INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR THE BEST HONEY-BASED BEVERAGE

within the framework of the Apimedica & Apiquality 2010 symposium

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION

The international honey and honey-based beverages competition will be organised within the framework of the Apimedica & Apiquality 2010 symposium.
The competition will be a public event open to all beekeepers and honey packers from Apimondia member countries.

HONEY-BASED BEVERAGES

Basic terms and conditions of participation:
The honey-based beverages must meet the quality criteria as set forth herein.
The honey-based beverages will be evaluated in accordance with the Rules of the Association of Producers of Honey-Based Beverages that form an attachment to this document.

Types of honey-based beverages:
Honey-based beverages will be evaluated in the following categories:
-    honey spirit
-    mead
-    honey liqueur
-    honey liqueur with additives
-    sparkling mead

Sample registration
Sensory assessment will be conducted in three steps.

1. Analysis

A sample of the honey-based beverage should be sent to an accredited laboratory, i.e. the laboratory at the Maribor Agriculture and Forestry Institute or to another accredited laboratory abroad.
The sample of the honey-based beverage that is being entered for sensory assessment must be accompanied by results of the following analyses:
-    Honey spirits: alcohol by volume – % vol. alc.
-    Mead: % vol. alc., relative density (GIB), total extract (GIB), sugar (invert sugar), sugar-free extract, total acidity (as tartaric acid), volatile acidity (as acetic acid), free sulphur, total sulphur.
-    Honey liqueur % vol. alc., relative density (GIB), total extract (GIB), sugar (invert sugar).
-    Sparkling mead: % vol. alc., relative density (GIB), total extract (GIB), sugar (invert sugar), sugar-free extract, total acidity (as tartaric acid), volatile acidity (as acetic acid), free sulphur, total sulphur.

The honey-based beverages entered for sensory assessment must meet the following physical and chemical parameters:
-    Honey spirit: min. 33% vol. alc.
-    Mead: min. 9.5% vol. alc.
-    Honey liqueur min. 16% alcohol
min. 100g/l of honey expressed as invert sugar
-    Sparkling mead 9.5% vol. alc., pressure min. 3 bar

2.    Registration for sensory assessment

The sample of the honey-based beverage should be registered on the application form that is attached to this document.
The application form should include the test report in Slovenian or English and a receipt for the payment of the EUR 70 participation fee and sent to the organisers by no later than 15 August 2010.

3.    Samples   

Samples of honey-based beverages will be accepted at the headquarters of the Slovenian Beekeepers Association from 1 September 2010, Mondays – Fridays from 8 am to 12 noon and on 28 September 2010 at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre until 12 noon.

You must submit 3 samples of the honey-based beverage from the same batch for each entered sample. The honey-based beverage must be packed in at least 500ml bottles with the exception of mead, where the beverages can be in 375ml bottles and sparkling mead, which should be packed in 750ml bottles. The beverage should be equipped with an appropriate declaration. The declaration must include the following information: type of honey-based beverage, producer, content and lot of the batch.
A honey-based beverage is available for entry in the competition only if there have been at least 15l of honey spirit, 50l of mead, 20l of honey liqueur or 50l of sparkling mead produced in the same batch.

4.   Participation fee

The EUR 70 participation fee is payable upon entry of sample.

5.    Statements

Upon entry or submission of the sample, the beekeeper must submit the following attached statements to representatives of the competition:
-    A statement that the owner of the sample agrees to public publication of his information and the achieved result at the competition
-    A statement about the size of the batch from which the entered sample was taken.

6.    Superior analysis

The organiser reserves the right to a subsequent analysis for establishing the conformity of the required physical and chemical parameters. If the results of such an analysis should indicate any deviations from the provided parameters, the sample can be stripped of its previously awarded recognition.

7.    Committee

The sensory assessment will take place on 29 and 30 September 2010 in Maribor.
The official publication of results will take place on 30 September 2010 in Maribor.

The sensory panels will be made up of 3 members. In each panel, there will be at least one representative from abroad and one or two national experts for sensory assessment of honey-based beverages.

Those entering their honey-based beverages for the competition cannot be members of the sensory panel.

Application Form.

Rules on the assessment and awarding of honey spirits and honey liqueur.

Rules on the assessment of mead, flavoured mead and sparkling mead.

Additional information:
-    Nataša Lilek – natasa.lilek@czs.si
-    Malči Božnar – ceb.boznar@siol.net