Judging
The Judging Process
Exhibits will be judged by five panels of three judges with two supporting associate judges. Each panel will have a panel chair and the entire process will be overseen by Chairman of Judges, Philip Rich.
Exhibits will be grouped by Region or Zone (depending on the number of entries) and judges will be unaware of the region they are judging. Regions with a large number of entries will be split and each bracket will have a similar number of wines. Wines must be made from a minimum of 85% grapes from one region and the region must be declared on the commercial label.
Judging of each exhibit will be conducted under best practise wine show judging procedures. Judges will be separated from the stewarding area and exhibits at all times. Pouring and setup will be done by dedicated stewards to ensure the anonymity of each exhibit.
The judging environment will be carefully regulated to ensure optimal judging conditions. Lighting, temperature, odours and noise will all be carefully monitored. Riedel stemware will be used to judge each exhibit. The number of wines judged at any one time will be carefully managed to ensure judges are always fresh and not suffering from palate fatigue. Exhibits will be scored on a 100 point scale.
The Judges
The judges are carefully selected to ensure there is no regional or stylistic bias. The judges must have a strong background in wine show judging and there is a preference to have a mix of backgrounds which may include: winemaking, wine media, sommeliers and wine retailers.
Philip Rich – Chair of Judges – Melbourne born and bred, for over ten years (1996–2007) Philip was responsible for all the sommelier training and wine lists at the Stokehouse and Prince of Wales including Circa’s multi award winning list. Philip was the founder and a partner in Prince Wine Store (1996 – 2015) and Bellota Wine Bar (2013-2015) and now consults full time. Philip has written a monthly wine column for the Australian Financial Review Magazine since 1999. A Len Evans Tutorial graduate, Philip has judged at numerous wine shows in Australia and New Zealand as is currently chair of the MVPA (Mornington Peninsula) Wine Show and The Yarra Valley Wine Show and James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge.
Anna Pooley – Anna’s wine journey began working alongside her Grandmother Margaret in the family vineyard. Inspired by the first vintage from the Pooley Estate, Anna left Tasmania to study winemaking at the University of Adelaide.During her career Anna has worked with some of Australia’s great wineries such as Penfold’s, Wolf Blass, Tatachilla, Yellowglen, Rosemount & lead the Tasmanian premium producer Heemskerk to international acclaim. Vintages in Italy with Castello di Gabbiano & Riecine as well as time at the famed Salomon Undhof in Austria has deepened Anna’s winemaking skill set enabling her to produce elegant and world class – age worthy wines. In 2008 Anna was the Dux of the AWRI Advanced Wine Assessment course and has judged a range of national and regional shows including the Royal Adelaide wine show, Tasmanian Wine Show and the Canberra International Riesling Challenge. In 2010 Anna was awarded to coveted ‘Young Winemaker of the Year’ award and in 2012 completed the exclusive Len Evans Tutorial. Anna’s philosophy is of minimal intervention.
Chris Crawford – Chris is a Sommeliers Australian committee member, and sub-committee member for education, where he is heavily involved in establishing & tutoring the Sommeliers Australia Education Program. He is also a Judge at various regional and state wine shows, as well as a committee member for the Royal Melbourne Wine Show and a certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers (UK & USA). With roles as the Wine Buyer for The Prince Hospitality Group, and the Lucas Group he is now the General Manager of Beverage for Crown Casino overseeing all aspects of the Melbourne operation.
Chris Tyrrell – Chris represents the fifth generation of Tyrrell’s family winemaking dynasty, alongside his sister, Jane, and brother, John. In recent years, Chris and the Tyrrell’s winemaking team have focused heavily on improving, and where necessary reinventing, their classic regional styles and single vineyard sites…specifically the flagship semillon and shiraz wines from some of the worlds oldest vineyards. Chris is an active judge in the Australian wine show circuit and leads the Hunter Valley Young Winemakers Group. More recently, Chris completed the Winemakers Federation of Australia “Future Leaders” Program, which focuses on developing the next generation of Australian wine industry leaders.
Now 33, Chris’s mission is to ensure that the legend of the Tyrrell’s family winemaking tradition lives on, for future generations to come.
