Image courtesy Australian Pinot Noir Challenge

The Australian Pinot Noir Challenge has returned for its seventh year, with the competition now open for entries from winemakers across the country.

Highlighting the diversity and quality of Australian Pinot Noir, the competition provides a platform for winemakers to showcase their craftsmanship to a broader audience.

After Tasmanian winery Meadowbank won last year’s competition with its 2022 Meadowbank Pinot Noir, winemaker Peter Dredge said he is still reminiscing about the success.

“We only make around 300 cases of this wine, and for such a small producer to take out such an illustrious gong was very special,” said Dredge. “We sold out within ten days of the announcement, and it provided extra traction for our mailing list, which validated what we have been trying to achieve over the last ten or so years. The Challenge is such a tight competition and exceptionally run—we will certainly be entering again.”

The 2024 Challenge

The 2024 show will be chaired by Pinot Noir ‘fanatic’ Tom Carson, who has been labelled a “Pinot Perfectionist” by the Halliday Wine Companion and believes “the sky is the limit” for Australian Pinot Noir. The judging panel will also include Samantha Connew, Gabrielle Poy, Loic Le Calvez, Ben Portet, Anna Pooley, and Tim Perrin, with associates Brendan Hawker and Imogen Dillon.

Over two days of judging, the panel will benchmark the best of Australia’s Pinot Noir regions and wines assessing quality, regional variation, and emerging themes from Australian grapegrowing and winemaking.

Chair of the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge, Lindsay McCall, said he was “incredibly proud” of how the competition had evolved over the years.

“The quality of entries continues to impress us, and it’s truly inspiring to see how winning the Challenge can transform a winery’s trajectory,” said McCall. “We encourage all Pinot Noir producers to enter and be part of this exciting journey.”

Tom Carson, chair of judges added that there was “still so much potential to unlock” in Australian Pinot Noir.

” Judging this show is a highlight because it provides a chance to see how viticulturists and winemakers are mastering this notoriously challenging variety,” he said. “It is in the vineyard where the potential is set, and as the show is judged regionally, it provides an opportunity to showcase what is happening in the region and who the regional stars are.”

“[The competition] is a detailed and precise assessment that offers grapegrowers and winemakers a chance to benchmark themselves against their peers,” said Carson.

Results will be announced at a gala dinner at Cutler & Co in Melbourne on Thursday, the 3rd of October 2024.

Wineries can enter the 2024 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge by visiting pinotchallenge.com.au  and completing the online entry form. The deadline for submissions is Friday 19th August.

Are you a Daily Wine News subscriber? If not, click here to join our mailing list. It’s free!