• What is it? The first year for a competition to select wines for a fund-raiser to help preserve the Colorado governor's residence.
• When and where: July 31, 2010, Denver
• Biggest surprise: I've never judged a competition in its first year. It was kind of fun, as we picked our way through the process.
• What's different: The scoring. Steve Menke, the state enologist, wanted to try and eliminate some of the bias that studies have found in judging. So, though we used a standard 20-point system, Steve did all sorts of mathematical thises and thats to arrive at a fair conclusion. It was quite fascinating, actually, and we briefly discussed doing a study to find the best way to judge wines at a competition. Grant money, anyone?
• Who I judged with: A rotating group that included Bill Musgnung, one of Colorado's top winemakers.• Compensation: An honorarium (have not received it yet), plus travel, meal and lodging expenses.
• Overall: The quality of Colorado wines has improved since I last judged in the state three or four years ago. It's not so much that the wines tasted better; rather, that winemakers better understand how to deal with Colorado's unique wine growing environment. They not only have to take into account high altitude, but odd weather. The cabernet francs, for example, seem fuller and less austere than those I had the last time, and that's good to see.
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