The People’s Choice Wine Awards hopes to build on a record year by widening it out to spirits, inviting new judges and promoting its awards winners on video, YouTube and its own podcast.
When The Buyer first heard about the People’s Choice Wine Awards it was actually through an old school friend from the Wirral who had been invited to take part in the very first round of judging for this inaugural event. As he had nothing to do with the wine industry it seemed he must have been mistaken. How can someone who is not a professional wine taster be involved in judging what are the best wines on sale in the UK?
But that’s what makes the People’s Choice Wine Awards stand out from every other major drinks competition. It not only involves every day shoppers of wine at each stage of its judging process, it invites them to judge wines in categories that match the kind of occasions when they might be buying wine for – be it to drink with friends in the back garden, for a summer BBQ or for a formal dinner party.
Janet Harrison, left, founder of the People’s Choice Wine Awards with her new partner for the business Judy Kendrick
Over the last three years it has, step by step, thanks to the personality and persuasion skills of its founder, Janet Harrison captured the imagination of the wine industry too. But as this is an occasion-led tasting competition it attracts entries from all channels of the trade, from producers and brand owners, through to their suppliers and distributors and, crucially, the retailers and online players tasked with talking to and engaging with the consumers these awards are aimed at – the every day wine drinker.
That’s why The Buyer has been so pleased to have worked with the competition from its first year, helping to promote and explain what it is all about as its business media partner.
Time to introduce spirits
This year’s event promises to be the biggest and most important of them all as it has been expanded to also include a number of spirits categories for the first time.
Harrison explains why she the thought the time was right to widen the competition out: “We’ve been very busy during the lockdown period, including working on a re-brand for the awards. This is mainly due to the addition of the People’s Choice Spirits Awards.Yes, this year, we will be opening the competition out to a small number of spirits categories including gin, whisky, whiskey and rum. We’ve been asked several times, by suppliers, about including spirits and we feel our ethos, particularly involving consumers, lends itself really well to this.It will also bring something new and exciting to the spirits awards scene.”
The People’s Choice Wine Awards are not your typical drinks competition night out. The only one wearing a tie might be the comedian, juggler on the stage…
New spirits categories include:
Across all spirits categories:
Mindful Drinking: low/no alcohol.
Out of the Ordinary: for innovative spirits categories.
Gin:
The Perfect G&T: classic gin for classic tonics.
Gin Fusion: gins infused with fruits or exotic ingredients.
Whisky/Whiskey:
Treat Yourself: premium whiskeys/whiskies.
Weekday Whiskies/Whiskeys: easy drinking, including blended varieties.
Rum:
On the Rocks: the classic sipping rums.
Spice up your Life: for spiced and flavoured rums.
Enter here: You can find out more and enter the spirits categories here.
Spirits judges
As well as inviting consumers to take part in the first and second round of judging, the awards is also, as it does with its wine awards, bringing in a number of professional trade tasters to help with the final selections. These include:
Dawn Davies MW is one of the trade judges taking part in assessing the new spirits categories
- Dawn Davies MW: Speciality Drinks.
- The Three Drinkers: Helena Nicklin (also a wine judge), Aidy Smith and Colin Hampden-White.
- Kristiane Sherry: Master of Malt.
- Dave Marsland:Drinks Enthusiast & The Rum Festival Manchester.
Wine categories
David Cartwright from Seckford Agencies is clearly delighted to win this award on behalf of Bird in the Hand at this year’s awards
The wine categories remain largely the same as last year, with 30 different categories, mostly occasion-based to choose from – including Vegan Friendly, Fire up the BBQ, Treat Yourself, New to the Market, Heavy Duty. They also include separate awards for supermarket, independent wine merchant and online retailer of the year.
- You can find all the wine categories here.
- You can enter the wine categories here.
Revamped website
The awards’ website has also had an upgrade to make it clearer how the competition works, with details on the judging process, as well as the combined wine and spirits categories. It also features its own YouTube channel where you can watch highlights of previous year’s awards as well as what it means to different brand owners and wine producers that have won awards.
Here’s the main highlights from the 2020 awards that really captures the fun, laid back and very different way of handing out awards for a drinks competition – in a comedy club in Manchester without a bowtie or ball gown in sight.
Competition dates for your diary
Cost of entry: £80 per wine/spirit.
Submissions open (wines and spirits): July 31 2020.
Submissions close: October 31 2020.
Judging: Mid November 2020.
Finalists announced: End November 2020.
Awards: February 8 2021.
- If you would like any more information about how the awards are run or how you can get involved in helping to support or promote it then please contact Janet Harrison at janet@peopleschoicewineawards.com or janet@peopleschoicespiritsawards.com.
