The Coonawarra Hall has been converted to a wine cellar for this week’s 18th annual Limestone Coast Wine Show (LCWS).
From 9am, tomorrow, Thursday 23rd October, a panel of expert critics led by chief of judges Samantha Connew will begin tasting 501 of the Limestone Coast’s best wines in a bid to unearth south-eastern Australia’s top drops.
One of the nation’s most respected wine connoisseurs and communicators, Jeni Port, is among the 10-strong team of judges relishing the role of sampling so many unique and innovative entries. The Melbourne-based wine writer, author and wine judge has just been named the 2018 Wine Communicators of Australia (WCA) Legend of the Vine in Victoria.
“This is my first time judging at the show and I am looking forward to tasting the length and breadth of the best of the Limestone Coast,” Jeni says. “It goes without saying that every one of the judges is looking forward to the new vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz, but I will be equally interested in the new alternative varieties coming out of the regions that comprise the Limestone Coast, together with the whites, always so under-valued. And then there’s Coonawarra’s next door neighbour, Wrattonbully, which is really kicking goals of late.”
All wines will be blind-tasted during the stringent two-day judging process, making the results truly independent and consumer-focused. Last year’s wine show unearthed the broadest list of trophy winners in the event’s history, with every Limestone Coast region represented. It produced a near-record haul of 72 gold medals, with 92 silver and 142 bronze also awarded. Organisers are hoping for similar success in 2018 on the back of a strong vintage.
“This year for the first time, we have also opened classes to 2018 bottled red wines, reflecting the growing popularity of ‘early release’ fresh drinking styles, so we’re really looking forward to seeing how the judges rate them,” says the LCWS Committee’s Sarah Pidgeon.
The winners will be announced on Thursday night at the Naracoorte Town Hall during a sell-out dinner hosted by the Wrattonbully Wine Region.
All entries will be uncorked for public tasting the following (Friday) morning, providing an opportunity for exhibitors to taste other winemakers’ products on a grand scale, and to benchmark their wines against the rest of the Limestone Coast.
Members of the public are also invited to sample the region’s best table, sparkling and fortified wines including award and trophy winners of the 2018 LCWS.
Key dates:
23rd-24th October – Judging at the Coonawarra Hall
25th October – Trophy dinner at Naracoorte Town Hall
26th October – Exhibitors & Public Tasting Friday at Coonawarra Hall, 9:00am-1:00pm
For further information, please contact Sarah Pidgeon on 0412 825 149.
