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Reason #4 - Quality of the Judging Process
Important Note: The shipping deadline to the Western consolidation point is May 22.
“Canadian wineries enter many competitions around the world each year but none compare to WineAlign’s Nationals in terms of the level of competition and none can boast the competency of our panel of judges.†said chief judge and competition architect Anthony Gismondi. "Both David (Lawrason) and I have worked extremely hard to hone our judges into the sharpest panels in the country. Many have cut their wine teeth judging in other shows around the world. Over the years we have worked with scores of judges looking for just the right combination of experience, tasting ability and the most important asset, the ability to work within a group, to make sure the best wines get moved forward."
The following video was made last year at the 2014 Nationals in Penticton, BC. It will give you a more detailed look at our judging process and what goes on behind the scenes at the National Wine Awards of Canada.
There are subtle changes to our panel each year but for the most part the judges are comprised of some of Canada’s leading wine writers, journalists, sommeliers, buyers and industry professionals. The competition also seeks out new and emerging talent in the industry to be part of the panel. This blend of experience and enthusiasm, brought by judges from many regions across Canada, ensures a comprehensive view of the wine world’s most current state.
All competition wines are blind-tasted and judged in categories according to varietal or style, not by region, using the same 100-point system used by WineAlign. All bottles are kept in separate temperature-controlled rooms and are visible to the back room staff but never seen by the judges. This is in addition to several checks throughout the system from entry to physically pouring the wine into a tasting glass that prevents any wine from ending up in the wrong flight. We also use top quality restaurant style glasses, not the tiny ISO wine glasses, giving the mostly young wines some room to breathe and show off.
We keep our wine flights small at an average of eight or nine wines and the judges only taste about 80 wines each day. There are no brown bags, no 50-wine flights and there are no 200-wine days for our judges. We keep our people fresh and engaged for the six hours they work each day.
Our awards are not a weekend affair. Winning wines must survive multiple elimination rounds meaning they have been tasted by several panels over several days. Wines that come out at the top will receive either Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals. Only the top 1% will receive a Platinum medal. Even our Bronze medal is something to be proud of. Bronze winners must have a score of at least 87%, which is high compared to other competitions.
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DJ Kearney
British Columbia
DJ is a Vancouver-based wine educator, wine writer, judge, presenter and classically trained chef. She has trained hundreds of professional Sommeliers for the International Sommelier Guild, is a contributing editor to Vancouver Magazine and has written for Western Living, Eat Magazine, and for Wine Access until its demise. She appears on radio and television regularly; moderates and presents at wine festivals throughout North America and judges several major wine competitions annually. She is the Chief Judge of the prestigious Vancouver Magazine International Wine Competition. She consults for a small client list assisting with wine selections, lists and training. DJ holds the WSET Diploma, the ISG Sommelier Diploma and is in the Master of Wine program as an exam-ready candidate.
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Janet Dorozynski
Ontario
By day, Janet is the Government of Canada’s chief wine guru, where she is responsible for managing the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada cellar, overseeing a program to assist Canadian Embassies to serve and promote Canadian wine, beer and spirits, and works with Canadian producers on international business development. Janet has worked in numerous capacities in the international and Canadian wine industry for more than a decade and has taught about wine and the business of wine for many years. She holds the Diploma in Wine and Spirits and is an accredited educator with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET).
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Craig Pinhey
New Brunswick
Craig is a food and beverage columnist for the New Brunswick Telegraph Journal and KV Style, & writes for TAPS Beer Magazine, Palate Press, Halifax’s The Coast, Progress and East Coast Living magazine. He covered the Atlantic Canadian wine scene for Wine Access for 7 years, including writing the entire Atlantic section of their Canadian Wine Annual. He has also been CBC Radio’s Shift Sommelier for 5 years. A certified Sommelier and BJCP Judge, Craig has judged at numerous wine and beer awards. Craig designs wine lists, does restaurant service training, and conducts wine and food events.
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Rémy Charest
Quebec
For nearly 20 years, Rémy has been working as a journalist, writer, translator and project manager with a great variety of media and public and private organizations in Quebec and Canada, as well as France, the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Rémy has been writing about wine, food and other tasty stuff for over fifteen years, in publications like Le Devoir, Coup de Pouce, Châtelaine, Wine Access and several other magazines in both Canada and the United States. He is an editor and contributor to Palate Press, the online wine magazine. He also talks about wine and food on Montreal radio station CJAD and on Radio-Canada. Rémy is also a judge for several wine competitions across the country.
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