Wine Show Results- ' a nervous wait'.

With two new wine releases ready to hit the market, it was important for me to receive feedback- even if it is only a score against a wine. I have been working so closely with the cuveés (blends), that I was starting to see them for their components and wondered how others (in this case industry peers) would see the wines.

Wine Shows are an amazingly well run benchmarking system for producers to get some evaluation, and with a local wine show, the Limestone Coast Wine Show 2018 and a more specific oriented 2018 Australian Sparkling Wine Show, I just had to give it a go. 

The wines were disgorged (taken off of the yeast) and a dosage (sugar addition) determined prior to sending the exhibitor samples in for scrutiny by a panel of judges. It felt like I had suddenly put myself in the firing line and the night before the results were released, I did not sleep! In fact I began to ask myself 'what have you done?' and I asked others 'how did you feel when you first entered a wine into a show? The response from others gave me a leveling insight, mostly telling me it is terrifying with the anticipation of the results and in some cases when wines just did 'bomb'. 

With the results out, I held my breath and to my delight....... both wines medalled! I was extremely excited to receive the highest score in the class for The Kenneth 2015 Vintage Brut at our Local Wine Show (93/100) a Top Silver and a Bronze for the Ivy Elliot NV Rosé at the National Show. The third party endorsements felt like I'd won the trophies (ha), but that is something I can always aspire to, who knows, possibly one day! 

To enter or not to enter? I'm glad I did!