This week marks the second and third stages of judging at Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) to determine the best wines entered in the global competition.
The rare Gold medal wines (95-96 points), awarded to an average of 3.6% of all wines entered in the competition, were decided last week within regional contexts by hundreds of leading wine experts.
The decision about whether a wine merits a Platinum or Best in Show (97-100 points, and averaging 0.85% or 0.27% respectively) is being determined now by the competition’s Regional and Co-Chairs.
DWWA 2024 Co-Chairs at the Decanter Tasting Suite. From left to right: Michael Hill Smith AM MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW, Andrew Jefford, Beth Willard, Ronan Sayburn MS. Credit: Ellen Richardson
‘At this stage the quality is great,’ said Regional Chair Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW.
‘We’re not tasting anything of poor quality, so it’s a matter of really assessing which are the top, top wines that need to go on and really confirm what the judges thought last week.’
One of five panels during judging for Platinum. Clockwise: Stefan Neumann MS, Shivani Tomar (Awards Manager), Beth Willard, Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW. Credit: Ellen Richardson
Naming Burgundy and Australian Pinot Noir among his highlights of the day, Regional Chair Stefan Neumann MS said: ‘The overall quality of these wines is just outstanding. It was such a joy to judge; we were running out of superlatives of what to
