SYDNEY INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION

Australia's International Wine Show. Founded 1982. European Union Accredited.

Only Major International Wine Show to Judge Finalists Alongside Appropriate Food.

P O Box 210, Wentworth Falls, NSW 2782, Australia
info@top100wines.com tel +62 (0)2 4757 4400

e-NEWSLETTER

25th January, 2012

Dear Friends - in Wine and Food

“D DAY” APPROACHES
Much activity here at Competition Headquarters as the deadline approaches for the Competition’s 2012 Awards and Trophies Presentations Dégustation Banquet, and for the launch of the Competition’s 2012 website, both of which occur on Saturday, 25 February.

At the Banquet, to demonstrate that a wine’s style is more important in wine/food matching than its grape variety, age, label or price, we present the three top wines – the Trophy contenders – from several of the thirteen Style Categories – alongside an appropriate food course. Apart from the Wineries representatives, the Dégustation Banquet is open to all Oenophiles (from the Greek: oinos - wine, and philos or philia - love. Hence, Lover of Wine. Little bit of trivia for you!).

THIS YEAR’S ‘STYLE CATEGORY’ TROPHY CONTENDERS
These “Best of the Best” wines are in alpha order by Brand name.

Sparkling Wines
Champagne Duperry Premier Cru Brut NV (France)
Nautilus Marlborough Brut Cuvée NV (NZ)
No 1 Family Estate Cuvée Virginie 2006 (NZ)

HERE is the full list of the 2012 Competition’s ‘Style Category’ Trophy Contenders.

JOY LAKE MEMORIAL CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY
In addition to the thirteen Style Category Trophies, there are eleven other specialised Trophies presented during the Banquet including The Wine Society’s Trophy for “Best White Table Wine of Competition”, the Mark de Havilland Memorial Trophy for “Best Red Table Wine of Competition”, and of course the climax will be the presentation of the Joy Lake Memorial Championship Trophy for “Best Wine of Competition”.

WAXING LYRICAL
“Aromas of toast, vanilla and lanolin. Acidity is a bit green and forceful at first. Up front, a mix of mushroom and forest floor flavours with phenolics giving length. With the Trout, it got a major re-rating as this wine has excellent length, acidity and balanced fruit that matches the foods acidity. It was only when the wine and the salty Gravlax, alongside which the Sparkling Wines were tasted, came together that the wine gained all its voices. And what a choir it became.”
Rob Geddes MW, commenting on the House of Arras Brut Elite 401 NV. READ ON

CELEBRITY CHEF TO DELIVER BANQUET KEY NOTE ADDRESS
Michael Manners will be our Key Note Speaker at the Competition’s 2012 Awards and Trophies Presentations Dégustation Banquet. His speech will be on the theme “Wine and Food Matching”.

Most of the Competition’s extended family will be familiar with the name Michael Manners. For the past thirty years, Michael’s Blackheath Restaurant, Glenella, and later his Orange Restaurant, Selkirks, were required destinations for Sydney’s foodies, indeed for travelling gourmands from far and wide. With Chef Jacquie Mason’s retirement from the 2012 Competition’s Kitchen, we invited Michael to be our Celebrity Chef for the creation and presentation of the food dishes to suit the wines being judged in the thirteen Wine Style Categories. Needless to say, Michael assessed the requirements instinctively. His Recipes and photography of the dishes he created will appear on the new website when it launches, February 25. Meanwhile, HERE you can review and choose from the Recipes created by Jacquie over the past thirteen years, to complement any wine from the Judges’ recommendations – or any wine that falls within the user-friendly Wine Style Category’s names. Cooking at home for friends or for just yourself -and partner? For inspiration, store us in your Book Marks for regular reference!

STELLAR JUDGING PANEL
Here are the Judges whose comments you will be reading on the 2012 website.
(alphabetically by surname)

Most of these Judges’ have judged with us previously, their Résumés can be found HERE. New Panel members Résumés will be included in the 2012 website.

MY BEAUTIFUL VINEYARD – MY CELLAR DOOR
These two features can be viewed centre column, foot of our Home Page. Who is responsible for your marketing? Over 400,000 Oenophiles visited our website last year. Your Marketing person really should be taking advantage of this free publicity. Let us all see your Beautiful Vineyard and/or Your Cellar Door.

See you at the Banquet? It’s an occasion you will remember with pleasure.

Let's talk again soon.

Warren Mason
Competition Director