In an era of endless choice, standing in front of a wall of wine can be surprisingly overwhelming. Hundreds of labels compete for attention, each promising quality, craftsmanship and distinction. For consumers, the challenge is often not finding wine, but knowing which bottles are genuinely worth their place in the glass.
This is where wine competitions matter.
In the latest episode of Wine in Focus, Investec Trophy Wine Show chair Michael Fridjhon, and Master of Wine, Heidi Mäkinen, take listeners inside one of the world’s most rigorous wine competitions, unpacking how wines are judged, how consensus is reached, and why trusted awards continue to play an important role in shaping the future of South African wine.
Watch or listen
Setting the standard
For Fridjhon, the role of a competition extends far beyond awarding medals.
“The reality is a competition sets standards for everybody,” he explains.
In a global market where wine sales are contracting and commercial competition is fierce; producers can no longer rely solely on loyal markets or established reputations. Continuous demonstration of quality against international benchmarks is essential.
Competitions like the Investec Trophy Wine Show provide that benchmark. They create a common standard against which wines can be assessed, offering valuable feedback to producers while giving consumers confidence that the wines receiving top honours have undergone intense scrutiny.
Homegrown, world class
Importantly, the show’s judging process is designed to mirror international best practice. Every panel includes an international judge, ensuring South African wines are evaluated against the same standards expected in the world’s leading wine markets.
For Mäkinen, that global perspective is one of the competition’s greatest strengths.
“I find that here a lot of producers take this very seriously,” she says. “All the judges are really good calibre, and there is much more diversity in the wine ranges. It is a very relevant competition.”
Inside the judging room
Unlike many competitions that rely on scoring systems, the Investec Trophy Wine Show places emphasis on discussion and debate. Wines are blind tasted and identified only by number, removing any influence of brand or price.
Fridjhon explains the issue of sighted tasting, “You’re not really tasting the wine, you’re tasting the brand,” says sighted tastings. “The message that the producer has brought to the market over one year, five years or 50 years is the dominant message.”
Blind tasting removes those biases and places the focus squarely on what’s in the glass. But even then, agreement is not guaranteed.
Fridjhon describes the judging room as a dynamic environment filled with strong personalities and robust debate. It is not uncommon for one judge to award a wine gold while another sees little merit in it.
“It’s only one person on a panel that has to save a wine, and it’s also one person on a panel who can condemn it,” he says.
These disagreements are not flaws in the process- they are part of its strength. Through discussion, judges revisit wines, challenge assumptions and defend their positions until a consensus emerges.
“We don’t want egos in the tasting room,” adds Mäkinen. “We do want opinions, but we also need to be able to have a constructive conversation.”
What makes a winning wine?
So, what exactly separates a good wine from a trophy-winning one?
The answer is surprisingly nuanced.
For Mäkinen, judging is not about personal preference. Instead, she looks for purity, balance, harmony and complexity.
“It’s not about your personal preference,” she explains. “It’s all about the quality in the glass.”
A winning wine should show clear varietal character, balance between fruit and structure, and a sense of completeness. It should also possess what she describes as “that extra oomph” – an element of complexity, texture and persistence that elevates it above its peers.
Judges assess everything from aroma and flavour to mouthfeel and finish. The question is not simply whether a wine tastes good, but whether it demonstrates excellence relative to its category.
From bulk to beautiful
Perhaps the most compelling story behind the Investec Trophy Wine Show is what it reveals about the transformation of South African wine itself.
Over the past 25 years, South Africa has evolved from being viewed primarily as a producer of inexpensive bulk wine to becoming one of the most exciting wine-producing countries in the world.
“We’ve gone from a completely cynical approach to getting wine onto the shelf of a supermarket into a country which is recognised as being at the very cutting edge of fine, nuanced, individualistic wine,” says Fridjhon.
That transformation has been driven by innovation, old-vine vineyards, world-class winemaking and a willingness to embrace international standards without losing local identity.
For consumers, the significance of a Trophy Wine Show gold medal lies in that journey.
It represents not only quality, but trust.
As Fridjhon puts it: “Anything that gets 95, which is a gold or more, is a wine you can absolutely trust.”
And in a world of endless choice, that may be the most valuable endorsement of all.
