SPARKLING varieties are set to dominate Printhie Wines’ entries into this year’s National Cool Climate Wine Show (NCCWS).
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Australia’s premier cool climate wine show, which will celebrate its 20th year in 2018, will put the country’s best wines to the test in 37 classes.
Last year, 802 wines were entered by 151 wine makers across the country, with 341 medals awarded during judging.
Printhie Wines was among the trophy winners and scored the Champion Sparkling Wine of the Show for its Printhie Swift 2011 vintage.
NCCWS organiser Michelle Kerr said this year’s milestone wine show would be bigger than ever before and entries remain open until Friday, September 14.
“We’ve got a new venue and our judges are coming from all states of Australia and a judge from New Zealand,” she said.
Ms Kerr said cool climate wines were very on trend and the grapes’ long growing season, in an altitude of at least 600 metres, resulted in a wine that was delicate, balanced and without too much fruit sweetness or oak maturation.
She said the NCCWS’ relocation from Bathurst Showground to Panthers Bathurst this year would give the judges a climate-controlled environment that would allow for a more accurate assessment of each wine.
As a former NCCWS judge, Printhie wine maker Drew Tuckwell said the unheated showground pavilions meant the temperatures varied throughout the day and the light “changed quite markedly”.
“It [the new venue] means that all the wines will be judged in the same conditions, so from a purely technical point of view, it’s a good thing,” he said.
Mr Tuckwell said the NCCWS was a good opportunity to see how their vintages were performing on a national stage and Printhie’s sparkling wines, under the Swift brand, would dominate their entries.
He said cool climate wine shows were important for vignerons and the public, as richer wines from warmer climates could sometimes overshadow cool climate wines that have more complexity and subtlety.
“You’re comparing a bit more like with like,” he said.
The NCCWS runs from October 16-19, with the hugely-popular public tasting event on October 19.
Tickets to the public tasting are $40 each and entry allows people to try all wines entered in the show.
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