After two glorious weeks of relative rest and relaxation in Sydney and on (and off) the Queensland coast, I shall be spending the first three days of next week in a white coat, hard at work as the overseas judge at this year’s Hunter Valley Wine Show with such Australian luminaries as James Halliday and Ian Mackenzie. These shows are notable for their marathon aspect, although I’m assured by show chairman Iain Riggs of Brokenwood that I won’t have to taste as many as 200 wines a day, a level required by some other shows. To ‘recover’ on the Wednesday night, I’ll be dining with the Head Hunter, Len Evans.
I shall do my best to file at least one if not more reports during the judging but it may be difficult to get online (I know that my accommodation doesn’t have broadband). After the assault of so many Hunter wines, I apologise in advance for any typos. See Dan Berger's lecture for some idea of the importance of these shows to Australia's wine culture.
I’ve been doing my best to taste as many of Australia’s more characterful wines as possible (it’s tough…) and have been delighted to wallow in proof that there is so much more to Australian wine than big brands and even bigger Shiraz. I shall be publishing my tasting notes on my return to the UK at the end of August, though it sounds as though, thanks to those hand baggage restrictions, I won’t alas get the chance to write them up on the long flight home.