Even so, Judges have granted only 129 Awards to the 1,220 entrants. This may be one of the reasons consumers are attracted to wines granted awards by the Sydney International. The competition aims to make its results relevant to winelovers, to help consumers make better choices, to gain more pleasure from their wine selections. For example, the Sydney International does not award Silver and Bronze medals, in the belief that most consumers are not interested in them. Other wine shows issue Gold Medals - to wines that have been judged against other wines.
Food demands different qualities from wine.
The qualities a wine requires to look good in a long line up alongside other wines in the traditional wine show are not necessarily the qualities required to look good alongside appropriate food. Wines that look good alongside appropriate food have more relevance for consumers for, in the main, this is where they will be expected to perform. The finalists are judged in just ten Style Categories with user friendly names such as Lighter Bodied Dry Red Table Wines. Style Categories are likely to be more relevant than Varietal Categories to the consumer seeking to choose a complementary bottle for a particular dish for they give a good indication of the palate weight of the wine. Detailed independent comments by the international panel of judges helps further to fill out the picture on what to expect.