SacBee: Dunne on Wine Competitions

MikeDunne as an interesting & thought-provoking article in today's SacBee:
DunneOnWineCompetitions

on how he'd improve wine competitions in this country.

He knows of what he speaks. Mike's been a judge in a GadZillion (well...maybe only a BaZillion) of wine competitions around this GreatNation.
I particularly like his idea of a full accounting of expenses & expenditures. Many of these competitions, as well as many of the various wine festivals, are run as non-profits and to fund various philanthropic programs. It would be nice to see where the money and how much actually goes. I know of one wine festival where the BoD meets periodically at plush resorts, w/ extravagant meals & wines involved, over a weekend, allegedly to do planning. I asked one of the BoD members how I could see an accounting of the huge $$'s, inflow & outflow, that sustains the festival. I was bluntly told it was none of my business.
Same thing, as Mike espouses, of an accounting of all the btls of wine submitted by the wineries.
Anyway...Mike's ideas are worth hearing out. Most of us pretty widely dismiss the various wine competitions as being shams or of little credibility. His ideas might bring some credence to these medal competitions.
Tom

The article is behind a pop-up paywall that prevents its reading on-screen. But I was, nonetheless, able to print the article & read it that way.

Yeah, there's a lot of behind-the-scenes going on in some of the competitions that could bear a little sunlight.

The resort weekend is only one.

Another, and more egregious scam is setting the rules so a participating winery not only has to pay a fee, but usually has to submit a certain number of bottles. Duplicate bottles might be required in case of flaws (cork taint, usually), so that judges can give a wine a "second chance", Or if a wine gets up to the finals, you'll need a second bottle at least. Many comps. require four bottles; which works out well because the great majority don't make it past bottle one, so the other three bottles go to the comp. runner, either in his/her cellar or doled out to the volunteers as recompense for their (usually hard and exacting) work. This is pretty standard and expected.

Judges are usually the least recompensed. They might get stipends to cover transportation and meals, or get group meals during the events, but it usually doesn't amount to all that much. I don't think I've ever realized any sort of monetary profit, even from the big comps., and most comps. I have done entirely gratis.

Full disclosure should be, I think, a requirement. LIke you, Tom, I have suspicions whether the "charity" gets the benefit rather than the officers. Trust, but verify, right?