Judge Matt Skinner... at the Canberra Regional Wine Show. Photo: Katherine Griffiths
Judges at the Canberra Regional Wine Show have been wildly impressed this week by the quality of wines from the district in 2012 and 2013, with nearly a quarter of the rieslings and shirazes entered in the show scoring gold medals.
It’s a medal rate much higher than usual in wine shows and indicates that Canberra winemakers have put the difficult wet years behind them and are back to form.
Chairman of judges Mike Bennie says the quality of riesling and shiraz was a marked step up on last year.
Chairman of judges Mike Bennie. Photo: Katherine Griffiths
“I’ve never judged two better classes of wine, I don’t think, in my judging history,” he said, taking a break from judging on Thursday.
“I mean they were incredible wines – rieslings of incredible poise and purity, intensity and delicacy, and shiraz of glorious aromatics and medium-bodied elegance. And diversity in both as well.”
Bennie, who has just finished judging in the NSW wine awards and the Adelaide top 100 awards, said the Canberra wines captured the in-vogue styles for wine experts – spicy and elegant reds, and purity, subtle complexity and intensity in the whites, without heavy-handed winemaking influence.
Judging at the Canberra Regional Wine Show. Photo: Katherine Griffiths
He also highlighted the “extraordinary roll call” of top producers who enter the Canberra show.
"When you consider nationally the concentration of premium fine wine producers in the Canberra district and surrounds, it’s almost unrivalled in any regional wine show - Clonakilla, Ravensworth, Eden Road Wines, Helm, Lark Hill - it’s epic,” Bennie said.
The Canberra show is the only show that renowned winemaker Clonakilla enters, entering as a show of support for the district.
Clonakilla has nothing to gain from wine show accolades, given the status of its wines, and plenty to lose from rogue results, and still withholds its flagship shiraz viognier from all shows.
Mike Bennie has judged at the Canberra show for four years. This is his first year as chairman.
Fellow judge Matt Skinner is a wine writer and sommelier, who founded Fifteen Restaurant with Jamie Oliver and Tobie Puttock and hosts the television series Tobie and Matt.
This is his first year as a judge at the Canberra show. The pair is joined by local winemaker Nick O’Leary on the judging panel.
The show received 233 entries, up 25 per on last year, with winners announced on Friday evening.
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