Being judged.
There is nothing quite like the Australian wine show system. Anywhere in the world. An annual calendar of capital city and regional shows serving as the engine room for raising the quality bar on Australian wine for well over a half century. Quite distinct from wine ‘competitions’ and serving a very different purpose to wine reviews, wine shows are run by winemakers for winemakers. Aiming to serve as a technical benchmark and quality reference point for winemakers who enter their wines into an array of tightly defined classes.
Until the rise of the wine reviewer and the internet, wine shows also served as a valued reference point for wine drinkers. Providing guidance to uncovering the best wines. Trophies and gold medals won at shows sold wine and gained wineries legions of fans - the likes of Wolf Blass becoming a household name in Australia on the back of sustained success at Australian and international wine shows throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Points may have now replaced medals as an effective marketing tool, but the show system continues to play a mission critical role for winemakers.
Albeit it at times with a decent dose of frustration!
A gold medal winning wine from one show can be relegated to bronze at the next, and then kicked to the curb at the following outing with no medal at all to take home. Regardless of the qualifications and experience of the judging panel and their collective endeavours to remain objective in their assessments, inevitably human factors play a role. Put simply, sometimes your greatest wine is simply ‘not what the judges were looking for’.
Take the wins when you get them. Roll with the punches. Onwards and upwards!