Amateur Wine Competitions?

I'm interested in learning more about the in's and out's of amateur wine competitions. I think ti would be a lot of fun to start making a couple of wines to compete in a local event. The trouble I'm having (outside of being a very new wine maker and a likely inability to produce anything good enough to hang with the seasoned wine makers) is understanding exactly how the competition works? I found a local amateur competition but their website doesn't give much info that is useful for someone who really knows nothing about these type of events.

• I understand that I have to have made the wine myself (I can't just go buy a bottle at the store and slap a new label on it) but do I have to have sourced the ingredients/recipe myself (home grown grapes) or can I compete with a wine from a kit from my LHBS?

• Is there a good reference for the "breed standards" for different types of wines? I don't know just a whole lot about wines outside buying kits from the LHBS but I'd love to try some of Mr. Jack Kellers recipes for some new varieties of wine.

• To compete I need at least one 750ml bottle of my wine with a removable label; how removable- Will an "address label" type sticker work? Am I being judged on how my wine bottle/label looks?

• Anything else that someone who has never competed should know about the process of making / bottling / competing with my wine?

Sorry if these are silly questions that have been answered before but I fail at using the search function on this website to get meaningful search results.

By all means, use a kit if you want. Many do. I have heard that some will use those removable address labels from Avery just fine. I would send at least 2 bottles and pack it really well. You van tell your shipper that it is marinade, or even yeast samples in suspension for testing. BTW, You're not being judged on the label.

I've entered several competitions and, yes, you can use kit wines but they usually have their own category. Jack Keller's site is a great place to begin formulating your own recipes. The Avery address labels are not easy to remove. What I'd suggest is put the Avery labels on most bottles you'll keep for yourself but on a couple of bottles use simple masking tape with the info written on it with a Sharpie. It peels right off. The competitions usually supply you with their own labels which you attach with a rubber band. The hardest part is shipping the wine. There's really no way to do it legally unless you can talk a local winery into shipping it for you. I'd suggest entering your wines in the county and state fairs in your area. They usually have decent judges and the feedback is nice.