed on the entry form with each entry.  The brand name, product name, type and country of origin will appear on the award certificate and published results, so they should be given as they appear on the bottle label.

Note: Percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) is an important factor in ensuring that your spirit or cocktail is flighted in a way that it can show its absolute best - please take care in entering these numbers.

To enter spirits online, click here: Critics Challenge Online Spirits Entry

If you prefer to mail an entry form with payment, click here:  Manual Entry Form
 

Entry Fees

WINE ENTRIES:

SPIRITS ENTRIES:

When entering online, payment can be made by Visa, Master Card and American Express.  Credit card charge will appear on your statement as "Wine Cellar Productions." If you prefer to pay by check, make checks payable to Wine Cellar Productions and note Critics Challenge in the notes area. Mail checks to: Critics Challenge, Attn: Rich Cook, 1121 Britem Court, Vista, California 92083
 

Shipping

NOTE: NEW SHIPPING ADDRESS!

Ship Wines & Spirits to:

Critics Challenge
Attn:  Rich Cook
1121 Britem Court
Vista, CA 92083
760-522-3167

DELIVERY HOURS: 10 am and 2 pm, Monday thru Friday.

Wines and Spirits MUST BE RECEIVED no later than June 13.   Please include one copy of your entry form in the shipment.

NOTE:  Receiving Dept opens at 10am so do not specify "priority" or morning delivery.  You are welcome to add the competition email to shipping tracking information.   For shipments sent by pallet please note that this location does not have a loading dock so specify truck must have lift gate.
 

Contact Us

Contact us at Critics_Challenge@yahoo.com or 760-522-3167 if you have questions.