Recent published papers by statistician and winery owner Robert Hodgson on judge unreliability and on the inconsistency of awards in 13 U.S. wine competitions have created a well-deserved scandal surrounding the inconsistency of wine competitions in awarding medals. To explore the notion that competitions could be more effective if judges are given target profiles, this year’s Riverside International Wine Competition has agreed to allow me to conduct an experiment in the Petite Sirah category with regionally based style profiles provided to the judges.
For more on this story, check out (and contribute to) Jo Diaz' blog on the subject.