At the 16^th annual Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, wines from around the world are judged on their aroma, taste and finish. A new award judges another component of the wine: the package it comes in. Created by Waterloo Container in 2015, the Packaging Award recognizes excellence in packaging among the competition’s top wines in 8 categories.

“The wines inside these bottles are award-winning,” says Togo DeBellis, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Waterloo Container. “Our judges are looking for a package that conveys that to the consumer. The package is often the only information a customer has when picking out a wine for the first time.”

Wines are evaluated on their innovation and package design, including container, label, closure and shelf impact. The award was given to two wineries in seven of the competition categories: Merlot, Riesling, Cabernet, Ice Wine, Cab Franc, Fruit Wine and Chardonnay. To be eligible for the award, packaging must have been manufactured in the U.S. or Canada. A team of judges included marketing professionals, packaging manufacturers and Waterloo Container employees.  

Winners of the Packaging Award:

Category: Cabernet

Double Gold: Magnotta Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon Limited Edition VQA 2013

Gold: Goose Ridge Vineyards, Goose Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon

 

Category: Merlot

Double Gold: Trinchero Family Estates, Merlot - 2014 Menage a Trois

Gold: Falcor Wine Cellars, LLC, Merlot

 

Category: Fruit Wine

Double Gold: Buddy Boy Winery & Vineyard, Miss Pissy Pants

Gold: Living Sky Winery, Juliette Port Style

 

Category: Chardonnay

Double Gold: Penrod Ricard Winemakers, Jacob's Creek Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay

Gold: Black Birch Vineyard, Chardonnay

 

Category: Ice Wine

Double Gold: Ferrante Winery, Vidal Blanc Ice Wine

Gold: Grand River Cellars, Vidal Blanc Ice Wine

 

Category: Cab Franc

Double Gold: Merriam Vineyards, Cabernet Franc Windacre Vineyard

Gold: Cross Keys Vineyards, Cabernet Franc

 

Category: Riesling

Double Gold: Ferrante Winery, Riesling

Gold: St. James Winery, Riesling

 

Category: Sparkling

Double Gold: Glenora Wine Cellars, Brut

Gold: Swedish Hill, Riesling Cuvee

 

The Finger Lakes International Wine Competition was held at the Rochester Plaza Hotel & Conference Center and is the world’s largest charitable wine competition, benefiting Camp Good Days. On March 19and 20 the competition hosted 73 judges from 23 countries around the world who evaluated 3,824 wines, with awards given in 8 categories.