Pinot Noir Shootout

Submissions of Pinot Noir for the 5th Annual Pinot Noir Shootout are now being accepted up until December 15, 2006. The Pinot Noir Shootout is unique in that each of the wines is more intensely judged than in standard, broad competitions. Most competitions go straight to medals, but the Pinot Noir Shootout provides concerted, then condensed reviews, providing thorough, quotable, consumerfriendly, and accessible results from a varied panel of experts. Male and female reviews are kept separate and posted on the Affairs of the Vine website at www.affairsofthevine.com.

The judging panel is comprised of a diverse group of over 40 wine professionals with a bent for Pinot Noir. Last year I served on the tasting panel and was impressed by the experience and passion of the judging panel. Considerable time is spent judging each wine over a generous scoring period so that each wine receives the attention it deserves. All judging is blind. I plan to taste on the panel again this year.

The top 40 wines and their winemakers are presented along with seminars at the Pinot Noir Summit in San Francisco on February 10, 2007. Consumers who attend the Summit are asked to judge the final 40 Pinot Noirs from their perspective as well.

Vintners must submit four bottles of each entry along with a $60 registration fee ($50 online at www.affairsofthevine.com. The wines should be sent to Affairs of the Vine, 696 Elliott Lane, Sebastopol, CA 95472 (707-874-1975).