Three panels of 5 international judges, tens of flights for each panel. Blind tasting and rewarding of cool climate wines from around the globe. Almost blind tasting: we knew what grapes were used in the wines that were sent in. I was puzzled by the assessment approach of a fellow judge. She/He seemed not only to have learned the pedigree of all varieties by heart, she/he also judged the wines starting from the variety. First question: « what can we expect from this grape? », second: « how does this match with what we’re tasting? » Strange. I never judge that way, neither did anyone at the table. All wines get all chances: when it has an extremely long finish or is seriously complex, the wine earns extra points. Still, an easy-going wine very well made and surprisingly lively on the tongue may be a winner as well. The results of these judgings show a peak in diversity, which is flattened by leaving out the most extreme evaluations. Bottles fit for commercialisation and consumption distinguish themselves from hidden potential (too young, too technical, tank samples) and non-performing wines. And so do judges.
