The improved and more expensive than ever National Wine Competition, now called Concurso Vinhos de Portugal, ended last Friday. I was invited to judge and would have gladly accepted but, unfortunately, I had to decline due to my oral presentation at the 9th Alentejo Vine and Wine Symposium. Please remark that I love to judge in wine competitions. As a matter of (numerical) fact I am, nowadays, the most international judge amongst all Portuguese wine professionals. Back to our Concurso Vinhos de Portugal I praise all the leading wine professionals, mainly from Revista de Vinhos, that were hired to manage this year´s upgrading format. Chiefly I declare my full admiration to João Pires, head sommelier at the Dinner by Heston Blumenthal. But some clouds come to scene when we discuss strategy, costs, benefits and results. Regarding the strategy, should ViniPortugal and all Portuguese Wine Institutes discuss their financial and time consuming support to Concurso Vinhos de Portugal? I share some numbers with you: More than 1000 samples were assessed during this competition and I praise the new record high. But only last week-end more than 800 Portuguese wine samples were assessed at Mondial Bruxelles. So why do we need 250 Portuguese-generated-and-worldwide-unknown medals if only a single well-known International competition will award almost the same amount of commendations (results already available)? Honestly I think this is mere common sense. I do think that some other Portuguese Associations, Private Own Companies and Individuals do get some profit out of this Concurso Vinhos de Portugal; not the Portuguese wine and its producers. In fact I do hope someone wins something out of this scam. Even worse would be a lose-lose venture, referred by Economic Historian Carlo Cipolla as the definition for Stupidity.
Portuguese media announced more than 30 international judges coming from 9 wine importing countries. Now, you may think that it is extremely good for the Portuguese wine promotion to invest in such an international judging panel. But I have to disagree. ViniPortugal and Co had the best intention, I am certain, but one thing is to invite panel judges with blind tasting skills and experience. Inversely, ViniPortugal and Co profiled wine writers (Ahmed included?), wine buyers (Ahearne included?) and opinion makers to assess blind at Concurso Vinhos de Portugal. Used to an overall wine experience, including sight (brands, faces of producers, winemakers, winelands shape and uniqueness, typical and modern wineries), smell (wine, wineries, winelands, gastronomy) and taste (wine, water, cigars, eau de vie, Port or Madeira last glass, gastronomy, good and enduring conversation), those adopted judges experienced, during half of this (Portuguese Wine Industry invitational) trip, the beauty and charm of coding numbers: “What an astonishing wine this number 14 was; oh! But the first 4 were really disappointing…” This gathering of expensive page filling wine lovers will now return to their countries without a clue of the brands or regions that each one loved best. So how will you write about a unique wine experience if you don’t know what your best picks were? Intensive and time consuming blind tastings were not designed for wine writers or opinion makers. Would you invite, at your expenses, the world’s best botanical photographer to experience a Portuguese flowerless garden?
