How Wine Competitions Work: Judging, Medals & Blind Tastings Explained

If you have ever found yourself in the wine aisle of a supermarket or browsing in a wine shop, chances are you have come across a bottle displaying a medal. But have you ever wondered how a wine actually earns one?

I’m lucky enough to experience both sides of wine competitions, not only as a judge, but also as an organiser. After recently taking part in another competition, I thought it would be interesting to share a behind-the-scenes look at how these contests work, how wines are judged, and what wine medals represent for consumers.

What is a Wine Contest ?

A wine competition is a regional, national, or international tasting event where wines are judged by a panel in order to promote, select, and reward the best wines within their category. There is now a wide variety of wine contests around the world, each with its own theme or area of specialisation. Some focus on a particular terroir or appellation, while others are dedicated to organic wines, a specific country, grape variety, or style of wine. In contrast, some competitions are much broader and international in scope, bringing together wines from many different regions and backgrounds.

Beyond the judging process itself, wine competitions are also very much a moment of exchange within the wine world. For professionals, producers, and industry participants, they offer the opportunity to discover new wines, taste a wide variety of styles, and connect with others working in the field.

It is a unique environment where tasting, discussion, and expertise come together, but also where curiosity plays a central role. Whether you are a judge, an organiser, or simply involved in the wider wine industry, these events are as much about sharing experiences as they are about evaluation.

How Wines Are Judged

The wines are tasted anonymously and evaluated using a structured tasting grid. The grid can vary from one competition to another, but you will always find the classic three stages: appearance (visual), nose, and palate (taste). These are then often broken down further into more detailed criteria such as intensity, quality, balance, length, and overall harmony. The panel of judges can be made up of professionals or experienced enthusiasts, depending on the competition and its requirements. However, judges are generally expected to have some form of background or experience in wine tasting. For example, the competition I work on as an organiser is strictly professional and not open to amateurs or casual wine enthusiasts. Judges must apply and provide information about their profession or expertise in the wine industry, and applications are reviewed carefully whenever there is any doubt.

How Blind Tastings Work

One of the key strengths of wine competitions is that all wines are tasted completely anonymously. This means judges are not influenced by the label, the producer, the reputation of a château, or the price of a wine. Every bottle arrives at the table in the same way, without any identifying information.

This blind approach is important because, as consumers, we are often influenced by branding, appellations, or a winery’s reputation. A well-known name can unconsciously set expectations before the wine is even tasted. Blind tasting removes this layer and allows each wine to be assessed purely on what is in the glass.

It also creates space for lesser-known producers to be evaluated on an equal footing with more established estates. In that sense, competitions can sometimes bring attention to wines that might otherwise go unnoticed, while also offering a reality check that expectations do not always align with what is tasted.

As mentioned above, wines are tasted by category. Depending on the scale of the competition, these categories can be more or less precise. The recent competition in which I took part as a judge was relatively small, so I tasted a broad category of Languedoc red wines. In contrast, the competition I work on as an organiser includes more than 1,800 wines (!), meaning the categories are much more specific, like AOC Terrasses du Larzac, Vintage 2022.

How the Judging Takes Place

Now for the fun part. As a judge, you are assigned to a tasting table where you meet your fellow judges, and a “president” is appointed for the panel.

The president is responsible for gathering everyone’s scores, comments, and tasting notes in order to establish a general consensus for each wine. They record the final score, the medal awarded, and write the final tasting note for the wines that receive distinctions.

The president also helps guide the pace of the tasting and usually announces the order in which the wines are tasted. By French law (this may differ in other countries), only 33% of wines in a category can receive a medal, so sometimes discussions can get quite heated when there’s a disagreement! It can also happen that no wines are awarded in a category at all.

What Do Wine Medals Mean?

One of the most common questions around wine competitions is whether they are subjective, and the answer is yes, to a certain extent. Wine is, by nature, subjective. A wine that one person loves might not appeal to someone else at all, simply because we all have different tastes, sensitivities, and experiences in wine tasting.

This is also why wine competitions are structured the way they are. Wines are tasted in panels, anonymously, and under the same conditions, by professionals with different backgrounds in the wine industry. Because each judge brings their own perspective, there are naturally moments where opinions differ around the table. However, tastings are not about isolated opinions, but about reaching a structured and considered consensus.

In practice, this often leads to a fairly coherent overall evaluation. When tasting a series of wines, general trends tend to emerge quite clearly, whether a wine is particularly successful, simply balanced and enjoyable, or showing clear faults. While individual scores may vary slightly, discussions are part of the process and help ensure that the final result reflects a collective judgement rather than a single viewpoint.

The final medal is therefore not a declaration of perfection, but rather an indication that a group of experienced tasters, working independently and without prior knowledge of the wines, have generally agreed that a wine meets a certain level of quality within its category.

For consumers, this can act as a useful guide in a very large and often complex market. A medal can help identify wines that are generally well-made and enjoyable across a range of palates, especially for those who may not feel confident navigating wine choices. It is also a way of highlighting and acknowledging the work of producers, offering visibility and recognition in a competitive environment.

Ultimately, wine competitions are not designed to replace personal taste, but to offer an additional point of reference. Whether or not a wine suits your palate will always remain personal, but medals can provide a helpful starting point when exploring new wines !