Here is what Accredited Sommelier and wine judge J. Phillip Nicholson said about “Canada and Bordeaux: Dawn of a New Millenium” National Capital Sommelier Guild Co-Founder and Governor J. Phillip Nicholson was extremely impressed with what he called the “impeccable transparency and professionalism” of the event. “The Vendange Institute did everything right to ensure the highest standards of objectivity in the tasting”, he noted. “What was particularly impressive was the extent to which the organizers went beyond the ordinary measures for an unbiased tasting. Sure, the wines were tasted blind, served at consistent temperatures and tasted from proper - and squeaky clean - tasting glasses under near-ideal lighting conditions. But it was all the extra measures they took that placed the comparison tasting beyond scrutiny.” “Most noteworthy”, Mr. Nicholson stated, “was the fact that a very large number of experienced tasters – more than 60 in all – were engaged, and that scores below 70 were excluded from results. This virtually eliminated the possibility that one or two extreme scores – “outliers” - could unduly influence the overall average rating”. “Moreover”, he observed, “any opened wines that showed apparent flaws prior to the tasting were eliminated, and the remaining valid wines blended together. In this way all judges tasted on an absolutely level playing field, and each entry was assured of “showing its best”. An equal number of representative wines from each of the three regions – British Columbia, Ontario and Bordeaux - were tasted”. “I appreciated the fact that the sequenced line-up of wines was chosen strictly at random, that serving flasks and tasting glasses were carefully numbered to eliminate any possibility of mix-ups, and that only one individual – the overall organizer – knew the final official order of wines being tasted.” “You can’t make a tasting any more ‘blind’ than that”, Nicholson declared. (Mr. Nicholson is the Co-Founder, first President and now Governor of the National Capital Sommelier Guild, 1997 Ottawa Wine Person of the Year, and Wine Judge for the Epicurean Awards and Cellars of the World competitions.)