Julian Langworthy – Julian’s passion for wine was sparked by a childhood spent following his ornithologist father through vineyards, studying and managing agricultural pests. But it was his realisation that marine biology (the first university course he studied) was best as an interest, as opposed to a lifelong career, which stimulated him to enrol in Adelaide University’s distinguished oenology course. Prior to joining Deep Woods Estate as Chief Winemaker in January 2011, Julian was the Chief Winemaker at Knappstein Winery in the Clare Valley of South Australia. In his first year in this role the winery went on to win the Trophy for Best Riesling at the National Wine Show in Canberra. His philosophy of careful vineyard management and close attention to detail in the winery, together with a determination to achieve the best possible fruit expression with a distinctive, modern Deep Woods style, has resulted in a range of outstanding wines that have received widespread acclaim.
Liz Silkman – Liz started her Wine Industry career in 1999 as a Lab Technician at Brokenwood Wines, after completing her Bachelor of Science degree at Newcastle University. In 2002 she accepted an Assistant Winemakers role at Tempus Two, where she spent 6 years, while completing her Graduate Diploma in Oenology from the University of Adelaide. In 2006, Liz was awarded the Dux of the Len Evans Tutorial, described by James Halliday as the “most exclusive wine school in the world”; and in 2007 was a finalist for Young Winemaker of the year. In 2008 Liz was appointed to her current role – Chief Winemaker at First Creek Wines, where she plays a pivotal role both in the production of First Creeks’ own award-winning wine brand, as well as having 27 other wine companies place their fruit and their trust in Liz’s exceptional skills.
Matt Skinner – Matt is an author, writer, consultant, and educator well known to international audiences for his refreshing take on wine, and knack for making it simple. A strong believer that wine is for everyone, and that enjoying it is your right rather than your privilege, Matt was named ‘Best Young International Wine Writer 2012’ by Italy’s Grande Cru d’Italia, has been short-listed for the IWSC International Communicator of the Year Award three times, is author of international bestsellers Thirsty Work, Heard It Through The Grapevine, & The Juice, and was recipient of the coveted Negociants ‘Working with Wine’ Fellowship in 2000. Having co-founded and managed Melbourne’s Prince Wine Store in 1996, Matt relocated to London in 2002 to help establish Fifteen Restaurant with Jamie Oliver & Tobie Puttock. Matt has since worked closely with Melbourne’s renowned Van Haandel Group, The Gazebo Group in Sydney, the Coles Liquor Group, and Jetstar Airways. Matt has been a regular contributor to Sunday Life Magazine, Gourmet Traveller Wine, BBC Australian Good Food, and Home Beautiful. Together with his family, he lives, works & plays in Melbourne, Australia where he is co founder & chief of online retailer, The Drinks List.
Paul Carpenter – Paul is Senior winemaker at the historic Hardy’s Tintara winery in the heart of McLaren Vale where he has been for a number of years. Prior to this role he was winemaker at Wirra Wirra Vineyards. He has worked around the world including Oregon, Beaujolais & Chateaunef du-pape and apart from Chardonnay happens to think Grenache is the finest variety in the world. In their spare time Paul & his wife Martine make small volumes of, surprisingly enough, grenache based wines for their own Longline Wines label.
Sam Connew – A highly experienced and respected winemaker, Samantha Connew launched her Tasmanian solo project, Stargazer, in 2013. Prior to establishing this and her consulting company, Compass Wine Consulting, she was employed working in applied research, development and extension for the Australian Wine Research Institute as Manager of the Hunter Valley Node. Before this she was the Winemaker/Manager of boutique Hunter Valley winery, Tower Estate, after working in McLaren Vale for ten years as the Senior Winemaker at Wirra Wirra Vineyards. She is highly respected wine show judge and has been a Panel Chair at many regional and capital city wine shows, having completed both the Advanced Wine Assessment Course and the Len Evans Tutorial. In 2014 she was appointed Chair of Judges at the Macquarie Group Sydney Royal Wine Show, the first female and the youngest judge in that position.
Tom Hogan – Tom established Harry & Frankie, winner of Gourmet Traveller Wine’s Best New Wine List & Best Wine Bar Wine List Awards, in December 2013. His previous four years were spent as Head Sommelier at the multi-award winning Lake House Daylesford. During his time at Lake House, the establishment received numerous accolades from The Good Food Guide, Gourmet Traveller & Wine Spectator.
Tom holds the Diploma from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust and is an Advanced Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers. In 2012 he was accepted into the exclusive Len Evans Tutorial where he was awarded Runner-Up to Dux.
