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May 19 , 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels January 13, 2004 Off the Vine Those gold medals can mean a lot Lorn Razzano It was quiet enough to hear the ticking of the large Standard wall clock across the great auditorium. It was the same type of clock that we remember as school kids with its insistent loud click of the second hand. There were five of us in a semicircle with a judge's moderator sitting across from us writing quietly on a large yellow legal pad. He would look up on occasion to the man at my left then divert his eyes back to the pad and continue his scribbling. The man at my left was the chief judge at this very prestigious commercial wine judging and he was ruminating over the last glass of chardonnay in the flight of 20 glasses. We were one of eleven judges tables, the only table left in the vast space of the auditorium, everyone else had left some time earlier for the judges dinner. The judges clerk was there to monitor time and to adjudicate differences between judges on certain wines. He or she was also there to step between what could be a clash of immense egos. This chief judge had the reputation of being very slow and deliberate but was a powerhouse in the wine industry. I anticipated this and brought a good book while some of the other judges silently fumed. I can still hear him slurping the wine and grunting, then scribbling copious notes on the pad that sat on the table in front of him. It turned out to be a long evening. Commercial wine judgings set the pulse of the wine industry and allow winemakers to showcase what they feel are their best wines. A gold medal winner can bring a winery to the forefront of the industry. Judges are supposed to judge each wine entered in the competition on its own merit, not to compare or contrast wines against each other. In a flight (grouping) of chardonnay, for instance, this is mandatory due to different styles of winemaking. It would be incorrect to judge a soft, buttery style against a steely style even though they are both the same grape. Secondly, commercial wine judges have to set aside their own preferences for one style over another. This can become prejudicial and a consistent preference for a certain style of wine within a group of the same varietal (grape type) can get a judge uninvited to future judgings. Wines are sent to the judging events weeks before the events begin. This allows for the wine to "rest" before being opened and judged. Judges never see the labels or the bottles. Wine is served throughout the day by servers who keep chit-chat to a minimum. Elimination flights are flights where wines not thought to merit bronze, silver or gold medals are whisked away after tasting and discussion by the judges. The remaining glasses are then either judged into medals or listed and new bottles of these wines are opened at a later date and judged for medals. I have been judging for over 25 years and find each experience new and exciting. There are heated debates over the merit of one wine to another and occasional hurt feelings and alliances between judges. Some judges are very compliant and do "committee" work while others are steadfast and insistent with huge egos in tow. Here are the commercial wine judgings to look for when medals are affixed to wine labels: The best for the Northwest is the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival. Any wine earning a medal at Newport deserves to be purchased. Enological Society of the Northwest and the California State Fair are also medal winning wines of great distinction. In February I will write in this article the commercial wine competition winners at Newport. Stay tuned! Lorn Razzano is a commerical wine and spirits judge and is a co-founder of KSOR wine tasting. He was on winery staffs of various Italian and French wineries in the 1970s and has owned Ashland Wine Cellar since 1980. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams