International Wine Challenge, day 2 of 9

It was day 2 of the International Wine Challenge today. I had a really good panel and we tasted well together, which made for an enjoyable day's work.

Just 94 wines tasted today, which is a comfortable number. But with retastes, and deliberations, you end up putting a lot of wine into your mouth. The result is that when you get home in the evening, the last thing you feel like is another glass of wine.

So far this year I've experienced few really nasty wines, but there have been quite a few faults. As well as the odd musty tainted bottle (which we normally assume to be cork taint), there have been quite a few reduced wines. In fact, I'd say reduction was the most common fault (from a small sample so far). I've personally not seen any bretty wines, but have seen a handful of oxidized/VA bottles. I'm looking forward to seeing the results of the official faults analysis from the competition this year.

Stayed behind for a couple of Cooper's Sparkling Ales, which is a really nice way to finish a day's judging.