A different way to think about wine competitions
Your Answer
Please login to write an answer to this question.
Login to AnswerI used to assume that most wine competitions were mainly about identifying the technically strongest bottles. The more I read about different judging methods, the more I realized that there are several ways to approach the subject. The Sydney International Wine Competition caught my attention because its philosophy starts with something very familiar to me: wine is usually enjoyed with food.
The story behind https://sydneywinecompcom.com/ goes back to dinners organized by Warren Mason, where wines from emerging Australian wine regions were selected according to how well they complemented particular dishes. That idea eventually developed into a dedicated competition based on the principle of Wines Judged for Food.
What I find particularly interesting is the use of blind judging. Judges first assess wines without being influenced by the producer or label, and finalists are then considered within food friendly style categories. In the final stage, the wines are judged with dishes chosen to match their palate weight. It is a practical way of asking a question that matters to most wine drinkers: what will this bottle actually be like at the table?
I also like that the competition does not present wine opinions as absolute facts. Each award winning wine can include separate comments from the panel judges, allowing readers to see different perspectives. I would much rather compare several informed opinions than assume that one person's taste represents everyone.
That combination of history, blind judging, food pairing, and individual viewpoints makes this competition quite distinctive.