I worked two days as a judge in the most rigorous and influential wine contest in the world: the International Wine Challenge. It happened in London at the Oval Cricket Stadium, where the grass is carefully cut and cared for. Artificial lights are used for grass growth. Days were cold but sunny, rare thing in London. What surprised me most was not the amount of wines tasted (about 100 per day), nor the variety (English sparkling wines, Chinese, Moroccan wines and so many others), much less the impeccable organization and British punctuality (an attribute that is often not found in my country)… I immediately realized the experience would be worth it when one of the judges at my desk described what had happened in the vineyard, during the wine production and in the cellar of a wine just by tasting it in a blind test. His only information was the region, grapes, year, sugar and alcohol levels. In addition to meeting experienced people, in my opinion there are no cooler people in the world than those who work in the wine industry. The brightness in their eyes is evident, as well as the good mood. At the jury table, there was an English gentleman who retired and moved to France with his wife after buying a chateau in Bordeaux.
On the first day, the goal was to discard wines that were defective or had a very low quality and indicate those that would continue in the competition. On the second day, it was necessary to say whether the wine deserved a medal and if so, which medal would be appropriate (bronze, silver or gold). The jury consists of about 16 tables with 5 judges each, so each judge gives their personal scores and if there is any divergence, each participant justifies their scores and defends their point of view until the discussions cease and they all enter into an agreement. Subsequently, these evaluations are analyzed, discussed and redefined, if applicable, by the co-chairman judges. Therefore, it is a very rigorous process that involves experts from various parts of the world and every result is widely discussed.
So when you see a gold medal from the International Wine Challenge contest on the label of a wine, you can be sure it will be worth it.
