Reviews

The Critics Panel, No. 001

How our AWR critics taste together in a panel, replicated for a table of AWR Founding Members.

15 July 2026

Our first version of Critic Panel, named 001, was held on 6 July 2026 at Praelum Wine Bistro. (Photo Credit: Jaclene Liew)

A question the team kept getting asked: how do the critics actually taste together? This series named the Critics Panel is our answer: a live, public version of the process that normally happens behind closed doors.

Gerald Lu hosted the first session on 6 July 2026. Beyond the obvious charisma and relatability, Gerald is AWR's Lead Founding Critic; and alongside Tan Ying Hsien MW and Editor Jaclene Liew, he has spent months iterating on AWR's tasting methodology. No one was better placed to open the series.

The wine list did two things at once: it replicated how our critics taste together, and it exposed attendees to styles they might never otherwise choose. Every bottle was tasted blind. Producer and price point were withheld throughout, exactly as they are in an AWR panel tasting.

Wines were tasted blind, with no producer or price point revealed. (Photo Credit: Jaclene Liew)

Gerald walked the room through the AWR 100-point scale for the first time in public. 85–89 is bronze. 90–94 is silver. 95–100 is gold. The bar is deliberately higher than most medal systems because for AWR, gold should mean something, not be handed out on volume.

Wine 1: 2019 Armand Heitz, Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc de Noirs

Most of the room landed at low silver. Both critics settled on high bronze. It was an interesting start, perhaps the context of it being traditional method but not from Champagne resulted in a higher score from the attendees.

Wine 2: 2025 Dal Bello, Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Millesimato Demi-Sec

The room called it bronze, misreading the sweetness as low quality, a common misconception no doubt. The Brown Brothers Moscato comparison came up more than once. The critics disagreed, placing it mid-silver, and were clear: the sweetness is a style, not a flaw. The wine was otherwise aromatic and has sufficient concentration, with the sugar carrying the finish. In this case, the sugar helped the wine.

Wine 3: 2023 Domaine Numa Cornut, Bourgogne Aligoté

The critics scored 91–92. The room scored low bronze. Perhaps it was the unfamiliarity with Aligoté, a grape not often chosen the first choice when drinking a white Burgundy. This Aligoté had oak structure to carry the mid palate, with the classic Aligoté phenolic grip but another texture added.

Wine 5: 2023 Comando G, La Bruja De Rozas

High bronze across the board, but the attendees wouldn't cross into silver. For most, brett and volatile acidity were overpowering the fruit. Event attendee Alicia Sim, a recreational wine drinker, disagreed, saying that "I'm never a fan of barnyard funk in wines. Surprisingly this funk gave the wine an invigorating earthy freshness that complemented its red fruits perfectly."

Wine 6: 2022 Wasenhaus, Spätburgunder Grand Ordinaire

The most divisive wine of the night, with scores ranged from 79 to 95. Several in the room said this simply wasn't what Pinot Noir should taste like: too light and fizzy for a European expression. Those who scored it well understood something the others didn't: it was a wine crafted with extreme discipline and skill, low intervention yet clean. Critics agreed that the grape typicity is the whole point: you can tell it's definitely Pinot Noir. But the winemaker's hand is perhaps too visible and the terroir gets covered. Strong, but not gold.

Wine 7: An Unexpected Blind.

Event attendee Matthew Teo kindly brought along a bottle to blind taste. Gerald and Jaclene were divided on this. Jaclene rated it 88, claiming that the oak strong smoky vanilla overpowered the fruitiness and earthiness she otherwise enjoys in a Bordeaux blend. The finish was a little lacking. She also admitted that this is not her usual preference, and hence it definitely resulted in her marking the wine down when she shouldn't. Gerald disagreed, scoring it 94 and saying that the integration of the oak with the wine was seamless. It was a bottle of Vigne de Niew Année 2016, which Matthew had preciously cellared for the past ten years. This wine is made by Singaporean winemaker Niew Tai-Ran, who is now based in Oregon and making wines as Niew Vineyards.

Event was hosted by Gerald Lu, AWR's Lead Founding Critic and the Owner of Praelum Wine Bistro. (Photo Credit: Asia Wine Review)

It was Alicia’s first attending an AWR event, and as she puts it, “I really enjoyed the open and candid discussions, and how Gerald was able to translate our observations into insightful explanations that help us understand each wine better.”

The point was never only the wine. It was a room willing to taste blind, discover together, and have the humility to admit that more often than not, preference clouds objectivity. A lesson that us all as critics, constantly gets humbled by.

Event was held at Praelum Wine Bistro at Duxton Road.