The judging for the eighth Melbourne International Beverage Competition (MIBC) takes place later this week, but there is still time to make sure your brand is entered.
The competition’s categories are Wine, Spirits, Ready-to-Drink, Beer, Cider, Sake and each will be judged virtually and separately by experts in each field.
The MIBC is part of a global network of competitions, which incorporates Berlin, New York and Hong Kong, but according to organiser Adam Levy it is the judges that set MIBC apart and make it the competition that no brand can afford to miss.
“Our real point of difference is that this competition is judged by real trade buyers. We have sommeliers for big restaurant groups, buyers for hotels across Australia and crucially beer, wine and spirit buyers for chain and independent retailers,” Levy told The Shout.
“If any brand wants to get its product into the hands and mouths of Australia’s leading trade buyers, there is no better way to do that than to enter the Melbourne International Beverage Competition.
“Our judges are people whose job it is to buy beer, wine and/or spirits for their stores, restaurants or hotels. They are Australia’s professional alcohol buyers.
“This is an amazing opportunity for any company with a new SKU or line extension to get real trade buyers to blind taste their product.”
Extending that trade focus the MIBC also separates each category to be judged how the trade looks at all the different products. For instance that wine competition is broken down into varietal and LUC, so a wine that is $10 landed, is not judged against a wine that is $100 landed.
Levy added: “Trade buyers buy wine at price point and it was really important for us to make sure this competition is as relevant as possible to everyone across the trade. This is a competition that is about the trade and for the trade.”
Entries are open now, simply head to the Melbourne International Beverage Competition website to submit your entry.