National Guild of Wine and Beer Judges

ADMISSION TO THE GUILD

Admission to the Guild is by examination.

Candidates for membership as wine judges must have at least four years of practical experience in wine making and must have acted as steward to a member of the Guild at an approved wine competition.

Candidates for membership as beer judges must have at least four years of practical experience in beer making and must have acted as steward to a member of the Guild at an approved beer competition.

All candidates must meet at least one of the following requirements:

have won two or more awards at approved shows where members of the National Guild of Wine and Beer Judges judged the appropriate classes.
In the smaller approved shows the awards must be First, Second or Third. In the larger Federation Shows and the National Show, Highly Commended is acceptable in classes of over 30 entries.
have acted as a judge at recognised Federation shows for at least two years.

Candidates must agree to accept the decision of the Examining Board.

Candidates, where possible, should be sponsored by a member of the Guild and ideally should have undergone a training course tutored by a Guild member who would agree to act as sponsor.

EXAMINATION PROCEDURE
Candidates should apply to the Hon. Secretary for the appropriate prospectus and application form (wine or beer). A list of approved shows will also be supplied on request.

There are two Chief Examiners, one for wine, the other for beer. Completed application forms should be sent with the first payment to the appropriate Chief Examiner, who will confirm acceptance or rejection of the application.

The examination consists of two parts.

The Part I Examination

Part I is organised regionally throughout the year and consists of examinations on the relevant parts of the Guild Handbook and on the Theory and Practice of wine making or beer making.
A fee is payable by each candidate applying to take Part I with a further fee payable when accepted for Part II.
Candidates must pass Part I before taking Part II of the examination. Candidates who fail Part I are sent a report giving reasons for failure and an indication when they may retake the examination.

The Part II Examination
Each Chief Examiner prepares a selection of wines or beers representative of the range of quality found in the major amateur shows.
This selection is judged by a panel of at least three examining judges prior to the examination, and master judging sheets are prepared against which to assess each candidate's performance.
The candidates are invited to judge the wines or beers according to the procedures laid down in this handbook. Candidates may also be required to undergo olfactory tests.
Each candidate's examination paper is assessed by the adjudicating panel, where necessary rechecking the wines or beers to clarify anomalies.
Candidates who fail Part II are sent a report giving reasons for failure and an indication when they may retake the examination.
Any unsuccessful candidate may apply for re-examination. After two re-examinations in either Part I or Part II, a candidate may continue only at the discretion of the appropriate Chief Examiner.
After each Part II examination the respective Chief Examiner (Wine or Beer) will send the names of the successful candidates to the Hon. Secretary who will then invite them to become members of the Guild.

Last updated: 05/02/11