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🍷 Alko's Wine Evaluation Process                      What You Need to Know!

🔎 How Alko Evaluates Wines

✔️ Fair & Impartial: All wines are judged without bias – either via blind tasting or open evaluation.

🎯 Goal: Select the wine that best matches customer demand and complements Alko’s assortment.

📊 Category                       🏷️ Standard Products               ❄️ Seasonal Products
 

👅 Taste                                               40%                                            30%

💡 Added Value                                    40%                                            50%

♻️ Sustainability & Cert.                       20%                                            20%

👅 1. Taste (30–40%)

  • Evaluated by trained experts, blind or open depending on the tender type.

  • Rated 1–5 points, with 5 for best matching the tender profile.

  • ❗ If >30 offers, a two-phase tasting may apply: screening + final evaluation.

  • ⚠️ Any fault (e.g., cork taint) leads to a new sample being tested.

💡 2. Added Value (40–50%)

  • Measures uniqueness, concept, packaging, suitability, and price.

  • Also scored 1–5 points, relative to best fit.

  • 📸 Visual sample is mandatory! No image = no added value score = ❌ ineligible.

♻️ 3. Sustainability & Certifications (20%)

🌱 Based on the Certified Option system, replacing "Green & Ethical" in March 2025.
 

Categories (max 1 pt each):

  • 🌾 Farming

  • 🏭 Production

  • 👷 Working Conditions
     

Extra Points:

  • 🧴 Lightweight/eco packaging ➡️ +1 pt

  • 🔄 Finnish recycling system member ➡️ +0.5 pt
    ➡️ Max total score: 4.5 points (scaled to 20%)

     

📝 Certification levels:

  • 🔘 No cert = 0 pts

  • 🟡 Basic = 0.3 pts

  • 🟠 Intermediate = 0.7 pts

  • 🟢 Comprehensive = 1.0 pt
     

📌 Best score per category counts (not cumulative)

🧪 What Happens After Scoring?

🏅 Top product wins
🥈🥉 2nd & 3rd = backups
🧫 Lab-tested by Alcohol Control Laboratory
🚨 If winner fails → next-highest selected

✅ Producer Tips

✅ Send the best-quality sample
✅ Include bottle design or label mock-up
✅ List valid certifications
✅ Use eco packaging
✅ Offer reliable supply & competitive price
✅ Join the Finnish recycling system


🚀 Big Change Coming in March 2025 – Certified Option
🛑 Green & Ethical product communication is ending
🆕 Certified Option will replace it with 3 certification categories:
🌾 Farming
🏭 Production
👷 Working Conditions
💡 Products can hold certifications in one, two, or all three areas!
📊 Accepted certifications will be determined by the Nordic Benchmark Study annually.
🔗 For more information about Alko’s sustainable labelling system, please follow the link below:

👉 Learn more about Alko’s Certified Alternative sustainability labelling

© 2021 by the beverage group.

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