Organisers of the 2013 Marlborough Wine Show have two reasons to celebrate and the wines haven’t even been judged yet.

Firstly, wine writer and Managing Editor of the USA’s influential Wine Enthusiast Magazine, Joe Czerwinski will be joining the judging team and secondly, entries have exceeded 500.

Commenting on the appointment of Joe, Competition Director, Belinda Jackson says, “The USA offers so much potential for Marlborough – this is a great opportunity to showcase the region to one of their most respected wine writers.”

Noting the number of wines entered, Jackson continues, “To receive this many entries is an endorsement of what the Marlborough Wine Show set out to achieve. It has evolved into an important industry event that reveals and promotes the next level of the Marlborough story.”

Judging takes place on Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 October together with industry tastings at the end of each day. An auction of unopened wines not required during the judging process will be held at 6pm on the Wednesday with proceeds returned to the industry via the Cresswell Jackson New Zealand Wine Trust.