Early in the year the show circuit focuses firmly on Sydney, where the Sydney International Wine Competition conducted by Waren Mason precedes the Royal Sydney Wine Show, chaired for the last time in 2000 by Len Evans. While the two events themselves could hardly be more different in their approach, both arrived at two excellent choices for their premier reds. The Orlando Lawson’s Padthaway Shiraz 1994, which collected three trophies at the Sydney International Wine Competition was pointed at 19.0 two issues ago in OnWine. It currently retails around $52 per bottle. The best wine of the show, the Bullers Museum Tokay, retails for $65 per 375 ml bottle. Worth it if you can find it. Trophies Awarded at Sydney International Wine Competition, 2000 Best Sparkling Wine Gauthier Champagne Brut NV. Best Aromatic Wine Babich Marlborough Riesling 1999 Best Lighter Bodied Dry White Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 1999 Best Medium Bodied Dry White Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1994 Best Fuller Bodied Dry White Taylor’s St Andrew Clare Chardonnay 1998 Best Lighter Bodied Dry Red Tarrawarra Pinot Noir 1998 Best Medium Bodied Dry Red Wolf Blass Barossa Valley Shiraz 1998 Best Fuller-Bodied Dry Red Orlando Lawson’s Padthaway Shiraz 1994 Best Dessert Wine Villa Maria Reserve Botrytis Selection Noble Riesling 1998 Best Fortified Wine Buller’s Museum Tokay Best NZ Pinot Noir Wither Hills Marlborough Pinot Noir 1998 Best Non-Australasian Wine (except Champion or Reserve Champion) Gauthier Champagne Brut NV Best Australian Sparkling Wine, Aperitif Style Edwards & Chaffey Pinot Noir Chardonnay 1995 Best Wine from a Lesser Known Grape Variety Yalumba Barossa Growers Limited Release Viognier 1998 Wine of Outstanding Quality (other than Champion or Reserve Champion) Glazebrook Hawkes Bay Merlot Cabernet 1998 Best Value Dry White Wine Ballingal Estate Semillon Chardonnay 1999 Best Value Dry Red Wine Ingoldby Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 Most Successful Winery of Competition d’Arenberg Winery Best White Table Wine Villa Maria Reserve Botrytis Selection Riesling 1998 Best Red Table Wine Orlando Lawson’s Padthaway Shiraz 1994 Reserve Champion (Runner Up to Best Wine of Competition) Orlando Lawson’s Padthaway Shiraz 1994 Best Wine of Competition Bullers Museum Tokay
