Getting the best out of the best.

(From Off Licence News)

By the time you read this, the judges at the 2008 International Wine Challenge will have made their final deliberations. The last bottle will have been recycled, the last wine tasted. For anyone who has taken part in the competition, it's been a two-week marathon that leaves participants tired but curiously elated.

The results are embargoed until May, but I think this has been the best IWC ever in terms of the quality of the bottles we have selected, and the rigour and fairness with which they have been judged. As a co-chairman of the event, I know I'm not a disinterested observer, but almost everyone who took part this year seemed to agree that it was slicker and better organised.

How much does a gold, silver, bronze or commended mean to a producer or retailer? The answer is that it depends on several factors, such as the price and availability of a given wine, as well as the way they use the results. But there is no denying that reputable wine competitions can shift bottles.

Small flights The role of the co-chairmen (Sam Harrop MW, Charles Metcalfe, Derek Smedley MW, myself and the 2008 international judge, Bob Campbell MW) is to do our utmost to make sure that the best wines win. No competition comes up with all the right answers, but I think our system gives every wine a chance to shine.

How do we do this? First, we keep the flights of wines small. Second, we try to alternate white and red flights to avoid palate fatigue. Third, we employed 20 permanent panel chairs for the first time, whom we consider to be among the UK's finest palates as well as good managers of other people's egos ...