The correct answer is…
YOU.
While traditional wine competitions in the world rely on technical experts, wine critics, and judging panels to name the “next BIG wine”.
…Naked’s first Wine of the Year Competition all comes down to one thing – votes from everyday wine drinkers just like you.
Don’t get us wrong – medals and Best of Class awards from industry-respected competitions are high points in any winemakers’ career – and we love celebrating with your winemakers when they rack in tons of ‘em.
But that leads us to pop quiz question 2:
What makes Wine of the Year matter most to winemakers?
The correct answer is… it’s a customer vote. And in the wine industry, that’s a bona fide rarity.
For your winemakers, the difference is everything.
You see, winemakers at big companies usually stay behind the scenes, crafting wines in a prescribed style. They may get wine-speak feedback once every couple months from the judges at those big competitions – but they never hear from the people drinking their wines day to day.
A trophy handed down by wine drinkers? That’s a prize that could only exist here.
It’s the culmination of hundreds of “wine moments” that have changed the lives of the world’s most talented winemakers – and changed the way wine is made and enjoyed for good.
Every one of those moments begins with you.
Your community empowers industry-leading winemakers to be the face of their own brands and create wines that celebrate the regions they know best.
That gets us to pop question 3:
How did we choose just 40 nominees?
The correct answer is… mountains of data. Delicious, delicious data.
Starting with hundreds of vintage-specific wines, we poured over bar charts, pivot tables, you name it, to bring you the year’s 40 top-rated nominees in 5 categories:
- Sparkling
- Red
- Top-Shelf Red
- White
- Rosé
Every wine that made the competition has a minimum 87% thumbs-up reviews based on at least 300 Angel ratings (for more limited and expensive top-shelf wines we lowered it to 100 ratings). Here’s the full rundown of how we picked the nominees.
Now the rest is up to you – help us narrow the list down – and name the first Wine of the Year.
You’re ready for the final quiz question:
What’s the best way to vote?
The correct answer is… early and often.
You’ll have 3 chances to help pick the inaugural Wine of the Year winner, now through October – until Angel votes determine the ultimate prize – and the official Wine of the Year is named!
Keep checking back for our Finalists, Category Winners, and official Wine of the Year decision this summer and fall.
And remember – by voting, you’re doing more than just picking a favorite to win – you’re helping change a winemakers’ life forever. That’s what Angels do.