welcome our judges
11
WELCOME OUR JUDGES! Officially named the world’s largest spirits and wine competition in the US, PR%F Awards, judges travel across the US to create spirits, wines, and beverages in a proprietary 100-point rating system. Each judge is a key buyer and decision maker in the spirits/wine industries and comes from different facets of the industry: distributors, retail, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, resorts, airlines, liquor stores, box chains, and online distributors. PR%F Awards 2021 launched a new dual adult beverage competition format to include two competitions in one—PR%F Awards-Masked, The Double-Blind Tasting, and PR%F Awards-Unmasked, The Total Package. After tasting points are accumulated, the distinguished panel of judges (all buyers) will evaluate each brand unmasked, showing their naked contents. Judges will see and feel the bottle, can, or product, read the ingredients and see the overall marketing package (look, feel, and approach) the brands want to convey to the patron. This prestigious honor for winners selected by beverage industry buyers is the ultimate competition with more than 300 categories. PR%F Awards thanks all of its judges and showcases the experts that participate.
PR%F the Magazine
Matthew-Lorèn Lindsey, Sommelier
Sommelier Matthew-Lorèn Lindsey has spent the last 15 years as a wine collector and industry leader in the wine space as an importer and distributor in the Las Vegas casino market. He is the lead sommelier and wine judge for the PR%F Awards, the largest doubleblind wine and spirit competition in the United States. He serves as the Executive Sommelier and Director of Wine for the National Blended Festival, curating the wine experience for thousands of festival attendees. Additionally, he is the founder of Appellation Wine Brands, a luxury lifestyle company that creates wine brands for restaurant groups, hotels, and private companies. Matthew shares his passion for wine as the founder and educator of The Advanced Wine Course.com, an e-learning platform for wine enthusiasts and novists. He is the creator of advancedwinecourse.com, an online wine course. He is the Sommelier and Director of Fine Wine at West Coast Beverages (import and distribution company).\
