Il regolamento

Sulle etichette dei vini possono comparire solo le medaglie dei concorsi enologici indicati nella lista della DGCCRF (Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze). Il Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir è incluso in questo elenco.

ARTICLE 1: PURPOSE
The Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir, hereafter called the Competition, is organised by Armonia, hereafter called the Organiser, located at 331 Chemin de la Croix de Fer, 69400 Limas, France. The competition is open to all wines in the world (reds, rosés and whites) with or without a geographical denomination and that are made using a majority of Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir. Each wine must be in conformity with regulations in force in its country of origin. The goal of the Competition is to showcase high-quality wines.

ARTICLE 2: WINES AUTHORISED TO COMPETE
The following wines, from anywhere in the world, whether or not they have a geographical indication, may take part in the Competition: still wines, liqueur wines, sparkling and semi-sparkling wines. All vintages may be entered in the Competition.
In France the following wines are authorised: AOP, IGP, VDF, sparkling wines, semi-sparkling wines, liqueur wines, etc. With regard to wines having a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication, only those wines that have been the object of a declaration of claim (provided for in articles D. 644-5 and D. 646-6 of the Rural Code and the Code of Maritime Fishing) may participate in the Competition. With regard to wines that do not have a protected geographical indication but are presented with an indication of vintage or grape variety, only those wines whose vintage or grape variety has been certified in conformity with the provisions of article R. 665-24 of the Rural Code and the Code of Maritime Fishing may participate in the Competition.

ARTICLE 3: PROFESSIONALS AUTHORISED TO PRESENT PRODUCTS
The following professionals, hereafter called the Participant(s), are authorised to participate: winemakers, wine cooperatives, associated wine cooperatives, groups of producers, producers, wine merchants, importers.

ARTICLE 4: PRESENTATION OF SAMPLES
Samples may be presented by the owner of the lot, any person duly authorised by the owner. The wine sample presented to the Competition must come from a homogenous lot. The lot is made up of a wine produced for human consumption and stored in individual containers or in bulk. A homogenous lot is defined as several sales units of packaged wine or containers of bulk wine that was produced and, in the case of packaged wine, packaged under practically identical conditions. The wine in all the sales units or containers must also have similar organoleptic and analytical characteristics.

ARTICLE 5: AVAILABILITY OF LOTS
The homogenous lot from which the wine sample presented for the Competition is taken must be available in a quantity of at least 1000 litres. In the case of particularly low production, however, the lot may be between 100 and 1000 litres.

ARTICLE 6: SENDING SAMPLES
Samples should arrive at the Competition ‘franco domicile’, i.e., with shipping, customs duties and taxes paid by the sender. Bottles shall be sent at the Participant’s expense and at his or her own risk. Upon reception, samples become the property of the Competition. Any sample sent shipping due will be refused. Samples received that do not correspond to registration information or were not previously registered will not be presented for tasting and will remain the property of the Competition. The Organiser shall not be held responsible in case of theft, loss, delay, or damage during shipping of samples.
Each sample submitted to the Competition should be representative of the lot to which it belongs. If a wine is stored in bulk in various containers, samples should be taken from each and blended to form the final sample submitted to the Competition, with the volumes taken from each container reflecting the percentage of the total stored in that container. Samples may be taken by a representative of the Competition, a third-party company or any duly authorised person. The person taking the sample may be the wine producer or presenter, as long as he or she pledges on his or her honour that the samples are representative of the lot being presented. For each wine registered, 3 samples of 0.5l or 0.75l shall be submitted. Sales labels in conformity with the regulations of the country of production or sale shall be affixed to the sample bottles before they are submitted. In any case, the identifying label should provide the same information and details as those appearing on the wine registration form. The participant guarantees that he has taken all the necessary HACCP measures required to maintain food hygiene and guarantee the safety of products sent to the Competition. A lot with a name considered sexist, racist, discriminatory, or degrading, whether for people, the Competition, or the wine-making sector, shall not be allowed to compete and shall not be allowed to use an award even if it was obtained under a different name. If samples are not taken, the Competition shall verify the representativeness of the samples by performing a counter-analysis on the third bottle sent.


