Photo Chloe Smith Photography
Australia’s National Cool Climate Wine Show has started its 2023 edition with a call for entries.
Chair of this year’s show, Felicity Baines, said entries were now open and close on August 4, 2023. Entries need to be sent to National Cool Climate Wine Show, C/- Bathurst Visitors Information Centre, 1 Kendall Avenue, Bathurst.
It is the 24th edition of the Show, held in Bathurst, NSW, and is one of the largest cool climate specific events of its kind in Australia.
Supported by the huge entry portfolio, the Show has become a principal Australian cool climate wine show since its conception in 1998. The Show will run from 29 August to 1 September at the Bathurst Campus of Charles Sturt University.
Show Regulations have been amended to ease the restrictions based upon commercial labelling and sale of recently finished wines.
“This year judging will be earlier, and we acknowledge some finished wines may not be available for sale at the time of entering”, said Felicity Baines.
All exhibits in medal classes shall be finished wine made wholly in Australia utilising only Australian cool climate sourced grapes and are to be bottled and sealed during a commercial bottle run at the time of entry.
The Chief Judge is Russell Cody of Calabria Family Wines and formerly chief winemaker at McWilliams Wines.
Russell started winemaking in 1989 and joined the McWilliam’s team back in 1995. Russell is a senior winemaker, wine judge and one of the most respected wine experts in the industry. Other judges are Sophie Otton (independent wine consultant, educator, writer and presenter), Andrew Higgins (Tamburlaine), Chris Carpenter (Larks Hill), Geoff Alexander (Brown Brothers), Nadja Wallington (Chalou Wines), Jaden Hall (Mount Pleasant Wines).
Sophie Otton was recently chief judge for the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show.
Andrew Higgins, formally of McWilliams, joined Tamburlaine as Head of Winemaking for the Orange Region. Andrew forms part of a growing crew of winemaking talent at Tamburlaine and has accumulated all the required technical skills supplemented with international experience in France and the US.
Chris Carpenter is with Canberra’s Lark Hill Wines and has a broad spectrum of judging experience from small and focused wine shows, through to the National Wine Show. Chris was a Young Gun of Wine finalist in 2017, and Young Gun of Wine Trophy Winner in 2018.
Geoff Alexander from Brown Brothers began studying winemaking at the University of Adelaide in 2002. He graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons) (Oenology) in 2004, along the way collecting the Brokenwood Wines Prize (top second year student) and a University Medal in 2007. Geoff has judged at numerous wine shows including Rutherglen, Swan Hill, Cairns, The Australian Small Winemakers Show and the Australian Cool Climate wine show.
Nadja Wallington, co-owner of ChaLou Wines, in Orange, was 2022 Wine Magazine’s Young Gun Winemaker of the Year. Nadja studied at Charles Sturt University then worked in Bordeaux, California and Cote-Rotie and has been a member of the Wine Australia Future Leaders course.
Jaden Hall from Mt Pleasant Wines in the Hunter Valley was an associate judge at last year’s NCCWS and was awarded the 2022 Alasdair Sutherland Scholarship at last year’s Hunter Valley Wine Show.
Are you a Daily Wine News subscriber? If not, click here to join our mailing list. It’s free!
