The GEOGRAPHE
WINE SHOW
THE GEOGRAPHE REGION has carved a name for itself as one of Australia’s most exciting new wine regions and the 20th anniversary of the Geographe Wine Show is an apt time to reflect on how far the region has come, being a cornerstone in its development. “The purpose of the Wine Show was to create a platform where we could have our wines independently assessed and allow for interaction between the judges and the winemakers, with a view to improving the quality of wine from the region,” says Pippa Nielsen, past president of the Geographe Wine Show committee. The second objective was to help small wineries promote their wines with medals, publicity, and by presenting the best wines to the public. Phil Smith of St Aidan Wines organised the first Wine Show, pulling together a committee to bring the idea of a Wine Show for the Geographe region to life and from there it flourished. The first show in 2002 had 121 wines, and the judging and 24
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FOUND | Issue 08
CELEBRATING ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY, THE GEOGRAPHE WINE SHOW CONTINUES PROMOTE EXCELLENCE WITHIN THE REGION BY IDENTIFYING THE BEST OF A FRUITFUL BUNCH AND SHARING KNOWLEDGE. By
FERGAL GLEESON
presentation dinner was at the Bunbury Rowing Club. The Wine Show has continued to grow and innovate over the years. In 2007 the ‘Nicholas Baudin Trophy for Excellence in Winemaking’ was introduced as an award for winemaking skills from the Geographe region. Willow Bridge winemakers have won this award many times – with David Crawford being the first to receive it in 2007. In 2014 the late Simon Burnell was awarded, and the current Willow Bridge team of Kim
Horton and Dougal Herd have received it multiple times. They are the most recent awardees and suspense is building for the revelation of who the 2022 winner will be. Other winemakers to receive this award multiple times are Mark Messenger and Peter Stanlake, who are contract winemakers for some of the smaller wineries in the region. Star Judges Bringing in outside knowledge via the judging team has been key to the success of the Geographe Wine Show. Notable judges have included Tyson Stelzer and Jane Faulkner from the Halliday Wine Companion, Chris Pfeifer, from Rutherglen Victoria and more recently the 2019 Jimmy Watson winner Paul Hotker, from Bleasdale Vineyard, in Langhorne Creek, South Australia. West Australian winemakers have also contributed to the success of the judging teams – Glenn Goodall, Xanadu Wines, Julian Langworthy, Deep Woods and Genevieve Mann, Corymbia. Wine writers such as Erin visitbunburygeographe.com.au
