Judges’ Experiences

Nova McCune Cadamatre:

Why did you want to be involved with the NextGen Competition?

As a Millennial winemaker, I feel that while quality definitions do not change, stylistic preferences are changing among wine drinkers from my generation.  I wanted to be involved with NextGen Wine Competition so I could experience first-hand the stylistic preference differences that seem to exist. I came away with a confirmation that not only were stylistic preferences changing but that the Millennial generation doesn’t have just one distinct style that we prefer.  We like all of them, depending on the person, varietal, vineyard, mood, and even our own mental pictures of what the winery or winemaker must be.  I also wanted to learn more about the wine competition arena in general and the NextGen judging experience absolutely contributed to that.

Why is it important to bring to light Millennials drinking preferences?

Millennials are the next big consumer group and discovering their preferences early on has a huge impact on the way winemakers make wine and marketing sells it.  With a buying power that is forecasted to rival the Boomer generation, this generation is a large and important target for anyone working in a consumer product field.  Our generation is also discovering wine earlier than previous generations and seems to be extremely engaged when it comes to discovering new varieties and regions.  It’s not just about the score or the prestige of the winery anymore but about what sets these wines apart from their competitors that interest us.

We’re also heavily influenced by what our friends and fellow Millennial drinkers are drinking rather than traditional marketing channels. In the era of Google at our fingertips on any Smartphone, marketing people must not only be conscious of what the winery is saying about its brand but also what other people are saying as well because we, as a generation, are listening to everyone through Google, Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets.

What was your experience working with other Millennial wine professionals at the competition?

Getting to know the other judges was the best part of the competition for me.  We had some very energetic discussions before, during, and after the actual judging and it was extremely interesting (and entertaining at times) to hear the other judges’ reactions and opinions about the wines.  It was awesome to see so many people from so many different industry backgrounds, including chefs, writers, bloggers, and fellow winemakers, come together for this competition.


Peter Vars:

After being approached to judge the NextGen competition, I must admit, I was both intimidated and thrilled.  The judging panel was an impressive list of young winemakers, sommeliers and social media marketers which had all established a track record of excellence in the industry.  Upon meeting and tasting with them, I couldn’t have been more excited to be included in such an important tasting.  As a certified sommelier and buyer for a retail shop, I am constantly taking a critical look at wines that appeal to not only me but more importantly, my customers.  However, it wasn’t until after realizing that more and more of my customers are enthusiastic, well read, young wine consumers, that I found the true importance of the NextGen competition.  It was this realization that was on display during the tasting portion of the competition.  Serious debate by the panel on the value of a given wine, region or style, illuminated the importance of understanding our generation’s quickly expanding base of serious wine consumers, and their propensity to be highly critical yet compromising of the wines we are tasting.  In a nutshell, our generation is starting to make a serious investment in the wines we are drinking at a much younger age, understanding this is surely a powerful knowledge.

In retrospect, I am excited about the results and what they mean to various producers and marketers.  The NextGen Competition only stands to gain in relevance as the market realizes the heightened appetite and expectations of our generation’s wine consumers.  I look forward to following the future of this competition.

Shauna Rosenblum:

Hey everyone, my name is Shauna Rosenblum, and I am the winemaker for Rock Wall Wine Co. down in Alameda, Ca.  I was honored when Elisa  Thurman invited me to be a judge for the 2010 NextGen Millennial Wine Competition in Santa Rosa!

Although there were some just criticisms of the competition, outlining that if this particular niche market gets a competition, why don’t other obscure markets have the same opportunity?

I think the answer is because the Millennial group is consuming something like 40+% of the wines sold in the Wine Industry, and we are also the group who are willing to spend a little more on a nice bottle of wine.

My panel consisted of three other folks who are very talented, young oenophiles, that I thoroughly enjoyed discussing and judging some of the best wines around with.  You guys are AWESOME!!

The results varied, but across the board I think the Competition outcome shows that the Millennial group as a whole, are down to experiment with anything from Jalapeno /Apple Wine, to high end Old Vine Zinfandel, to obscure East Coast/Midwest varieties.

