What makes a good wine?
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Balance, good intensity, length of palate, finesse of tannin and dominant aromas are key characteristics that judges will be looking for this year.
The best wines from the Heathcote region will be put to the test under a panel of judges who have been tasked to find a trophy winner within each of the twelve classes for the 2018 Saint Martin Wine Show.
The wine show’s committee chairman and Heathcote winemaker Ian Hopkins said the number of entries had increased from previous years.
“We held the first wine show in 2013 and for a few years we received around 200 entries,” Mr Hopkins said.
“However, this year we have over 300.”
Mr Hopkins operates Tellurian Wines with his son Daniel and has been involved in the wine industry for decades.
Growing up along the Victorian-NSW border, he was born and bred in wine country.
“With Rutherglen across the river I did a bit of work in vineyards during the school holidays and when I was older I would return on my university break to work,” Mr Hopkins said.
He had his heart set on getting involved with the Heathcote region after falling in love with a wine he tasted at the Victorian Wine Festival in the mid 1980s.
And when the opportunity came up to get involved with a vineyard in Heathcote, he jumped at the chance.
One of the major changes to the region he has noticed is an increase in the production of other wine varietals, beyond Heathcote's flagship shiraz.
“The major evolution that is occurring in Heathcote is a switch from shiraz to white wine production,” Mr Hopkins said.
“We have seen a diverse range of white emerge such as riesling, fiano, marsanne, viognier and chardonnay.
“In subsequent years we will have to split the white wine class up as more varieties keep emerging.”
Over the course of two days a panel of judges will meticulously taste and score each of the wines, eventually narrowing them down to award a gold, silver and bronze medal within each class.
Sue Bell is the chair of judges for the show and believes having multiple judges with different perspectives allows for a balanced analysis of each wine class.
“It's a complete blind tasting,” Ms Bell said.
“Along our tables all we will see is a row of glasses and will be given the basic details of the wine such as its year and variety.
“All of the wines get a chance to be tasted by a fresh palate.”
The first stage of tasting involves selecting the “good wines” and the judges will then converge to refine the shortlist down so they can award medals within each class.
“The multiple layers of scrutiny helps us draw out the better wines," Ms Bell said.
"We analyse all the results and learn from each other which allows us to give rounded feedback to the winemakers."
Factors such as geography, geology, handling of fruit and cultural practices can all change the end flavour of the wine.
“Most people who are interested in wine are fascinated by why it tastes the way it does when it comes from different locations,” Ms Bell said.
“We are seeing improvements in the younger Mediterranean wines, they were once quite obscure throughout the region and have now become examples of quality wines.”
However, the one variety that stands out to her is Heathcote's classic shiraz.
“They have a lovely earthy stony character that is exclusive to Heathcote,” Ms Bell said.
“As a judge, I'm looking for something that I can't find elsewhere.”
Mr Hopkins said Heathcote’s geographic location was ideal for growing shiraz.
“The great thing about our region is there’s enough elevation for ideal growth and ideal temperatures during the summer,” Mr Hopkins said.
“And because of the elevation the area cools down at night.”
The process of tasting all of the wines requires significant organisation from a team of volunteers who operate in the background throughout the two days ensuring everything is “all in order”.
Luke Lomax is the head steward, whose role involves organising all of the wines into their different classes.
Mr Lomax grew up in the Heathcote region and has worked as a winemaker for the past 15 years.
“A benefit of the tasting process is we can provide constructive criticism and give the wine exhibitors feedback on how their wine tastes and any areas where they can improve,” Mr Lomax said.
The judging panel includes a range of individuals with different backgrounds in the wine industry.
Ben Harris is a viticulturist based in Coonawarra and this will be his second year as a judge at the wine show.
“I look for diversity in the different styles within Heathcote and try to grasp an understanding of what the region is and what different styles are here,” Mr Harris said
“Heathcote is a long growing region which has some great wines and now has some very different wines, which is a great positive.
“I've always thought highly of Heathcote shiraz, but some of the other new varieties are proving to grow very well here.”
One of the major benefits of Ben's role as a viticulturist is seeing how grapes are grown and how different regions, climate and other factors influence the style and quality of the wine.
Gabrielle Poy is a sommelier at one of Melbourne's most popular wine bars, a role that requires in-depth knowledge of both food and wine.
“Wine lists can be very intimidating, especially now that we have so many different varietals available in Australia,” Ms Poy said.
As a sommelier Ms Poy brings an “international palate” to the judging panel, with experience working with vintages throughout New Zealand.
This will be Ms Poy’s first year as a judge for Heathcote’s wine show and so far has been impressed by the southern Italian varietals she has tasted.
But one varietal that has stood out for her, is of course is the shiraz, “the stony earthiness and spice is lovely”.
The winners will be announced at the Heathcote Wine Awards presentation dinner.
The sold out event will be at the Barrack Recreation Reserve on Saturday night, where attendees will have the opportunity to try the best of the bunch, with two trophy winning wines to be served with each course.
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