Entries Now Being Accepted for the Third Annual Sunset International Wine Competition

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We’re excited to help our audience discover the best wines from around the world to fit their casual, adventurous lifestyles

Menlo Park, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2014

Sunset (http://www.sunset.com), the leading lifestyle brand of the West, has announced that entries are now being accepted for the 2014 Sunset International Wine Competition (SIWC). Sunset is also proud to welcome Safeway, one of the largest wine retailers in North America, as the exclusive retail partner for the 2014 Sunset International Wine Competition for the second year in a row.

Introduced in 2012, the Sunset International Wine Competition is the most important medal competition in the West. Medal-winners gain exposure to Sunset’s 4.8 million Western wine lovers via the print magazine, over 1.1 million web visitors, 30,000+ event attendees, Sunset Wine Club members, and hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic social media followers and fans. Entries are now being accepted for the 2014 Sunset International Wine Competition at http://www.sunset.com/siwc. The early bird deadline for entries and wine delivery is April 11, 2014.

For the second year in a row, Sunset magazine will significantly expand the promotional power for competition medal-winners thanks to this partnership with Safeway. As part of their partnership, Safeway will feature in-store promotions, dedicated retail space, and allow access for wine tastings for SIWC winners.

“We are thrilled to have Safeway for a second year as our exclusive retail partner. With Sunset’s credibility, reach, and influence, along with the highly talented team we have assembled to manage this competition, and Safeway’s continuing partnership, we are confident that the Sunset International Wine Competition will remain one of the most important wine competitions in the country,” says Amy Olmsted, Sunset’s Associate Publisher. “We’re excited to help our audience discover the best wines from around the world to fit their casual, adventurous lifestyles.”

“Safeway prides itself in being a premier source for helping customers discover the best wines, both globally and nationally,” said Jim Blumling, Vice President, Wine, Beer and Spirits, Safeway. “We are excited to team up once again with a trusted brand like Sunset to help Safeway shoppers make the best wine choices to fit their lifestyles.”    

Entries are now being accepted for the 2014 Sunset International Wine Competition. Submit wines before April 11, 2014 to take advantage of early-bird pricing. The cost is $99 per entry for online entries, $109 per entry for entries submitted by paper, fax or email. Entries received after April 11 will be charged $119 per entry for online entries and $129 for entries not submitted online. Award winners will be announced in the October 2014 issue of Sunset magazine and on Sunset.com, beginning October 1, 2014. Full competition details are available on Sunset.com/siwc.

“The Sunset International Wine Competition is quickly becoming one of our most important competitions,” said Gina Gallo, Winemaker, Gallo Signature Series. “Sunset has assembled a stellar panel of judges for 2014, including esteemed winemakers, journalists and wine educators. The winning wineries gain unprecedented exposure among Sunset’s coveted wine savvy subscribers, making this a can’t-miss competition.”

With a monthly audience of 4.8 million in print and 1.1 million online, Sunset is the leading media brand in the Western U.S. Almost all (96%) of Sunset subscribers are wine drinkers, and more than three out of four drink wine every week. A fact: Sunset readers consume 10 million glasses of wine in an average week! And 96% say they enjoy exploring new wines, which this competition helps them do with confidence.

Committed to gathering the best judges in the West, Sunset has again named Joel Peterson as Honorary Chair for Winemaker Judges. Peterson, founder and winemaker of Ravenswood Winery, is widely considered one of the deans of West Coast winemaking.

Returning Honorary Chair for Trade and Education (Sommeliers/Retailers/Instructors) Judges is Tim Gaiser, MS, Consultant and Instructor for the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers.

Serving again as Honorary Chair for Journalists is Sunset magazine’s own wine editor Sara Schneider. She has been nominated twice for James Beard Awards for magazine feature reporting and is the co-author of the book California Wine Country: A Sunset Field Guide.

To ensure airtight logistics, Sunset has partnered with long-time competition organizer Rebecca Murphy, who organizes the Dallas Morning News and TexSom International Wine Competition. Sunset is also committed to a robust international competition, and thus is working with Paul Wagner and Balzac Communications to insure great representation from the best winemakers in key wine regions, not only in the West, but around the world.

About Sunset
Sunset (http://www.sunset.com) is the leading lifestyle brand in the West. Through magazines and books, events and experiences, and digital and social media, Sunset covers the West's best flavors, destinations, design trends, and innovations. Sunset engages and inspires an audience of over five million educated, active and affluent consumers every month through its five regional print editions—Pacific Northwest, Northern California, Southern California, Southwest and Mountain—as well as via all tablet devices and its website. In addition to its print and digital publication, Sunset showcases the region’s unique lifestyle and noteworthy destinations through its flagship events, established home programs, licensing partners, books and International Wine Competition. Sunset is part of the Time Inc. Lifestyle Group.

About Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc., which operates Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, and Carrs stores, is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States with sales of $36.1 billion in 2013. The company operates 1,335 stores in 20 states and the District of Columbia, 13 distribution centers and 20 manufacturing plants, and employs approximately 138,000 employees. For more information, please visit http://www.Safeway.com.

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