Presenter’s Instructions
Last updated2017-06-13
Summary
A presenter must:
- Read ALL of these instructions prior to doing anything else.
- Research and prepare the presentation notes,
- Select the wines,
- Obtain Guild Master approval on Notes and Wine Selection then,
- Purchase the wines,
- Create the Wine List and;
- Ship the wines to the various chapters (unless preparing for a AGM session).
Preparing a presentation is not an onerous task if these instructions are followed. If you require any assistance clarifying these notes please contact the Guild Master or your Chapter Steward.
Use the Presenters Check List at the end of this document to assist with meeting the timelines and to ensure that all tasks are done.
The BCAWA class will be assigned to the presenter up to 12 months ahead of the
session. Most presenters will have at least a month to research and select the wines.
Your Chapter Steward should pair you with a Qualified Judge to help guide you through this process. If this is not done ask your Chapter Steward to get a Qualified Judge to assist you. The Qualified Judge is there to help and guide you but it is your responsibility to complete the tasks.
Keep in touch with the Chapter Steward and your assigned Qualified Judge as you prepare the session to keep him/her informed of progress, to arrange for money for the purchase, or to ask directly for any assistance if problems occur.
Research and Presentation Notes
You are responsible for preparing the presentation notes that will inform the trainees and judges about the characteristics they should be looking for in good examples of this BCAWA class of wine. These notes must be prepared and distributed at least three weeks before the beginning of the month in which the presentation will take place. Refer to the Presenter’s Check List on the last page.
It is suggested that you go to the Guild website and review previous presentation notes to see what they should look like. The intent here is that you do some research on the assigned class to also benefit your learning process as a trainee. You will learn nothing by just copying and recycling someone else’s notes.
The notes should include the definition of the Class from the BCAWA Competition Handbook. All members should have a copy and can download a copy at http://www.bcawa.ca/
The notes should include information about the grapes used to make the wine, where they are grown, terrior, history of the wines, wine making techniques used in the wines production, typical aromas and flavours, relevant facts, etc. The notes should be 4 to 5 pages in length. Use the internet and books as the basis of your research. Keep in mind that one of the goals is for you to learn a lot about this class and then pass on your knowledge to others. Self-study is one of the keys to becoming a good qualified judge.
Note: Upon completion of the notes a copy should be sent to the Guild master for approval prior to distribution.
Once the notes are approved, send a copy by e-mail of your notes to each of the Chapter Stewards. E-mail a copy of your presentation notes to the Guild Webmaster (Ron Thorne thorner@nullshaw.ca). Ron will then post it on the Guild website (http://bcgwj.ca) so that members can prepare for the session beforehand as well as refer to them for future references or presentations. Soon there will be an easy method for you to upload the presentation notes onto the guild website yourself without any assistance from the webmaster.
Selecting the Wines
The Qualified Judge should be assisting the Presenter with the wine selection.
Select 8 to 10 wines (typically 9) that include at least one (1) duplicate and at least one Taster. The Duplicates are generally lower priced wines such as Bronze or Silver medal wines to help keep the cost down. Note that one of the Duplicates could be the same as the Taster. Although it is not common, under certain circumstances a Triplicate can be used. If your wine class requires 2 Tasters to illustrate certain attributes of the class, eg. oaked and non oaked, then that is acceptable. A good flight will include wines ranging from No medal to Gold with the taster being in the middle as a low to mid Silver wine. If possibly, try to include a faulty wine in the flight.
Remember, the taster or tasters should be a good representative(s) of the class but it should NOT be the best wine. The taster should be a Silver medal wine to provide a midrange benchmark so that the best wine will taste better than the taster and the worst wine will taste worse than the taster.
Try to include at least 1 homemade wine in the flight. You will require 1 bottle for each chapter, or 2 bottles when all of the judges & trainees meet at an AGM session. Pay the maker $15.00 per bottle for Silver or Gold medal winning wines; $10.00 for other wines and $5.00 for faulty wines. If acquiring a flawed or faulty wine, you should ascertain what the fault or flaw is in order to assist in the training and maintenance session as well as to assist the statistician.
Note: E-mail a list of the proposed wines with prices to the Guild Master for approval prior to purchasing any wines.
Once the wines are purchased, the order that they will be tasted in must be determined. Your Qualified Judge can help you with this process. From this order a Wine List should be created. This list should include the wine identifier (T1, A, B,…etc) The LCBO SKU number, the price, country of origin, and any other pertinent info such as reviewed wine scores, awards won, tasting notes etc. The Wine List is generally one page in length. If you include a faulty wine the fault should be listed.
The Presenter shall put all wines in paper bags and label them in accordance with the Wine List. Paper bags are available at the point of purchase. Just make sure that you ask for them and when purchasing the wines. When you are including homemade wines in your presentation you are required to blend them, to eliminate any inconsistencies in the different bottles, and then bag them.
Purchasing the Wines
The average cost of each session should be between $125 and $200 per chapter. The upper limit of $200 should only be approached for special tastings.
