Ataste of wine judges’ world
Lined up in the function room at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, are 2700 wine glasses.
Over three days, 1397 wines are poured into them during judging of the major wine competition, the New World Wine Awards.
There are four bottles of each entry, so 5600 bottles – 26 pallets, or two truckloads worth – sit in a back room.
In another room are the 22 judges: smelling, swirling and spitting.
The New World Wine Awards, now in its 15th year, is a competition for wines that retail for under $25, with at least 5000 bottles available for sale.
Chair of judges Jim Harre presides over judging panels, made up of three senior judges and one or two associates, who are liquor managers from New World stores.
He said the judges have about 200 years of experience between them and can taste 100-120 wines a day.
The only information they know about the wines they’re tasting are the varietal, year and whether they’re from New Zealand, Australia or the rest of the world.
The panel will taste and judge wines using the same internationally recognised 100 points system as other leading wine shows.
They award gold, silver, and bronze medals.
They re-taste top scoring wines and re-taste the best wines again to determine the champions of each main varietal and an overall champion red and champion white.
Harre said by the time a wine reached this stage, it had been tasted about 30 times.
Judges don’t actually drink any wine: after a process of smelling, swirling, smelling again and ‘‘chewing it’’ in their mouths, they ‘‘forcefully spit’’ it into a bin.
Scores are based on four components: colour, aroma, flavour and how long it lasts in the mouth.
The judging room has a strict code of conduct, which means avoiding perfume or aftershave, coffee or eating garlic or chilli as strong smells can affect the judging process.
In the backroom, chief steward Shona White and her team of stewards ensure everything runs smoothly.
‘‘My role is to make sure the right wine is put in front of the right judge at the right time,’’ she said.
Harre, an international judge who travels to Japan, Australia and England for competitions, knows his stuff. So what makes a good wine? ‘‘It needs to be true to its label. ‘‘We can tell you if it’s a good wine but we’re not telling you you’re going to like it.
‘‘All we’re saying is: this is a fantastic example of a sauvignon blanc, if you don’t like sauvignon blanc then try one of these others,’’ he said.
Harre said the New World Wine Awards were very much con- sumer focused.
‘‘Rather than a wine selection for the wine geek, it’s a wine selection for everybody to be able to indulge in and have fun in.
‘‘My advice to people from the show is explore with wines.
‘‘The worst-case scenario is you’re going to go: I tried a really good example and it wasn’t quite what I was looking for, but the best-case scenario might be your new best friend in the whole wide world is this wine.’’
The judging for the awards was taking place over three days this week and the results will be released in September.