Tim Smith Wine Awards

Who are we ?

Over the last 30 or 40 years, wine guides that give consumers a clear ranking system have become an indispensable tool for wine producers looking to sell their wines in the world’s wine shops, restaurants and supermarkets. If a wine is rated 100/100 by a recognised authority, then it is guaranteed to sell out in a hurry! The increasing importance of on-line sales has only given momentum to this movement – at the click of a mouse, the consumer can now find ratings for any given wine.

The great wines of classic regions of the world (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Chianti, Barolo, Rioja, Napa Valley….) have found their points score champions in the major compendiums of world wines, while certain wine-growing regions of the world have found their local champions – one thinks of James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion, or the Guia Peñin in Spain, which have done wonders to advance the best wines of their countries.

What of the wines of the Langueodc-Roussillon region, the world’s biggest vineyard? For all that this region is well-known as a holiday destination as well as a source of easy-drinking every-day wines (the word ‘plonk’ is interdit here), how can the Languedoc-Roussillon’s more than 3,000 producers achieve the kind of recognition for their top wines that is being given to their compatriots in the ‘classical’ French wine regions, or to overseas producers ?

The answer to this question came in a eureka moment to Languedoc-based British wine trade professional Tim Smith – set up a points score-based tasting platform specifically for the wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon. Tim Smith Wine Awards aims to be easily and cheaply accessible to all producers of wine in the Languedoc-Roussillon, from the smallest of vignerons indépendents to the largest of caves co-opéraitves or négoçiants.

Having worked as an export salesman for various major producers of the region, Tim Smith is well-placed to judge the merits of its wines. Aided by a panel of tasters who all have a similar profile and experience of tasting the region’s wines in commercial environments, Tim Smith Wine Awards sets out to separate for consumers and professionals alike, the wheat from the chaff. The result is an easily-navigated website with clear tasting notes and points scores for every wine submitted by every producer.