The International Women’s Wine Competition (IWWC), as the name clearly states, is a wine show aimed specifically at the increasingly wine-conscious female demographic of the United States.
Founded in 2007, the IWWC is the brainchild of Julie Brosterman, founder of the Women and Wine website. The inaugural event was hosted in Santa Rosa, Sonoma County. Initially established as a national-level competition, the competition soon expanded its scope to take in wines from all over the world. Although the majority of entries are American (from states as diverse as California, Arizona, Texas, Iowa, New York and Connecticut), there is a small but steadily increasing range from France, Italy and Australia.
The IWWC has quickly gained momentum on the back of the ever-increasing wave of female wine purchasers (almost 80% of wine bought for American households is now purchased by women) and is now an event of some significance in the American wine calendar.
The competition takes place in November each year and plays host to several thousand wines. These are divided into more than a hundred distinct categories, from sparkling wines with less than 2.5% residual sugar to red Bordeaux blends costing $20.01 and upwards.
The IWWC judging panel, as might be expected, is made up exclusively of women. The awards they give out include 'Best Sparkling Wine', 'Best Rose/Blush', 'Best of Show', and the newly created 'Best Wine by a Woman Winemaker'. For more information on the IWWC, and for results listings, visit the Vineyard & Winery Management website at www.vwm-online.com.