On judging wine, writing about it, and teaching it

Wine is one of the few products where geography, history, chemistry, and human craft converge in a single glass. To judge it seriously is to read that convergence quickly and fairly, under conditions that are deliberately blind. At international competitions such as the Berliner Wine Trophy, the Frankfurt International Trophy, and the Lyon International Wine Competition, panels evaluate hundreds of wines against the 100-point OIV scale — a disciplined process that strips away label, price, and reputation, leaving only what the senses can defend. The value of that work is not the medal itself but the calibrated palate it requires: a judge who cannot be swayed by packaging is a more useful guide for producers and consumers alike.

Writing about wine is the second discipline. A tasting note is a small, honest piece of journalism — it must be specific without being pretentious, useful without being prescriptive. Through the Oenognosia platform and contributions to trade and academic publications, the aim is to treat wine as a cultural subject rather than a lifestyle accessory: to write about indigenous Cypriot varieties, about the economics of small producers, and about the way wine regions construct identity. Good wine writing should leave the reader both better informed and more curious, never intimidated.

Teaching is where the first two disciplines pay their debt forward. Whether in a masterclass for hospitality staff, a sensory analysis workshop for trade buyers, or a conference on wine tourism, education is what turns private expertise into shared standards. The recent development of StudyWine.ai extends this idea — using structured assessment and intelligent tools to make professional-grade wine knowledge reachable for learners who cannot attend a traditional course.

Taken together, judging, writing, and teaching form a single practice: understanding wine deeply enough to evaluate it, communicate it, and pass it on. That practice is what this site documents — and what every project linked from it, from the Cyprus Wine Expo to academic research, is built to advance.