• Competition Opens – 8 May 2018
• Cut-off date for entries – 28 August 2018
• Delivery of wines samples – 3 & 4 September 2018 (Monday and Tuesday)
• Producers receive results – 10 September 2018

The Vitis Vinifera Awards is one of the most affordable competitions in the country. The cost is R695 excluding VAT per entry. Gold and Double Gold stickers will be available at R350 excluding VAT per 1000.

An electronic certificate will be sent by email to the winners.

The winners will be announced on or before 10 September 2018 and an email will go out to notify them. The producers can utilise the stickers and competition artwork to maximise exposure on various social media fronts and for their existing client base, but must display them together with the name(s) of the product and vintage if applicable, that earned this accolade. Stickers will focus attention on the award-winning products, leading to higher visibility and a boost in sales.

We will endeavour to have the stickers ready by 24 September to 28 September 2018 for collection. The stickers have to be paid for prior to collection, unless other arrangements are made with the organisers.

You are not obligated to order stickers, but if you indicate that you do need stickers you have to take them when the winners are announced, as set out in the rules of the competition. If you do not want stickers, please indicate the number of stickers needed as 0 (zero).

Any remaining wine at the end of the judging process becomes the property of Vitis Vinifera Awards.

The tasting procedure will be audited by a reputable auditing firm to ensure the judges are not influenced and the tasting is done blind and conforms to international standards.

1. Spirits have to be 100% grape based to qualify for entry.
2. Submission of samples and/or payment of entry fees constitute acceptance of all the rules.
3. Tank samples will not be accepted as entries.
4. Uncertified wine may not be entered into the competition unless it is flavoured wine.
5. All certified wine must be accompanied by a SAWIS (South African Wine Industry Information & Systems – www.sawis.co.za) application number, and the stickers awarded may only be applied to the wine attached to the application number. If a certain wine has more than one application number, the wines must be entered separately.
6. Each certified wine has to have a current WSR2 or WSR4 certificate showing that the wine was approved on the strength of taste and analysis by SAWIS, or the Department of Agriculture Wine-on-Line screen capture printout to show the wine has a current tasting date on September 8^th, 2018. This certificate must be current (i.e. the wine must have been tasted and approved by the board no more than one year before in the case of a white wine and 18 months in the case of a red wine). A certified wine sample will not be accepted without this certificate. No refunds will be paid if the WSR2 or WSR4 certificate is not current.
7. Each product’s category will be determined by the information on the label.
8. There is no minimum quantity needed to enter.
9. There is no limit to the number of entries per producer. Whereas each product may only be entered into the competition once (even if it is under a different label), any participant may enter more than one product in a class. Examples are producers that produce several products of the same type but with different styles or vintages.
10. A wine that has not been certified as a cultivar wine, although it may be one, may be entered into a blended category.
11. A product that received an award in a previous year’s competition may be entered again.
12. Entries and registration will be accepted online from 8 May 2018 up to midnight on 28 August 2018. Proof of payment must be emailed to info@vitisawards.com before midnight on the closing date for entries to be accepted.
13. Invoices for entries must be printed online by the participant, and paid before the final close of entries.
14. For wines in 750 ml bottles, a sample has to comprise three bottles per entry. For wines in containers bigger than 750 ml, a sample has to comprise two units. For wines in containers smaller than 750 ml, a sample has to comprise four units or the equivalent thereof. For spirits, only two 750ml bottles are needed or the equivalent thereof.
15. The sample must be delivered to the drop-off point between 9am and 4pm on the 3^rd or 4^th of September 2018 to be accepted into the competition.
16. Winners will be notified by email, and stickers will be available for collection about two weeks later. Proof of payment of both the entries (R695 excluding VAT per entry) and stickers is needed before stickers can be collected. Stickers cost R350 excluding VAT per 1000, and come in multiples of 1000.

17. Quantities of stickers ordered that are not multiples of 1000 will be rounded up and invoiced as such.
18. By entering the competition, the entrant commits to paying for the number of stickers indicated before the required deadline for the products that receive awards.
19. The producer may only use the stickers awarded on the particular product that was entered and won the award. Stickers may not be put onto another batch of product similar to the one entered, that did not win an award in this year’s competition.
20. Participants must always market their winning product in conjunction with the year of the competition the product won the award.

21. The competition logo or stickers may not be displayed on their own for purposes of marketing, but must be accompanied by the name of the particular product that won, or may be photographed on the specific product that won the award.
22. Any samples remaining at the conclusion of the judging becomes the property of the competition organisers.
23. The judging process will be entirely confidential and no details will be released concerning the judging process or reasoning. No feedback of any nature will be given.
24. The decision of the judges is final and no changes will be made to awards after the judging process is complete. In the event of a dispute, this competition’s decision will be final.
25. No refund of entry fees will be made.
26. By entering the competition, the entrant states that the information provided is factually and legally correct.
27. If a participant does not follow all the rules of the competition or legal requirements, the competition has the right to disqualify the particular entry concerned or the entire year’s entries, or ban the producer from the competition.
28. For confidentiality purposes, only a list of the top producers will be made public. No list of all the producers that took part in the competition or the score assigned to any product will be provided.
29. Entries will only be accepted in English.
30. Entries must be completed in full, and entries that were not completed in full may be declared void.
31. Employees of the competition or their immediate family are not allowed to enter the competition.
32. This competition can change the rules of the competition without notice, and publish them on the website without giving notice to entrants. If the entrant does not want to comply with the new rules they can cancel their entries.
33. If an entrant does not comply with the rules their entries may be cancelled.
34. The producer whose product is entered must be fully aware of the submission, and must grant the person entering the competition the right to enter the product and order stickers. If this is not found to be the case, the person entering the competition will be liable for any financial commitment made.