Blind tasting, sour grapes and a small celebration: Ali Bacon compares literary prizes to wine awards.
Natalie at Poulton Hill Vineyard Recently we were lucky enough to Poulton Hill, an English vineyard in the South Cotswolds. This very small enterprise is testament to the 'upside' of climate change - English vineyards are flourishing and winning greater acclaim every year. Our guide Natalie, co-manager of the vineyard, gave us a hands-on account of the challenges, not to mention the physical labour, involved in planting, training and harvesting vines in this country. The tour was of course followed by a tasting of their award-winning wines, from bottles bearing medallions from a number of wine competitions. One of our fellow tour members asked if these were earned from 'blind' tasting which Natalie assured us they were, i.e. they were competing against much bigger and longer established producers but removal of labels establishes a level playing field. Poulton wines In writing it's also the norm for any major short story competition to be judged ...