Some people have all the luck. For three days each June, I am one lucky guy. I have the privilege of swirling, swishing, sniffing, tasting and — most importantly — spitting more than 400 wines during the three days of judging the 32nd annual San Francisco International Wine Competition.

The competition, the brainchild of wine guru and publisher Anthony Dias Blue, is unique because the evaluation is done by a three-person panel on a blind, consensual procedure. That means that in order for a wine to be awarded a double gold medal, all three judges must agree to grant a gold medal. From there, only a handful of double gold winners are nominated to go on to the sweepstakes round, where they are judged by all 49 judges, a prestigious panel of nationally recognized wine experts, on the final day of the competition. So only the best of the best wines earn the Best in Show title.