Wine judging and awards

[Georgie]

I've been reading about some NJ wines that received awards in several competitions. Are there particular contests that are more prestigious than others? The medaling resembles the Olympics, is that right? Is Double Gold the best there is? Do all competitions use the same type of awards? Maybe someone can enlighten me or point me to a reference guide. Thanks!

[Bucko]

Wine judgings are a good basic point of reference. I judge at four competitions a year. Not all competitions have standards for the judges. For instance, the CA State Fair that I judge at requires that the judges be certified. Indy International, New World International and the Central WA Fair have no such requirements. Is this good or bad? I can't say, but at least there is some effort to insure competant judges.

Keep in mind that wines that win big medals at wine judgings tend to appeal to a wide range of palates. IMO these are not always the best wines. Stylistic wines that may be stunners do not always do well. I have seen several wines that I thought deserved gold medals go empty handed due to daring to be different, or should I say non-generic, over-oaked, over-extracted fruit bombs.

You probably will never get burned with gold medal winners, but do not delude yourself into thinking that this is the best that the wine world has to offer.

[Georgie]

Thanks, Bucko, I'll remember that!