January 22, 2020 – 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls, the wine selection—currently in its fourth edition—that emerged out of Vinitaly, will convene once again in Verona, Italy from April 15-17, 2020, just prior to Vinitaly. During a three-day tasting, 100 experts in the wine sector, including MWs, journalists, MSs and other high-profile professionals, will gather to rate an international selection of top wines.
The selection of wines for 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls culminates with a printed and online guide, designed to function as an international marketing tool featuring the highest ranking wines. It also gives participating wineries recognition and visibility both domestically and abroad, creating potential business connections through Vinitaly’s organized events.
Judging involves a blind tasting that results in three numeric evaluations per sample. These three values are then summed for a total score out of 100 points possible. Points are awarded for visual appearance (20 points possible), flavor (40 points possible), and olfactory perceptions (40 points possible). All of the wines scoring 85/100 or higher then move on to a Scientific Committee of General Chairmen for a final evaluation. This panel subsequently decides wine final scores. At the end of the three days, the wines scoring at least 90/100 become destined for publication in the international guide, 5StarWines—the Book, released both in print and digital formats. Producers also gain valuable insight from tasting notes prepared by each attending expert.
5StarWines 2019 – day 1, opening speech
Wine Without Walls is the section of the tasting and guide dedicated to certified organic and biodynamic wines. This category follows the same evaluation criteria as 5StarWines, but has a dedicated jury consisting of specialists in the organic and biodynamic wine world. Wine Without Walls aims to spread awareness about sustainable viticulture while highlighting those wines distinguished for efforts such as preserving native soils, representing a specific terroir, or minimizing wastes. Wine Without Walls is also an opportunity to recognize and enhance the commitment of certified biodynamic and organic producers at an international level. Such producers are active in defining new sustainable practices and broadening horizons in these forms of viticulture and oenology.
At the end of the event each participating producer (whether selected for publication or not) will receive a confidential evaluation sheet, written by the 5StarWines Panel, for each label provided. Such individualized product evaluations are relevant and important feedback for wineries, created by professionals for professionals. Each producer entering a wine that scores 90/100 or higher will receive a complimentary print copy of 5StarWines—the Book. Thereafter, the guide will be disseminated to the international community of wine professionals, such as distributors and buyers. Wines with a final score of 90/100 or greater will also be awarded with a diploma. This certificate will be presented during Vinitaly 2020.
5StarWines—the Book is an important promotional and marketing tool. It introduces international distributors, buyers, and wine-lovers to high standard wines. It is a guarantee of quality and helps to certify a label’s value on an international scale. 5StarWines differs from other wine selections because, unlike other competitions, the focus is not necessarily on the event itself but on sustained benefits to wine producers. Throughout the entire year following selection Vinitaly International offers constant promotional support to selected producers through both national and international presence. This reinforcement is provided through collaborations between producers and the wine sector’s key market players. Events, grand tastings, educational programs, and even Vinitaly International social media channels showcase wines and wineries selected. Those included in the 2020 edition of 5Star Wines—the Book and Wine Without Walls will also be featured on Wine Searcher—the largest online wine database—as well as on a dedicated app that, during Vinitaly, will send push-notifications to buyers regarding wines and wineries.
The selection will take place on April 15, 16, and 17 in Verona, Italy. All producers registering on or before January 31, 2020 will receive a special early bird rate.
5StarWines
The Book is the annual wine selection organized by Vinitaly. Held in the lead-up to the biggest Italian wine fair in the world, the event is now in its fourth iteration. 5StarWines is a three-day tasting aimed at shedding light on wineries that invest in the improvement of their products. During the event, a highly qualified panel of wine professionals tastes and scores participating wines on a 100-point scale. In the last edition, over 3,100 bottles took part and 676 were selected for inclusion in 5StarWines—the Book. The guide is a useful promotional and commercial tool. It introduces international buyers and wine lovers from all over the world to new wine products of great value. It guarantees the quality of featured wines and maintains and certifies their value at an international level. www.5starwines.it