Tom has previously judged at the Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Hunter Valley, McLaren Vale and Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Shows.
Adrian Sparks – Adrian began working in the cellar during University holidays where he loved the art and science behind the processes. McWilliams then offered him a scholarship to study Wine Science which he later graduated from CSU. Adrian was promoted through the ranks at McWilliams to Senior White Winemaker in 2010 before taking on a regional winemaking role for the company, making wines from Tasmania, the Yarra, Tumbarumba and others. In 2014 he moved to the Hunter Valley and is now the Senior Winemaker at Mount Pleasant.
Dylan McMahon – Dylan was on track to become an electronic engineer until he decided to follow his destiny and make wine. His grandfather Dr Peter McMahon planted the first vines at Seville Estate in Victoria’s Yarra Valley in 1972. Dylan spent his first 5 years working with direction from previous winemakers Alistair Butt and Iain Riggs and has now been Seville Estate’s winemaker since 2004. The opportunity to work and travel is also part of the appeal. Dylan feels fortunate to have travelled in his early career to work 2002 vintage at Hugel & Fils, 2003 at Domaine Paul Blanck and 2008 at Jean Claude Boisset in Burgundy.
Dylan graduated from Charles Sturt Uni in Wagga with a bachelor of Wine Science in 2008 and continues his work at Seville Estate. Further overseas vintages and travel are a focus to expand his knowledge and experience. Peter McMahon has undoubtedly been a notable influence on Dylan’s chosen career, “My grandfather retired in 1996. I’ve learnt from him that while concentration is important in wine, elegance and finesse is the key to our wine.”
Jo Marsh – Jo’s first position in the wine industry was on the Southcorp Wines’ (now Treasury Wine Estates) Graduate Recruitment Program, followed by 8 years at Seppelt Great Western. She then moved to the Alpine Valleys wine region, first at Feathertop wines then in 2014 started her own brand Billy Button. Jo is a graduate of the Len Evans tutorial, was winner of the 2011 Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year Sommerlier’s Choice and Members choice awards, was a finalist in the 2016 Young Guns of Wine and also a finalist in the 2015 and 2016 Australian Women in Wine Winemaker of the Year awards. Jo has completed vintages in Napa Valley California, Burgundy France and Ningxia China. She has previously judged at numerous wine shows including Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane Royal Shows.
Leanne Altmann – Leanne is wine buyer at Andrew McConnell’s Melbourne restaurant, Supernormal, and specialty butcher and wine merchant, Meatsmith. She is a passionate wine educator and communicator, teaching Wine and Spirit Education Trust Levels 2 and 3 to staff across the restaurants.
A 2009 Len Evans scholar and perpetual student of wine, Leanne holds the WSET Diploma, where she was the top Australian graduate, and is a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. She continued her practical wine and service education as the recipient of the 2008 Appetite for Excellence Young Waiter award, the 2012/13 Negociants Australia Working with Wine Fellowship, and as the inaugural Australian recipient of the Ruinart Scholarship in 2014.
Nick Spencer – Nick is the owner and winemaker of Nick Spencer wines – a small wine company based in Canberra. After 10 years as the winemaker at Eden Road wines, Nick left in 2017 to forge his own wine company and pursue his passion for the high country grape growing areas surrounding the Canberra region.
Nick has received extensive industry recognition: winning the 2009 Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy, the National Wine Show Trophy for Best Shiraz in 2011, as a Len Evans Tutorial Scholar in 2011, as a finalist in the Young Gun of Wine award in 2011 and a finalist in the Gourmet Traveller Winemaker of the year in 2014.
Mark O’Callaghan – Mark is a Director and Consultant with Wine Network. He works on projects across Australia and around the world including China and England.
Prior to this, Mark spent fourteen years with Accolade Wines (formerly BRL Hardy), including eight years as Senior Winemaker and Winery Manager for Yarra Burn. In addition to the Yarra Valley during that period, Mark made wines in McLaren Vale, Heathcote, Great Western and the Pyrenees, plus vintages in Austria and Sicily.
Mark is President of the Yarra Valley Wine Growers’ Association, a regular wine show judge at both capital city and regional shows, member of the Victorian Pinot Noir Workshop Committee and former Chair of the Committee for the Yarra Valley Wine Show and James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge. He was also a Scholar at the 2007 Len Evans Tutorial.