by Michael Fridjhon
The launch of South Africa`s first wine judging academy has been received with considerable interest in industry circles, and a predictable amount of cynicism by writers pandering to the popular palate. The course was established
following an undertaking made by Wine Magazine and Michael Fridjhon at the time of the announcement of the Trophy Wine Show results in 2006. At the time it was made clear that the burden of judging was falling on a small group of tried and tested experts. With the number of shows and competitions increasing to the point that the available talent was being spread too thinly, it had become clear that the industry needed a training ground if standards were to be prevented from falling dramatically.
The inaugural event was attended by a capacity group of 20 students. Bill Baker of Reid Wines in the UK (the Conran Group\'s wine advisor) was the international guest lecturer. He was joined by former Domaine Chandon VP Zelma Long, who now owns a winery project in South Africa, Jordan Winery\'s Gary Jordan, fizz producer Pieter Ferreira, multiple Winemaker of the Year laureate Gyles Webb and Wine & Spirit Board expert Charl Theron.
Over the course of three intensive days of training and testing, the pilot group sampled some 300 wines, including Cru Classe Claret dating back to the 1950s, red and white Burgundy from the 1970s and younger, 19th century Solera Madeira, several Grandes Marques Champagnes, almost all of the Cape\'s current top performers and some 30 samples \'spiked\' by Fridjhon, VinLab and Charl Theron to teach the group about technical faults.
At the end of the period the candidates were all subjected to a rigorous tasting examination which tested their ability to discern provenance, winemaking practices and variety, as well as how they assessed organoleptical and aesthetic value. With the pilot group drawn by invitation only from the younger generation of winemakers, sommeliers, fine wine merchants and specialist wine writers the pass mark set at 60% - was achieved by 80% of the group.
Given the levels of interest expressed by potential participants who were unable to join the first course, there seems little doubt the Academy is destined to become something of an institution. The University of Cape Town\'s Graduate School of Business which runs a wine business Masters programme in conjunction with the University of Adelaide - has indicated a willingness to provide the course with essential infrastructure while leading industry figures have undertaken to invest time and effort in ensuring its continued existence.
