Poker players have nothing on wine judges at the Minnesota State Fair.
"You have to maintain a stoic face," said Peter Hemstad, who's been a fair judge for 23 years. "Certainly when the judging's over, we talk about 'Did you try raspberry 403?' but while we're tasting, we have to minimize any clues so as not to bias the other judges."
That's not always easy. After some wines are eliminated in preliminary tastings, a panel of judges assesses the finalists on such facets as body, aroma, balance, finish and, of course, flavor. Each judge is assigned several categories, and "the wines are generally good at that point," Hemstad said, although Lot No. 22 can be a bit daunting.
"The 'any other' category is always intriguing because you never know what you'll get," said Hemstad, the University of Minnesota's viticulturalist. "Once in a while, I've wondered if it's a disgruntled entrant who's never won before and made something to get back at the judges. Sometimes you have to write 'Why?' We've had green-bean wine, jalapeño wine, beet wine -- wonderful color, but lacking in body, finish and flavor -- corn, potato. I mean, there's a reason why people distill potatoes into vodka and not wine.
"I guess the all-time kicker was a wine just labeled 'Surprise A.W.' I was one of the last judges, and by the time it got to me, I was pretty sure the A.W. stood for army worm. Once it was swishing around my mouth, I got to thinking about all those army worms in a bucket.
"I didn't swallow that one."
Sometimes a poker face is simply not an option.
BILL WARD
