Judging at the Margaret River Wine Show

Australia's wine shows are the bellwethers of the country's favourite drink. In wine regions and regional capitals across the country, finely tuned palates gather to swirl, slurp and score the latest releases. For the bottle-buying public, these medals and trophies are a valuable purchasing cue, and for producers they can be a sales springboard.

But how do these tastings actually work? As a judge at the 2023 Margaret River Wine Show in a setting more beautiful than any capital city, I found out this October.

I am fourth from left...