Judges swirl, smell, swish and sip the wines making notes as they evaluate the entries. They mostly spit to avoid intoxication. Prompted by the judging coordinator, they express their choice for a non-medal, bronze, silver or gold for every wine. The panel coordinator brings the panel to consensus concerning the awarding of medals. An entry needs at least three votes from a panel of five for it to become a medal winner.
Judges become quite vocal in describing the merits of individual wines.
Often, the different wine styles are discussed or the panel interprets the winemaker s intent. Then the panel selects the best wine in each division it has judged. Panels are dissolved and the entire group evaluates the division winners in a Sweepstakes Round, awarding one best red and one best white wine in the competition. These entries are respectively called the Red Sweepstakes and White Sweepstakes winners. They are the most sought after at the public tasting and usually sell out on the retail level shortly after the public announcement.