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Dr John Brewer
Dr. John Brewer is a winemaker and owner of Wyldewood Cellars Winery, the largest and most awarded winery in Kansas. Dr. Brewer founded Wyldewood Cellars in 1995. He is a Ph.D. in Physics and applies high-tech principles to wine making, which has helped Wyldewood Cellars win over 120 International awards. Dr. Brewer judges at several International Wine Competitions each year. Dr. Brewer is very active re-establishing a premium wine industry in Kansas. You may contact Dr. Brewer at Wyldewood Cellars Winery, P.O. Box 205, Mulvane, KS 67110, by phone at (316) 554-WINE (9463), or by e-mail at elderwines@aol.com
Wine & Spirits
2006-03-30 14:20:00
Wine judgings versus ratings?
QUESTION: What is the difference between ‘wine competition judgings’ and ‘wine magazine ratings?’
ANSWER: Wine competition judgings and wine magazine ratings can be very confusing to the consumer because they seem to be the same, but in reality, they provide totally different information. There are three distinct types of wine judgings: international wine competitions, wine ratings by wine industry publications, and tasting and purchase by the consumer.  At international wine competitions, each wine is judged on its own merits by a panel of professional wine makers, professional wine writers, and other professionals in the wine industry.  A wine that is appropriate for the fruit and style, has no major faults (spoilage, over oxidation, bacterial infection, etc.), and has an average overall taste is awarded a bronze medal.  Above average tasting wines are awarded a silver medal and excellent tasting wines are awarded the gold medal.  Gold medal wines are then judged against each other for best of class and best of show.  An international wine competition award means that the wine has been produced correctly for the fruit and style, but this does not mean that a particular consumer will like the wine.  Wine industry publications usually employ their staff to evaluate wines according to a criteria list that is defined by the publication's subscribers.  The rating number they award a wine is a measure of how well the particular wine fits their publication's criteria for that type and style of wine.   For example, a wine publication that promotes cigar smoking with wine consumption might give a wine with a "hint of tobacco" a very high rating, while another wine publication with different readership would give it a low rating.   A rating above "90" means that most of that publication's readership will like the wine, not that the wine is produced without faults and correct for the fruit and style.The ultimate wine judging is performed by the individual wine consumer when he tastes and purchases the wine.   Wine is a food preserved with alcohol and, like any food, should taste good to the consumer.   Visiting a winery's tasting room, tasting parties, and wine tasting events, like the Midwest Wine Fest, are excellent ways to try several wines without bearing the expense of purchasing a bottle of each wine just to taste.The wine consumer has a tremendous amount of information available to him or her about a particular wine, but the ultimate test is personals taste.  International wine competition awards give the consumer an independent evaluation of the correctness of the wine making process for a particular wine and ensure he is tasting well crafted wines. Like movie critics, wine publications are useful to the wine consumer in his selections if his tastes and the wine publication's criteria are similar, or sometimes if they are totally opposite.   No wine consumer should be ever be "bullied" into believing that his taste is not correct because he disagrees with a particular wine publication or reviewer.  The only true way to judge wine for your taste is to taste it yourself.  Taste often and enjoy!    
 
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