Wines are scored by members up to a maximum of 100 marks.
The totals for each wine are added together and divided by the number of members’ entries to obtain an average result.
This average result is the benchmark against which individual member’s marks are judged.
A member whose score falls within 5 marks of the average score gains one point.
For Cava and Fine Wine Tasting Awards, when a score has to be within just 4 marks of the average to gain a point.
To qualify for the Annual Tasting Award, members will need to attend at least 5 tastings during the year.
After the November event, cumulative points are divided by the meetings attended.
The member with the highest average points is judged the Wine Taster of the Year.
Awards for the Wine Taster of the Year and for the President's Trophy ( awarded at the discretion of the President) are presented at the December Year End meeting, together with any additional awards such as the Cava Taster or the Fine Wine Taster of the Year.
If an assessment sheet is incorrectly completed, and if marks fall outside the scoring range of each average, no points are awarded.
Assessment forms are written in English, with different weightings for colour, nose and palate.
COMMENT - There is no single correct judgement of the relative quality of a wine. Even in Wine competitions, the average score is assessed, not that of one individual.
Those who have the opportunity to taste many wines, obviously form judgements about the relative merits of the various wines, and personal preference usually has an influence. Perhaps the most difficult job is that of the wine buyer. That individual’s judgement of what others may like for a certain price has a commercial consequence, for better or worse! As for the criteria and relative weighting for those elements on our score sheets, there is no single approved method – our system is a simplified version of one used in competition.
OBSERVATION – Our score sheets are not an examination of individuals. Our tastings try to encourage objective assessment of different wines. Wine is made for our enjoyment, and drunk in moderation, also for our well being.
TOP TEN WINES TASTED BY THE SOCIETY'S MEMBERS IN 2007