Wine in Focus | Inside the judging room: How wines win

About this episode

This episode explores the judging process of the Investec Trophy Wine Show and the criteria for winning wines.

Ever wondered what actually happens behind closed doors at a wine competition? How do judges decide what makes a wine exceptional and what separates a gold medal from the rest? In this episode of Wine in Focus, Palesa Mapheelle is joined by local wine doyenne, Michael Fridjhon and Wine Master and international judge, Heidi Makinen. Together, they explain the rigorous judging process of the Investec Trophy Wine Show, what they look for in a winning wine, how to navigate judges’ disagreements and the importance of wine competitions to the local wine industry. KEY MOMENTS: 00:00: Intro 00:38: Recognising the devastating storms suffered by the Western Cape winelands 01:47: Why are competitions necessary? 03:23: Comparing Investec Trophy Wine Show to other international competitions 04:26: Shaping consumer perceptions 05:43: The mechanics of judging 09:09: Judge’s chemistry 10:07: Explaining a flight of wines 10:34: Finding consensus between judges 13:47: Ensuring judge neutrality 15:14: The importance of blind tasting 18:00: What makes a winning wine? 20:20: SA wine industry transformation over 25 years: from bulk to beautiful 23:13: The Investec Trophy wine show “guarantee” 24:33…

People in this episode

Host: Palesa Mapheelle

Guests: Michael Fridjhon, Heidi Makinen

Topics covered

• wine competition
• judging process
• Investec Trophy Wine Show
• wine industry
• blind tasting

Keywords

• wine competition
• judging
• Investec Trophy Wine Show
• wine industry
• blind tasting
• gold medal
• wine quality

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Investec Trophy Wine Show

Places: Western Cape

More episodes of Investec Focus Radio SA

• Macro Monday Ep118: US economic data point to higher interest rates · June 8, 2026 · 10 min
• Wine as an asset: what collectors look for · June 4, 2026 · 27 min
• NOW Ep 128 : The dragon’s new terms · June 3, 2026 · 18 min
• Everything Counts: Sports Edition | Teboho Mokoena - How Teboho Mokoena learned to respect money · June 2, 2026 · 27 min
• Macro Monday Ep117: Tech sector lifts emerging markets · June 1, 2026 · 11 min
• Macro Monday Ep116: Don’t expect much lower energy prices soon · May 25, 2026 · 11 min