How the judging works

A flight of red wines is poured during judging for the 2019 North Central Washington Wine Awards competition.

Reilly Kneedler photo

Hunter Brawley photo Richard Larsen scores a flight of red wines during the 2017 North Central Washington Wine Awards judging.

Judging for the 2020 North Central Washington Wine Awards competition was delayed by roughly three months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Other changes were also necessary due to related circumstances. For the first time in the competition’s 10-year history, the judging did not take place in Wenatchee. The decision was made to move judging to the Tri-Cities to eliminate travel for the majority of the judges and main organizer Eric Degerman of Great Northwest Wine. Judging took place over two days instead of the normal one day; two panels comprised of three judges each did the tasting.

Judging took place Sept. 10 and 11 in the Kennewick home of Jerry and LouAnn Hug. Jerry is general manager of Wine Press Northwest magazine and the Tri-City Herald newspaper.

Thirty-five wineries submitted a total of 230 entries this year, compared to 236 entries a year ago. When the judging was complete, the totals added up to 12 Double Gold, 49 Gold, 120 Silver and 34 Bronze medals. Fifteen wines did not earn a medal.

Generally, a Bronze rating from judges equates to “good” a wine with a Silver rating is “outstanding,” and a Gold wine is considered “exceptional” by judges. To earn Double Gold status, all three judges on the panel must rate the wine as Gold.

Degerman and the Hugses worked the backroom of the blind judging, opening wines, decanting and pouring flights of wine for judges, who typically look for true-to-type wines that offer a satisfying, sometimes exceptional drinking experience.

Judges taste the wines according to type, inspecting each wine’s color and clarity. They swirl the wine to blend in oxygen and expose the aromas. They sip the wine and wash it over their taste buds in different parts of the mouth before spitting it into a cup. Drinking the wine is a judging no-no since there is a lot of wine to taste.

Judges take notes on each wine. Often, judges will revisit a wine two or three times to see if it opens up after a bit. They score each wine and pass those scores to the panel moderator once all judging is complete on that flight. Scores are recorded in an electronic spreadsheet.

If all three judges on the panel agree on a medal score — say, Silver — that is how the overall grade is recorded. Often, there is discussion to reach a consensus whether a wine should be rated Silver or Gold.

All judges taste the highest-rated wines to determine the Best Red, Best White and Best of Show winners. F