Judging
At the California State Fair, judges only taste the wines they are most comfortable with. Before the competition, judges are questioned about their personal preference for grape varietals. The wines are then divided by their varietal type and assigned to a panel of judges who are experts on that particular varietal.
Tasting
The panel of judges present medals to individual wines and assign each wine a point value, measuring from 1–100. All wine glasses are labeled with secret codes, ensuring that judges vote blindly, not being influenced by labels, names, colors or even the shape of the bottle. The scores range from 82–87 — Bronze; 88–93 – Silver; 94–97 —Gold; and 97–99 — Double Gold. Beginning in 1998, the California State Fair was the first competition in the world to use such a point system, anticipating that it will help the consumer in selecting their favorite wines. Consumers can simply choose a wine by evaluating its score and then the price of the wine.
Judges Qualification Test
The California State Fair was the first wine judging in the world to conduct judges’ qualification tests. In 1950, this test was formulated by Leon Adams with wine industry assistance. This one day test was given annually through 1967, when the judging was suspended.
With the revival of the State Fair judging in 1985, a new test was designed to quickly qualify judges for the restart of this prestigious competition. In late 1987 and early 1988, a more comprehensive qualification exam was formulated and designed especially for the California State Fair under the auspices of the University of California at Davis by key Professors and Winemakers who teach there.
Beginning June 1998 the California State Fair has agreed to recognize the class, Advanced Tasting Seminar, offered by the University of California, Davis Extension, as a Qualification Test. Persons completing and passing this one day exam will be placed in the pool of qualified State Fair Judges and be eligible to judge in the California State Fair Wine Competition. This seminar/exam will be offered once a year.
No one may judge at this competition who has not passed an approved qualification test or is not recognized as a professional taster by the California State Fair Commercial Wine Advisory Task Force. The only exception will be the judges for the California Brandy competitions, selected from a group of experts who are uniquely qualified in these fields.