You will need to purchase or obtain 3 bottles of each wine that you select (1 for each of the 3 Chapters). Don’t forget to get enough paper bags for ALL of your bottles including any faulty wines that will be used.
Seek reimbursement for your out-of-pocket expenses in purchasing ALL wines and any shipping costs from your Chapter Treasurer. Provide all receipts to your Chapter Treasurer. Your Chapter Treasurer will then seek reimbursement from the other Chapter Treasurer’s for their costs.
If you have been tasked to do a tasting for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) then immediately contact the Guild Master to find out what your budget will be and also how many bottles of each wine you will need. The AGM typically has a higher budget than the rest of the tastings.
Shipping the Wines
The wines should be purchased and shipped at least two weeks before the beginning of the month in which the presentation will take place. When you have selected your wines and know the total cost, phone or email the Stewards in the other chapters, tell them the cost, and confirm that they want to participate.
The wines should be boxed for each Chapter and ensure that adequate packing is in place to prevent breakage. Also include in each box, 17 copies of the wine list which are sealed in a brown paper envelope (this is only opened and copies are passed out to everyone attending at the end of the tasting). Mark on the envelope “Wine List – Do Not open until after the tasting is finished”
You should deliver your chapter’s box of wine to your Chapter Steward and then make arrangement to get the other boxes to the other Chapter Stewards. This can be done by couriering them or getting someone that will be in the area to hand deliver the wines. Contact the Chapter Stewards for delivery and shipping address information.
If you have been tasked to do a presentation for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) then contact the Guild Master for shipping and/or delivery options.
It is your responsibility to make sure that the boxes get there in time!
Chapter Stewards Duties
Assign a Qualified Judge to assist the Presenter with their duties. The role of the Qualified Judge is to act as a Mentor and to help guide the Presenter through the process.
Upon receipt of the Presentation Instructions from the presenter, ensure that they are promptly distributed to you chapter members.
Chapter Steward(s) will be responsible for the picking up wines shipped by the other chapters. He/she may of course seek the assistance and cooperation of chapter members. The bags must not be removed until the wines have been evaluated at a session. The Wine List should also remain sealed until after the judging is completed. Please print a couple of extra copies of the Presentation Notes to take to the tasting in the event someone has not read the notes beforehand or does not have e-mail.
The Chapter Steward will also supply:
a) Wine Evaluation sheets
b) Statistician’s data sheets
NOTE: ALL current forms are on the Guild Website. For the purpose of continuity, please use the most current forms.
Chapter Treasurer Duties
The Chapter Treasurer shall collect all receipts from the Presenter and then pay the Presenter for all of their costs in purchasing and shipping wines. The Chapter Treasurer shall then collect the necessary costs from the other Chapters.
Contact information
Nanaimo Chapter Steward
James Waring, 250 753-0666 jwaring1954@nullgmail.com
Nanaimo Chapter Treasurer
Tim Peligren, 250 228-5558 tpeligren@nullshaw.ca
Vancouver Chapter Steward
Sam Hauck, 604 461-8120 samhauck@nullshaw.ca
Vancouver Chapter Treasurer
John Matkovich, 604 929-3719 bigjohn@nulltelus.net
Victoria Chapter Steward
Colin Nicholson, 250 479-3355 colinich@nulltelus.net
Victoria Chapter Treasurer
Mary Homer, 250 384-7898 maryinvictoria@nullshaw.ca
Guild Master
Mary Homer, 250 384-7898 maryinvictoria@nullshaw.ca
Guild Webmaster
Ron Thorne, 604 506-0139 thorner@nullshaw.ca
Presenters Check List
Note: The time lines below are the absolute minimum. It is advised that Presenter’s strive to exceed the minimum timelines below whenever possible to ensure that the Chapter Stewards have possession of the tastings wines as soon as possible in the event that a bottle is broken or shipments are delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
When the time line states “No Later than 5 weeks prior to the tasting”, this means that this is the absolute latest that this task should be done. Sooner is always better!
| Status (a) | Duties | Time Line |
| Complete Presentation Notes and send it to Guild Master for approval | No Later than 5 weeks prior to the tasting. | |
| Complete Wine Selection and send it to Guild Master for approval. Use your Qualified Judge for guidance. | No Later than 5 weeks prior to the tasting. | |
| Get Approval from Guild master for Notes and Wine Selection | No Later than 4 weeks prior to the tasting. | |
| Purchase 3 sets of wines – one for each Chapter. | ||
| Put all wines into brown paper bags and label them as per the Wine List | ||
| e-mail Presentation notes ONLY to All Chapter Stewards and the Guild Webmaster (Ron Thorne (thorner@nullshaw.ca)) for distribution and posting onto the Guild Website.
The Wine List is ONLY to be provided in a sealed envelope in the box of wines. (see below) |
||
| Box up the wines for each chapter and include 17 copies of the Wine List sealed in an envelope in each box | ||
| Arrange for transportation of wines to each Chapter Steward | No Later than 3 week3 prior to the tasting. | |
| Provide all receipts (wine costs and shipping) to your Chapter Treasurer so that you can get reimbursed for all of your costs. Your Chapter Treasurer will then collect from the other Chapters. |