I don’t think that is any different from other age groups, but maybe the difference is our group is  more enthusiastic about enjoying a wine for it’s oddball qualities, and not just it’s ‘prestige.’   Admiring a wine for burning one’s tongue with spice, or a wine that tastes exactly like cocoa puffs, or tootsie rolls, or white gummy bears, or has an aroma of  grape jelly and tobasco sauce.  Or recommending it as an afternoon snack because it pairs well with Salsa Verde Doritos, my personal fave accompanied by …2008 Rock Wall Wine Co. Cabernet Franc!  OMG Delic!!

I was very curious about what the results would be , and although I  personally was not a fan of  some of the wines that  the majority of the group ranked Best of Class, I was pleased that  a couple of the wines which my panel gave serious consideration to, including re-tasting individual flights , took Best of Class, and they were all well deserved accolades!!!!!

Go Millennials!!  We certainly ROCK!!!!!!!!


Lulu Roberts:

How did you hear about the Competition?

I heard about the Millennial Wine Generation Competition through my employer, the ‘purely domestic’ wine blogger, Doug Wilder.

Doug Wilder had read about the competition and following our previous discussions about the changing face of industry criticism I was very excited and contacted Elisa Thurman (event organiser) to find out more about the competition and how the judges were being selected.

Although Elisa had already compiled most of the judging panel, I was lucky enough to be invited to join the team and jumped at such a fantastic opportunity being presented to me.

Why did you wish to participate in this event?

Over the past few years it has come to the attention of members of the wine profession that the age of wine drinkers has become lower and at the same time this ‘Millennial’ group of buyers has brought an increasing amount of wine while at the same time have demonstrated that they are prepared to spend more per bottle then before. Even with evidence in existence to support this argument the vast majority of wine critics for key publications are still middle aged men (predominantly) and women who have little or nothing in common with the drinkers they are ‘buying for’ / ‘reviewing for’.  Doug was not being rash when he invited me to join the team, even with my limited experience of US wine I represent a demographic which often goes unheard and the chance to participate in an event/competition where the voices of the Millennial drinkers would be heard was an opportunity not to be missed.

I was also excited by the diversity of the judging panel. There were wine makers, wine writers, wine buyers, wine brokers – a fantastic scope of expertise and at a wonderfully young age!

It seemed to me from the line up that in participating in such an event I would be meeting some of the freshest, finest young talent in the wine world and be given an opportunity to see them in action.

Can you tell us a bit about the experience of working with the other judges?

The judging was broken down into teams of 3/4 judges, including a Head Judge amongst those. This meant that the more intimate part of the tasting competition was limited however even in these small groups it was fascinating to see the different individuals at work.

Elisa Thurman hadn’t specified any dress code so there was a fairly colourful turnout in attire however this was complimented by the positive and gregarious attitude of those who dressed as such and when we were in are small groups there was a brief opportunity to gage the approach of other judges to the competition and analyse their techniques which was fascinating.

Each of the judges had a unique personality and style however they each had a particular attachment to the demographic they felt they served and it was fantastic to be in a room so abundant with creative, entrepreneurial enthusiasm.

The opportunity to work with other members of the wine industry who have achieved so much at such a young age was really exciting and other the period of the competition although I couldn’t meet everyone properly, those who I did and the conversations that followed were enthralling.

Would you participate in another Millennial Wine Gen Competition?

Absolutely. No question.

The 2010 Millennial Wine Gen Competition was an unbelievable experience.

It gathered together in one room over 25 members of the under 35 wine industry, with prestigious accolades to their names and gave them a chance to review and criticism some of the most interesting wines that industry has in them.

Although not everyone was happy with the results, and questions were raised over palate fatigue and similar the results were conclusive in as much as that there are some wine makers and wineries which have their finger more on the pulse when it comes to what Millennial Wine Drinkers ‘want to drink’ more than others and there is a possibility that some wineries may be missing the market all together due to lack of research.

What was in your eyes, the best thing about the competition or its strengths?

The best thing about this competition was the diversity of the judging panel and their enthusiasm for the task at hand. Even with such a young demographic those who participated were professional and efficient and the opportunity to work with them in the future would be an honour.