Naturally, if your wine has won an award, you just want to flaunt, flaunt, and flaunt some more. Can it go too far? Buyer beware. Whenever you see those little gold or silver discs on the wine bottle, look closely. It should refer to an open competition, won legitimately. If the medal reads “Wine of the Year According to the Winemaker’s Granny” then you should probably be a little suspicious.
Australia is taking action to reduce the number of “sketchy” wine awards and help the consumer distinguish between legitimate competitions and mere promotional spins. Should other countries be taking notice? Here’s an interesting article from The New Zealand Herald