Top regional wines to be judged

PREPARING FOR A GREAT WINE SHOW... Dookie Wine Show chairman and vintner at Phillips Cellars, Paul Phillips and retired winemaker, Bob Shields are looking forward to a great selection of regional wines to be entered in this year's Dookie Wine Show. Photo:Steve Hutcheson

Despite the dreadful year winemakers have had, with bushfires affecting crops, collapsed markets and access to international seasonal winemakers limited due to Covid, a number of winemakers in the region are pressing on, literally, to submit their latest vintage into the Dookie Wine Show that is taking place on August 21.

According to chairman of the Show, Paul Phillips, vintner at Phillips Cellers in Corio Street, Shepparton, “The number of entries is down this year for all of the reasons above but there will still be about 60 plus entrants in the six categories that will be judged. In a good year there would be 70 to 90 entrants,” Paul said.

Leading the panel of judges will be the young guns, Jen Pfeiffer from Pfeiffer Wines in Rutherglen along with Amy Smith from Warrabilla Wines, also in Rutherglen and retired winemaker, Bob Shields from Shepparton.

The six categories of wines include, Shiraz, Cabernet, other reds, Chardonnay, other white varieties and sparkling reds and whites.
Judging wines is a practiced art, marking colour, smell and taste to generate a score out of 20. The degree of variation between judges is often between 1 ½ to 2 points differences at most, according to Paul.

The Dookie Wine Show is still going ahead as a closed event where a number of other wine shows around the country have been postponed or cancelled due to Covid restrictions and it will be a prestigious event with regards to this year’s vintage.

PREPARING FOR A GREAT WINE SHOW… Dookie Wine Show chairman and vintner at Phillips Cellars, Paul Phillips and retired winemaker, Bob Shields are looking forward to a great selection of regional wines to be entered in this year’s Dookie Wine Show. Photo:Steve Hutcheson