You have walked into your local liquor store and you're looking for something different from your usual purchase. You notice a few bottles around that catch your eye and they have a few medals on them. Maybe even ten. This seems like a good idea because hey, a $12 bottle that has won so many awards it must be worth trying right?
Has it really won all those awards? For that bottle?
The answer is, if it has come from a cheaper bottle, then most likely not.
Look closely at the medal descriptions.
Firstly, you will notice it will be either a Bronze, Silver or Gold colour. It is rated out of 20 points with the rating as follows from when the wine is judged:
18.5-20 points - Gold Medal
17.0-18.4 points - Silver Medal
15.5-16.9 points - Bronze Medal
(Wait, where are the remaining 12 or so points? Good question! They go unused which I personally think is a flaw in Wine Judging.)
Secondly, see where the Wine Show was that the wine was judged at. Have you ever heard of the show before? Or even the location? If it says it is from some third world area, it is safe to say the show was hardly a reputable one.
Thirdly, unless the medal specifically states it is for that particular wine, it generally means the Winery itself won the awards for other products, so they have slapped on the medals to all their products even though the wine that won may have been a $100+ bottle.
With that said, the wine could still be a great product even with all those medals on it, just don't be 100% influenced by medals when making a decision.
