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<pre>The European regional names (or at least the better ones) provide a
more sensible alternative to medals. Not only do medals suffer from the
"sample of one" problem but the whole concept is fundamentally flawed.
The ultimate choice of the "best" oil or wine or whatever is personal.
Having attended tasting sessions for wine in France I have found that
working from the other end is much sounder. The better regional names
eliminate from the bottom rather that rewarding the best. I found that
30 or 40 winemakers all agreed on the bad wines that should be
eliminated from the regional name while opinions were split on the
best. From the consumers point of view eliminating the bad oils makes
more sense that awarding medals at obscure shows or competitions.

Cheers Brian Chatterton
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