ARTICLE 7: REGISTRATION RULES
The Participant must provide the information required to open an account. He or she must also complete a registration form, called a product form, for each wine submitted. This may be done by post or online.
Registration by post: The completed participant form and wine form should be sent to the following address: Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir - Parc Du Peloux, 331 chemin de la Croix de Fer - 69400 LIMAS - France. Forms are available on the Competition’s website (www.concours-chardonnay-pinot.com) hereafter known as the “site”, or upon request.
Online registration:
a) The Participant must open an account on the site. He or she will then have a personal account that can be used to present products. There is no charge for opening an account.
b) A form must be completed on the site for each wine submitted. This form is available on the site from the Participant’s personal account.

Registration fees must be paid in accordance with provisions laid down in Article 9. Payment methods are also described in detail in Article 9.
The information provided on both forms is binding on its author.
The following documents must be sent to the address given above in order to register for the Competition:
- an analysis report less than one year old (see article 8) for each wine.
For France:
- the declaration of claim for wines with a protected designation of origin or a protected geographical indication,
- the request for certification for wines that do not have a protected geographical indication but are presented with an indication of vintage or grape variety.
In exceptional cases, if the Participant cannot provide one of the two documents indicated above, the Competition can accept the harvest declaration for AOP and IGP wines, or a bottling declaration indicating the wine.
Participants must indicate if they have any direct or indirect links with a taster on a jury so that the Organiser takes measures to ensure that this taster does not judge the Participant’s wines.

ARTICLE 8: ANALYSIS REPORT
The analysis report should include information that makes it possible to identify the sample, along with the following analytical information:
- the actual and potential alcoholic strength by volume at 20°, expressed as % vol.;
- sugars (glucose + fructose), expressed in g/l;
- total acidity, expressed in mEq/l;
- volatile acidity, expressed in mEq/l;
- total sulphur dioxide content, expressed in mg/l;
- excess pressure from carbon dioxide for sparkling wine, expressed in bar;
For a period of one year, the Competition will keep a sample of award-winning wines, and their analysis reports, to make available to control organisations upon request. The Participant should do the same. The wine form and analysis report will be kept on file and made available to agents responsible for controls for a period of five years from the Competition date.

ARTICLE 9: REGISTRATION FEES
The amounts of registration fees are indicated on the participant form and on the Site. They are given in euros, include all taxes and are the same for all countries.
€56.40 including VAT for each wine presented (€47.00 without tax).
- For France payment can be made with a personal cheque to the order of Armonia - Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir, or by bank transfer or credit card.
- For all other countries, in Europe and elsewhere, payment can be made by bank transfer or credit card.
In accordance with European legislation, services provided in France must include French VAT for 1) Participants located in France, and 2) Participants outside the European Union. Participants from all European Union countries except France will be billed without tax if they have a VAT number.
The choice of payment method for the registration fees is made online in the Participant’s personal space, after having completed the sample registration process. Credit card payment is made via a secure online payment system (Visa, Mastercard).
Payment should be made to the order of Armonia - Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir.
If registration fees for a wine have not been paid, the wine will not be allowed to take part in the Competition.
The Competition is not responsible for paying bank fees. Credit cards are charged and checks are sent to the bank on the day the registration is recorded.
Participants shall receive an invoice by email. If the Participant does not have an email account, the invoice will be sent by fax or post, as requested.
Registration fees cannot be reimbursed if, for example, samples or forms arrive after the deadline set by the Competition and indicated when registering, if the wine does not receive a prize, or if the registration is cancelled for any reason that cannot be attributed to the Competition.

ARTICLE 10: CALENDAR
Opening and closing dates for registration, as well as the deadline for receiving samples, can be obtained from Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir, Parc Du Peloux, 331 chemin de la Croix de Fer, 69400 LIMAS by simple request. This information is also available on the Site. Tastings may be scheduled on other dates at other venues in addition to the main date and place indicated on the Site or in documents.

