🔎 How Alko Evaluates Wines

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✔️ 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.

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📊 Category                       🏷️ Standard Products               ❄️ Seasonal Products
 

👅 Taste                                               40%                                            30%

💡 Added Value                                    40%                                            50%

♻️ Sustainability & Cert.                       20%                                            20%

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👅 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.

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💡 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.

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♻️ 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)

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🧪 What Happens After Scoring?

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

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✅ 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

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🚀 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.

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🔗 For more information about Alko’s sustainable labelling system, please follow the link below:

👉 Learn more about Alko’s Certified Alternative sustainability labelling

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