ORGANISERS of the South Coast Wine Show are confident the 2012 show will build on the success of previous years.
Entries were collated by members of the wine show’s organising committee on Monday night at Cupitt's Winery.
This year’s show has attracted 118 entries from 24 entrants.
While organisers say it is the same number of entrants as last year, four of them are new entrants.
Most of the entries come from the Southern Highlands Wine Region (a total of 50 entries from 10 entrants) and the Shoalhaven Coast Wine Region (44 entries from eight entrants, including those in the Milton-Ulladulla region).
There is another 20 entries from entrants in the Sydney region (formerly Nepean Hawkesbury) and another four entries from one entrant in the South Coast Zone.
All will be put to the taste test by judges next Thursday (January 19) with the winners to be announced the following night (Friday, January 20) during a public tasting session at the Mollymook Golf Club.
David Morris of Morris Wines in Rutherglen will be returning as chairman of the judging panel.
The highly accomplished winemaker and experienced judge has been involved with the South Coast wine show for almost 10 years.
He will be joined on the judging panel by Nicole Esdaile from Coombe Farm Estate in the Yarra Valley and Tom Ward from Swinging Bridge at Canowindra.
Both have significant winemaking and judging experience.
In a major departure from previous years, there will be no presentation dinner this year.
Instead all the medal and special award winners will be announced during the public tasting session between 7pm and 9pm next Friday.
Mr Morris will be attending on the night to give his summary of this year's entries.
White wines - particularly the Semillons - have traditionally been the strength of the South Coast Wine Show but Mr Morris last year told the Times that the region's red wines were "coming up" and would eventually start challenging the whites as the strength of the show.
Along with the annual Shoalhaven Winter Wine Festival in June and now Harbourfeast in November, the South Coast Wine Show is one of the biggest events on the local food and wine calendar.
Members of the public will have the opportunity to taste all of this year's entries - including the medal and special award winners - at next Friday night's tasting session.
Entry on the night will be $25 per person including wine, locally produced Unicorn cheese and delicious finger food.
There will also be a tasting session earlier in the day for entrants.
The session will provide local winemakers with the opportunity to discuss their wines in detail with the three judges and to help them improve their winemaking techniques.
The wine show is sponsored by Bawley Liquour Barn and Hazcorp Pty Limited.
- For more information visit www.southcoastwineshow.blogspot.c om
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