ARTICLE 11.1: ORGANISATION OF THE COMPETITION
Wines are placed in categories. A category includes wines with the same characteristics, because such wines can be compared. These characteristics may relate, in particular, to their origin, type, colour, vintage, type of winemaking, or to the grape varieties, and percentages of each, in the wine.

The Competition shall designate the members of each jury and do all in their power (prepare samples, organise the event, etc.) to make sure tastings are carried out properly. With the help of a suitable judging form, the Competition shall guarantee the control, processing and publication of results.
If an event that cannot be attributed to the Competition and/or is a case of force majeur prevents the tasting from being carried out properly, the Competition shall not be held responsible in any way or for any consequences that the Participant might invoke.
If the number of competitors in a category is less than three when registration has been completed, the category may either be eliminated or combined with another, at the discretion of the Commissioner General for the competition. The samples involved may also be re-registered in a general category.

ARTICLE 11.2: CATEGORIES
Wines are placed in the following categories:
Pure Chardonnay (minimum 85%)
Pure Pinot Noir (minimum 85%)
Predominantly Chardonnay (minimum 51%)
Predominantly Pinot Noir (minimum 51%)
Blend containing >85% of the following varieties: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Blend containing >51% of the following varieties: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

ARTICLE 11.3: CASE OF FORCE MAJEURE
Force majeure is defined as: an epidemic, fire, natural catastrophe, strike, terrorist act or exceptional circumstances independent of the Organiser’s will that prevent the Competition from being carried out properly.
In such a case the Competition reserves the right to cancel the selection, change the place or dates initially planned, shorten or lengthen the Competition, and/or modify its conditions or execution.
If an edition of the Competition is purely and simply cancelled, or if there are modifications such as those described above, the Participant shall not hold the Competition responsible in any way, and registration fees and samples that have already been sent shall remain the property of the Competition.
The Competition may find it necessary to ask that samples be sent again in the cases indicated above.

ARTICLE 12: ANONYMITY OF SAMPLES
Bottles are numbered, uncapped and uncorked, then recorked anonymously and covered with opaque wine socks. The commissioner general for the competition will take all the necessary measures to ensure that samples submitted for tasting remain entirely anonymous. He or she may proceed to transfer the product to another container, change or mask the label, or perform any other operation required to ensure the anonymity of samples.

ARTICLE 13: MEANS OF JUDGING
Wines are entered in the competition in the hope of obtaining an award. Wines are judged on the basis of their organoleptic qualities, which are evaluated by the jury using a marking scale provided by the Competition. The organisers alone determine how samples shall be tasted, and shall not be held responsible if a wine does not receive an award. Marks are confidential.

ARTICLE 14: COMPOSITION OF JURIES
Juries are composed of jurors who are designated and called directly by the Organiser from a list of jurors who have voluntarily registered on the Competition’s website.
For each category of wine the jury will be composed of at least 3 persons. Two-thirds of the total number of jurors shall be competent wine tasters.
‘Competent wine taster’ is defined as a professional in the wine-making sector (oenologists, cellar masters, wine merchants, producers, cellar managers, distillers, or distribution (brokers, wholesalers, sommeliers, restaurant owners, importers, retailers) or consumers who are members of wine clubs or have taken courses in wine-tasting.
If one or more members of the jury are absent on the day of the tasting, the commissioner general may designate substitute jurors.
Jurors’ names are confidential. Their personal data is not communicated to any third parties.
Competition organisers will ask jury members to submit a solemn declaration indicating any direct or indirect ties they may have with any companies, establishments, professional organisations or associations whose activities, products or interests may be related to wines presented in the competition. Legal proceedings may not be brought against organisers as a result of their choice of tasters. Tasters have sovereignty. Their marks cannot be contested.
The commissioner general has the right to disqualify any juror, if necessary, to avoid having a competitor judge his own wine or for any other reason without having to justify it. If, as a result of a taster intentionally or non-intentionally giving a very poor mark to a product, there is an anomaly in results, the commissioner general shall be authorised to disqualify the taster’s marks. In this particular case an exception will be made: the jury’s marks will be validated even though there are fewer than three jurors.

