29th ANNUAL
SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL
WINE COMPETITION

March 10 & 11
Sheraton Mission Valley, San Diego

Welcome to the 29th annual San Diego International Wine Competition,
one of the longest running and most prestigious wine competitions in the
United States.

As you well know, the strength of any wine competition rests in the quality
of the judging, and that depends on the skill, integrity and independence of
the judges invited.

For 2012 we have brought back a number of our top judges from over the
years—wine industry veterans for the most part—but we’ve also leaned
a bit more heavily on the wine pros in our own back yard, particularly the
growing ranks of top-notch sommeliers who now populate many of San
Diego’s finest restaurants.

Please take the time to go over the list of this year’s judges. I think you will
agree that we’ve put together a stellar crew with some of the finest wine
palates to be found.

Of course, our objective is to give the wines entered the best possible
opportunity to shine, so we’ve also retained Wine Review Online Editor
Michael Franz as Chief Judge. This will be Michael’s fourth consecutive year
as Chief Judge at the SDIWC, and he brings a world of wine tasting experience
to help our panels sort through the wines they will be tasting blind.

Michael is there to provide regional context and guidance on taste and
structural profiles that can be expected from wines that have been submitted
from different parts of the world.

At the end of the day, our goal is to provide the best possible environment
for wine evaluation and deliver a level playing field for all wines that are up
for consideration.

Thank you for your interest in our competition, and good luck!

Robert Whitley
Director