Why you can rely on wine show awards

OPINION: There has been much talk in the media in recent months about independence of wine writers, paid reviews and gold stickers on wine bottles that promote things other than success, all with the aim of trying to get you and me to select one bottle over another when we browse the shelves of our favourite wine supplier. In this column I want to have a look at wine shows and the judging process that means you can rely on a gold, silver or bronze wine show medal as a solid indicator of quality.