ARTICLE 15: PRESIDENCY OF JURIES
The commissioner general presides over juries. The president, with the help of one or more assessors, makes sure the tasting is carried out properly, and in particular that all samples remain anonymous. He or she shall make sure the marking sheet is used when samples are judged. The president, in this case the commissioner general, shall preside over the collection of marking sheets. Juries are placed under his or her responsibility.

ARTICLE 16: DISTINCTIONS
The Competition grants the following awards:
- Gold Medal
- Silver Medal
The number of awards must not surpass one-third of the number of samples presented. The number of distinctions given for a category must not surpass one-third of the number of products registered.
Participants will be informed of results by letter if and only if their products are selected for an award. This letter will be the official document for the competition. As such, it will indicate the name of the competition, type of distinction awarded, identity of the product, category in which it was judged, volume declared, and the name and address of the owner.
Prior authorisation must be obtained, and fees paid, before completely or partially reproducing or representing the medal or logo. (See article 19). These distinctions may be placed only on the bottles of award-winning wines. If there is a problem with the use of the adhesive medals delivered by the Competition, the Competition shall not be held responsible for any losses in productivity, given the numerous parameters involved in packaging and in affixing medals. The adhesive material used to produce medals can contain metal and non-food compounds. When ordering medals, the participant must inform the Competition of any production constraints with regard to his packaging chains.
The Competition shall, however, do all in its power to replace the rolls of medals with a manufacturing defect.
The number of medals provided will correspond to the volume declared when the wine is registered for the competition. The award is bestowed on the lot registered by the Participant. As a result, the brand name may be modified provided the lot initially registered remains the same. If a brand name was not declared upon registration, only the owner of the lot may request that the brand name be added to the Competition. The new brand name may be used only after the Competition has given its authorisation by email. Une distinction honorifique pourra être attribuée par un deuxième jury à partir des meilleures bouteilles du Concours.

ARTICLE 17: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Any reproduction or representation, either total or partial, of the medal, logo, name, or any part whatsoever of the website is strictly forbidden without prior written agreement. Reproduction of medals cannot be made without authorization, and the graphic representation cannot undergo any sort of modification, correction, or adaptation.
In every respect, and under all circumstances, the name, brand, and distinctive signs found on the site or any other medium developed and used by the Competition are protected by copyright.

ARTICLE 18: CONTROLS
The Competition reserves the right to cancel any incomplete or erroneous registration and to eliminate any sample that does not conform to rules and regulations or to the analysis report submitted. It also reserves the right to have the certified wine analysis laboratory of its choice perform an analytical verification of samples submitted and to take any subsequent steps it deems necessary. The Competition may take samples at sales points to verify that samples tasted correspond to bottles actually found for sale in stores or at the vineyard.
If a sample is not in conformity with the analysis report provided, or with the appellation, origin, or lot that it represents, or if there is any other discrepancy with regard to information given when registering for the Competition, the Participant shall be temporarily or permanently excluded from the Competition and may be required to pay the penalties indicated in article 21 of these Rules and Regulations. Competition organisers shall set up an internal control system to guarantee that these rules and regulations are applied. The system shall be placed under the responsibility of the commissioner general. The commissioner general shall verify, in particular, that the following are respected: conformity of registration documents, anonymity of products during tasting, selection of jurors according to criteria set out in article 14, attribution of distinctions in conformity with article 16. Participants must recover samples that have been eliminated at the headquarters of Armonia, at their own expense and within a week of notification of samples’ non-conformity with rules and regulations. At the end of this one-week period, Organisers shall have the right to destroy the samples.

