Our Background
At the time we were established – back in 1967 – the wine industry in Canada was still in its early years. As a country, we were still exploring what worked best in our wine regions, and the wine industry here was fighting for recognition both at home and abroad.
As the Wine Judges of Canada (WJC) now approaches its 54th anniversary, we can be proud of the role we have played in establishing Canada as an important and respected voice in the international conversation about wine. Our wine industry is now acknowledged as a world leader, and our professional and amateur winemakers are competitive with their counterparts in wine regions around the world!
Our non-profit association is one of the longest running wine judging and assessment organizations in North America. The WJC proudly offers its exceptional and highly regarded training program for wine judges: the oldest program of its type in North America.
The Wine Judges of Canada (WJC) is a professional organization of knowledgeable individuals who apply their skills to objectively evaluate wines of all styles. With an understanding of winemaking techniques, these judges provide concise commentaries to influence product enhancement, as well as to define and reward quality of excellence in the wine industry. A major goal of the organization is to continuously train members and interested parties in technical advances and systematic wine evaluation.
Footnote: Established in 1967, the Wine Judges of Canada was incorporated in 2006 under the laws of the Canada Corporations Act and the Regulations of the Minister of Industry , and was incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation (as per letters of Patent 435726-4)
How We Judge
We organize and conduct wine competitions from start to finish in a professional, unbiased manner with the assistance of our trained, experienced support staff of Stewards, data entry personnel and administrators.
Our members provide unbiased wine assessments and winemaking critiques.
Our judges work on a fee-for-service basis and are available to provide professional support for your wine-related initiative. Many of our judges have shared their expertise extensively in successful wine events such as:
1. Judging wine competitions both amateur and commercial throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe;
2. Facilitate Your Wine Competition. Create a turnkey operation in your region or country.
The Wine Judges of Canada will include the following services related to this formal competition:
Collection of the wines
Trained Stewards to document and pour the double blind taste wines
All required glassware
A custom designed results database and data base manager to process the results
Summaries of all results to the organizers
Certification of the results
Appropriate certificates and medals for winning wines
Participate at the Festival to present the winners and educate consumers.
All wines will be judged using a standard double blind system. Awards will be granted based on published WJC standards as defined for Gold, Silver and Bronze in each submission wine category.
3. Leading a tutored wine tasting event as a social event or a fundraiser;
4. Offering expert presentations on wine appreciation and assessment;
5. Providing professional feedback to amateur and commercial winemakers on various winemaking techniques and blending outcomes;
6. Participating in wine industry tasting panels;
7. Preparing or reviewing wine marketing notes and product descriptors for commercial winemakers of all sizes;
8. Assisting restaurants and chefs in the expert development of wine lists from Canadian wines to complement their restaurant or menu themes;
9. Supporting or providing independent endorsement of superior wine products.
Who We’ve Judged
The judges of the WJC participate in a wide range of industry events across North America. Over the past few years, for example, you could expect to find our WJC judges at the following established wine events:
All Canadian Wine Championships
Ontario Wine Awards
Canadian Commercial Cider Competition (TAPS)
Winemakers Magazine Competition
Finger Lakes Wine Competition
Lake Erie International Wine Competition and Show
Simcha Agency Kosher Wines
Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition
Amateur Winemakers of Ontario (annual event – 800 entries)
Amateur Winemakers of Canada
Wine clubs across Ontario
County fairs
Agriculture and Agrifood Canada
Fruit Winery Association of Canada
Chapters-sponsored wine events (by location)
Les Grands Concours du Monde, France