Awards and Reviews

- Within the competitions the wines are presented “blind”, meaning that the judges have no advanced knowledge of brand or appellation. This minimizes any regional prejudices or preferences.
- Side by side comparisons between bottles hopefully allow the absolute merits of the wine to speak.
- Competitions provide a “How Are We Doing” comparison to the industry as a whole. It is a cross-check on our work and helps us avoid becoming “cellar blind” in our artistry. We want to make sure that we are working for the pleasure of our customers and not solely for ourselves.
- Each competition has a different composition of judges on the panel. We believe that the “democracy” of many independent evaluators is of more merit than single opinions that may or may not reflect the desires of the consumer and may or may not be independent of other influences than the quality of wine.

“In my opinion, bronze medal awards are more valuable today than they were 20 years ago. Competition is more fierce and I feel that a bronze today is equivalent to a gold 20 years ago.” - Doug Meador

As recognition of the Winery's commitment to quality; Ventana has already received over 40 Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals in 2006!