ARTICLE 19: USE OF THE “Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir” BRAND NAME
Use of the « Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir» brand name or the logo corresponding to the distinction awarded may be indicated only by affixing self-sticking medals acquired from the Organisers, or by printing medals on product packaging (labels, collars, bottles, primary or secondary packaging, cartons) with the Organisers’ express permission. Rights to print medals and affix self-sticking medals are acquired for a specific wine and may not be transferred to other wines.
The medal may be printed on wine packaging only by Competition-certified printers. Any use of the brand name or logo outside the conditions defined in these rules and regulations, the graphics charter, or any other document to which it may refer, shall be considered fraudulent.
Penalties provided for in article 21 of these Rules and Regulations shall apply to any printer who prints self-sticking medals or medals with a permit number without authorisation from the Competition to any awarded producer or third-party who uses medals from a printer that is not authorised by the Organisers or that does not follow the rules of use described in these Rules and Regulations.
The Participant may obtain, for a fee, advertising supports made available by the Competition. The Participant has the right to create its own advertising supports after obtaining written permission from the Competition, and provided that proofs are approved prior to any production.

ARTICLE 20: OBLIGATION OF PARTICIPANTS AND AVAILABILITY OF THE RULES & REGULATIONS
Participants in the Competition must accept these rules and regulations, legal information and the policy for managing personal data that can be obtained from the Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir, Parc Du Peloux, 331 chemin de la Croix de Fer, 69400 LIMAS.

ARTICLE 21: PENALTIES
If the medal or any other distinctive sign belonging to the Competition is reproduced and/or used in ways that do not meet the conditions stipulated in these Rules and Regulations, or in any other document or rules to which it refers, the Organisers may apply the following penalties, no matter what the reasons leading up to the infraction noted and without eliminating the possibility of any other appropriate legal steps--particularly if the Participant has acted in bad faith--in order to put a stop to the problem(s) noted and obtain compensation for the direct or indirect damages suffered:
- immediate payment of all fees due for use of the medal for the entire lot under consideration, with an additional financial penalty of 50% of the sum due, a €5000 fine and payment of all fees (lawyer and independent inspector in particular) incurred by the Organisers,
- immediate suspension of use of the medal until it can be proven that all self-sticking medals and/or medals with permit numbers not yet placed on product(s) have been destroyed,
- immediate removal of all product(s) bearing the medal from all stores and other points where they are sold, at the sole expense of the user who has not applied these Rules and Regulations,
- banned from participation in the Competition, for a period of 1 to 10 years,
- no permission to refer to a medal obtained in a preceding edition of the competition.
Any penalty applied under the conditions of this article cannot in any case lead to indemnification of the Participant, no matter what motives led to the infraction and even if the penalty is later revoked.
In addition, should producer(s) of awarded product(s) learn that a third-party has used the medal fraudulently, they solemnly agree to inform the Organisers of such use.


ARTICLE 22: INFORMATION AND REPORTS TO THE DREETS
The Competition Organiser shall communicate the date and place of the Competition, along with these Rules and Regulations, to the Direction régionale de l’économie, de l’emploi, du travail et des solidarités (Regional department for the economy, employment, labour and solidarity, or DREETS) of the place where the Competition is held, two months before the competition takes place. A report signed by the commissioner general attesting that the Competition took place in accordance with the provisions of these Rules and Regulations shall be sent to the Direction régionale de l’économie, de l’emploi, du travail et des solidarités (Regional department for the economy, employment, labour and solidarity (DREETS) of the place where the Competition is held within two months of the end of the Competition. This report shall indicate: the number of wines presented to the Competition overall and by category, number of wines given an award overall and by category, list of award-winning wines and, for each, the name of the wine and its owner, percentage of award-winning wines with respect to the number of wines presented, number of distinctions awarded and their distribution by type of distinction.

ARTICLE 23: APPLICABLE LAW - DISPUTES
These rules and regulations are subject to French law. The language of the rules and regulations is French.
In the case of any dispute or legal action taken against the Concours des Chardonnay et Pinot Noir or the Organisers, Courts of Lyon (France) shall be the only competent authority regardless of the nationalities of the parties to the conflict.