A vintage show for region
GEELONG Wine Show judges have praised the local offerings at an awards dinner, with the region’s chardonnay and shiraz receiving considerable praise.
Chief judge Robert Paul and his team of top noses awarded 18 gold medals, 31 silver and 57 bronze as hundreds of wine makers, growers and retailers from across the Bellarine Peninsula, Surf Coast and Moorabool wine regions united to celebrate the local offerings last week.
“The sauvignon blancs were separated into oaked and non-oaked classes, recognising that many producers are opting for the former style in an effort to make more complex, interesting, food-friendly wines,” Mr Paul said. “I can only applaud this direction.”
He said the standard of the 187 entries was “exceptional” and praised the chardonnay varieties, particularly the 2016 and 2017 drops.
Gold medals awarded were to Oakdene for its 2016 Peta’s Chardonnay, Marcus Hill for its 2016 chardonnay, and Ponda Estate for its 2014 chardonnay.
“The more I see of Geelong chardonnay, the more impressed I am. The best examples have an extraordinary richness and depth with masses of fruit sweetness,” Mr Paul said.
“And the single gold medal for sparkling wines is in fact a Blanc de Blanc made entirely from chardonnay.”
While there was little praise for pinot gris and pinot grigio there was a push for more rose to be produced.
In the reds, pinot noir was “very strong: but over-oaking did detract from some otherwise excellent wines, Mr Paul said.
For shiraz, however, he congratulated the entries and said — “buy them with confidence, drink them now or put them in your cellar to develop”.
The shiraz class was strong, receiving 42 entries and attracting five gold medals.
The gold medals were awarded to Scotchmans Hill for its 2016 shiraz, Provenance Wines for its 2016 Geelong shiraz, Oakdene for its 2016 Shiraz, Terindah Estate for its 2015 Single Vineyard Shiraz and Barwon Bank for its 2015 shiraz.
The awards also saw Ken and Joy Campbell inducted into the hall of fame. They were among the first resurgents in the local industry who planted their vineyard at Mt Duneed in 1970.
Mr Paul also said next month’s Victorian Wine Show had received a substantial government grant under the Regional Growth Fund to promote the state’s wines and improve technical knowledge.