Point of View: The Japan Wine Challenge, A New Zealand Judge's Perspective

The Japan Wine Challenge is one of Asia’s longest-running international wine competitions, attracting entries from around the world. It is co-chaired by Katsuyuki Tanaka, one of Japan’s most respected wine judges, alongside Chris Martin MW, from the United Kingdom. Over the course of the show, hundreds of wines are assessed by an international panel of experts drawn from across the wine trade.

As an international judge, one of my responsibilities is serving as a panel chair – working with a different group of Japanese judges each day, guiding discussion and helping the panel calibrate its scoring. Among the international judges were fellow New Zealander Liz Wheldon of Normanby Cellars, along with Masters of Wine from Australia, the UK and Europe. One of the most striking differences between New Zealand wine shows and the Japan Wine Challenge is the professional makeup of the judging panels. In New Zealand, most judges come from a winemaking background. In Japan, only two of us were winemakers, with the majority of judges local sommeliers, wine importers and retailers, representing everything from major hospitality groups to small family-owned restaurants and specialist wine businesses.

Almost all had completed WSET qualifications and approached the task with focus and discipline. My role was often to encourage judges to trust their instincts, apply the judging scale confidently and identify those wines that truly stood out from the field. Their perspective was also refreshingly different from my own. Many of the Japanese judges viewed wines through the lens of their customers: how a wine would perform in the market, how it would pair with food and whether it suited Japanese dining culture.

For New Zealand producers with wines available in Japan, I would strongly recommend entering the competition. The Japan Wine Challenge enjoys considerable credibility within the local trade, and importers, retailers and sommeliers pay close attention to the results. This is incredibly important in a country where reputation is everything.

I was also invited to present a masterclass on New Zealand wine. One year I chose to highlight two smaller and less familiar stories by featuring Valli’s Waitaki Pinot Noir alongside my own experience producing méthode traditionnelle blanc de blancs in Wairarapa. It was an opportunity to showcase the diversity and regional character that New Zealand wine can offer beyond its more established categories.

After the final day of judging, I was asked to participate in the sake judging. I use the word ‘judge’ somewhat loosely, as I suspect my scores were politely set aside by the sake experts! The breadth of styles, textures and flavours found in sake is every bit as diverse as wine, and observing experienced sake judges at work was a fascinating experience.

For me, participating in a major international wine competition is about much more than awarding medals. It is an opportunity to broaden my perspective, deepen my judging experience and taste an extraordinary range of wines from around the world. On any given day, I might move from evaluating Grand Cru Champagne to Assyrtiko from Greece and then on to Nebbiolo from Mexico. Few experiences offer such a remarkable snapshot of the global wine landscape.

To enter go to japanwinechallenge.com/how-to-enter/entry-form.

Jane Cooper is the winemaker/owner of Alexia Urban Winery in Greytown, Wairarapa and Chair of Judges of The National Wine Awards of Aotearoa New Zealand.