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Two big things are happening at many wineries right now, or soon.
Harvest is one.
If you have friends who make wine, they will emerge around Halloween. And if they aren’t yet in harvest, they are probably bottling.
The second?
It’s awards season.
You’ve likely received a few emails, or seen social media posts from your favourite wineries with recent medals announced, and in mere weeks, it will be judging time for the fall version of the Okanagan Wine Festivals.
How do you judge a wine? And does a medal make a difference in your choice of bottle, or not?
I have had the privilege of judging a number of food and wine competitions over the years, from donuts to mystery ingredient chef challenges to a flight of more than 50 rosés and a dozen cocktails in a night.
Don’t hate me, someone has to do it.
Wineries are asked to submit wines to numerous award programs all the time, but not all awards are created equal. It pays to look at the list of judges and their credentials, not to mention if there is peoples’ choice category you can participate in.
But what about judging?
It is not as easy as it looks.
Before a wine competition, like those 50 pink wines I mentioned, the judges have to clear palates. No spicy food the night before, don’t brush your teeth right before you arrive, and hopefully you don't have the sniffles or a looming allergy attack.
And you need to know a few technical things. For example, if you’re judging several dozen chardonnays, you need to have a baseline of what a chard should be:
- how it looks
- how it smells
- how it tastes,
- look for the ones that stand out, are true to the varietal, and without faults.
Eventually, your taste buds will tire. You may disagree with your fellow judges. And by the end, you will probably just want large club soda to refresh yourself.
In the end though, does an award really matter?
Yes, if you are unfamiliar with a wine or winery, and you’ll looking for a bottle that is as close to a sure bet as you can get with wine.
But no, if you like the wine for what it is, it tastes good to you, and you can raise a glass with friends and simply enjoy.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Aug. 29, Penticton: Join Wild Goose Vineyards and Winery for a long table dinner with Joy Road Catering.
Aug. 30-31, Okanagan Falls: Pop up tasting bar with Mayhem Wines, one of the smaller producers in BC Wine.
Aug. 31, Summerland: Cod Gone Wild performs at Thornhaven Estates Winery.
Sept. 1, Naramata: DJ Shakes is at Legend Distilling for Silent Disco.
Sept. 1, Keremeos: Head to the Grist Mill in the Similkameen for Astronomy Night.
Sept. 14, Naramata: The annual Naramata Tailgate Party takes place at the Naramata Heritage Inn, with multiple wineries from the Naramata Bench.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
