The Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show has leapt from strength to strength since its inception in 2001. Growing numbers of entries from Australia and New Zealand each year and record attendance at educational and hospitality events have reinforced the message that diversity is the way forward for a sustainable and exciting wine future. More and more producers and consumers are delving into wines from grapes other than the common international varieties we are all accustomed to, and the AAVWS is designed to showcase, benchmark and espouse these unique varieties and their faithful protagonists.
New Zealand wines have always been included in the AAVWS but thanks to our recent partnership with Riversun Nursery, New Zealand’s pre-eminent supplier of quality grafted grapevines, we now have a dedicated Trophy for an outstanding alternative variety wine from NZ: The Trans Tasman Award for Best New Zealand Wine.
Entries are now open for the 2015 Show (closing September 25), with show judging and events happening from November 4-7 in Mildura, Victoria, Australia.
To celebrate our partnership with Riversun and extend our relationship with New Zealand producers and industry we have curated somewhat of a NZ focus to the 2015 AAVWS program. Our International Guest Judge is wine writer Jo Burzynska and the Keynote Speaker for our Talk & Taste seminar is viticulturist Nick Hoskins who will talk about cool climate viticulture and the alternative varieties he sees as promising for future production of exciting wines in NZ and beyond.
In 2015 the AAVWS has updated our concept on what exactly it means to be ‘alternative’ and highlighted the fact that we are not only focused on new or emerging varieties which are only beginning to be cultivated in Australia and New Zealand. The AAVWS is also about promoting and preserving production of rarer varieties that may have been in antipodean soil for decades, even centuries, such as gewürztraminer or marsanne.
Sparkling wines played a small part in the AAVWS in the early years but recently we have seen wines like prosecco gaining huge momentum and real lambrusco being produced locally too. We have even seen the odd sparkling saperavi or some such wonder, but new in 2015 is the Best Sparkling Wine Trophy. Does New Zealand have a special sparkling that could shone in this category?
The top award in the AAVWS is the Dr. Rod Bonfiglioli Best Wine of Show, a tribute to one of the most dedicated and enthusiastic vine researchers who ever lived, the late Dr. Rod Bonfiglioli, a co-founder of the AAVWS. His name will be known to many in the NZ wine industry as NZ was his much-loved adopted home for the last years of his life. Wouldn’t it be amazing if a great New Zealand wine took out the Dr Rod Bonfiglioli Trophy? If it was going to happen any year, it could well be 2015, when the AAVWS spotlight is well and truly on cool climates and Kiwi talent.
Media Enquiries: Kim Chalmers | 0400 261 932 | kim@aavws.com
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