One of our more daunting task for the 2018 Palmetto Wine Competition was assembling a panel of judges who were both highly qualified and also with a developed appreciation for local crafted wine. We’re beyond thrilled with this years team.
David Murphy
David serves as one of our Head Judges. He is a member of the French Broad Vignerons, a group that promotes the wine industry in Western North Carolina. David brings twenty-four hours of education for wine judges under the guidance of AWS certified judges. He also has experience judging several regional wine competitions.
Ryan McCullough
Ryan will serve as our second head judge. He is a level two certified Sommelier and currently working toward advanced level three certification. Ryan has worked for The Sommelier Company in California and as a Wine Educator for The Fresh Market in Western North Carolina. He brings experience as a wine judge from the Miami Beach Wine and Food Festival.
Jeff House
Jeff is the proprietor of Bond Street Wines in Charlotte, North Carolina and Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is one of the most knowledgeable individuals we’ve ever met when it comes to understanding wine and specific wine regions. We visit Jeff often to expand our knowledge and appreciation of different wine regions.
AnneMarie Humm
AnneMarie is the current Chapter Chair of the Emerald City Chapter of the AWS in Greenwood, South Carolina. She is also the South Carolina Regional Vice President of the American Wine Society (AWS). The AWS is a consumer organization that appreciates, celebrates, and shares knowledge about wine.
Jennifer Aycock
Jennifer is an educator and wine blogger based just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. She and her husband Bob, are the brains and personalities behind the blog WineCarolinas. She has participated in several regional conferences aimed at promoting local wines. Jennifer brings a wealth of knowledge about our local wine region.
Bob Aycock
Bob is the other half of the WineCarolinas blogging team. Bob and wife Jennifer, tirelessly promote and soak in knowledge of the local Carolina wine region. Bob brings an astute perspective and well developed appreciation for local crafted wines.
Judging is by blind tasting and wines will be scored utilizing the American Wine Society twenty point scale. Our judges will implement the five S technique, see, swirl, smell, sip, and spit. Each wine is judged on it’s own merit, not against other wines in the competition. Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals will be awarded for eleven categories.
Accept our invitation to join us May 1st at 1:30pm at The Belmont Inn in historic Abbeville, South Carolina as we announce our award winning wines. Following we will have a meet and greet with our judges and a few of the winemakers. Look for our articles after the competition as we detail the results and promote our award winning South Carolina produced wines.
Craft Beverage Marketing and Wine Competitions! 