Dallas, Texas (May 18, 2021) TEXSOM International Wine Awards announces the results for the 2021 Awards, which took place April 25-27th at Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. The Awards garnered nearly 2,400 entries representing 29 countries and 16 US states. Suggested retail pricing of medal-winning entries ranged from US $2.50 to over US $300.00.
As a benefit to entrants, TEXSOM IWA enlisted the expertise and wisdom of judges from around the country and a professional production team to ensure accuracy and care for every beverage entered in the competition. Voices of those in the industry who work in restaurants and retail were invited to a behind the scenes opportunity called TEXSOM retreat to uniquely market Award winners. Retreat participants received mentorship from experienced writers and journalists on creating professional tasting notes that will showcase award-winning entrants in Featured Wine promotions on the IWA website and social media feeds throughout the year.
For the first time in the long history of the competition, the IWA team navigated the execution of the event under the shadow of a global pandemic. This impacted overall entries and influenced who would be able to enter beverages in the competition, as well as who may travel and participate.
“To execute the event in any ‘normal’ year is a challenge with so much complexity and many moving parts built into this competition, managing three groups of people with distinctly different tasks, all the while implementing pandemic safety protocols. The stories from this year’s event reflect the myriad of challenges within our industry, but they also tell of great triumphs. Our team looks forward to sharing these stories in the coming months,” says Amie Hendrickson, TEXSOM Operations Manager.
Entries were blind-tasted and judged by 44 renowned tastemakers from across the country. Of the entries judged, the judges awarded 1,814 medals: 51 Judges’ Selection medals (3% of entries judges), 89 Platinum medals (5% of entries judged), 189 Gold medals (8%), 731 Silver medals (32%) and 805 Bronze medals (35%).
A total of 89 entries, demonstrating quality and unique character that are exceptional even amongst their medal-winning peers, received a Judges’ Selection nomination, which were elevated to Platinum medals. The Judges’ Selection nominees were subjected to head-to-head judging within expansive categories and 51 were awarded a Judges’ Selection medal as the highest award of the competition.
The 2021 TEXSOM International Wine Awards was supported by over 150 sommeliers, judges, and production team members. A list of participants may be found on the TEXSOM website HERE. The complete Awards listing is available via the TEXSOM website searchable database HERE and now includes historical results dating back to 1985. Press inquiries may be made via email at info@texsom.com.
