The Australian Pinot Noir Challenge bigger than ever

Entries soon close in the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge which is now accepting entries for this year’s challenge and is providing producers with an expanded number of regional classes for entry, with more opportunity for their wine to be recognised as the best wine of its class.

Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales now have additional geographical class categories to submit their wine for judging, which will be led by Chair of Judges, Matt Harrop on 19 and 20 September.

The number of Victorian classes has also expanded to align with registered geographical indications per pinot producing region, and any entry outside of these classes, can now also enter in a separate generic class.

Mr Harrop and his team will only be informed of the vintage but will otherwise judge all classes blind to gain the best assessment of regional characteristics and quality.

“There is such a great diversity in pinot noir across Australia,” he said. “We believe the best way to assess the wines is to judge like with like. Wines from the same place are judged together.

“There is an enormous amount of excitement and energy around pinot noir at the moment; not only in Australia but across the globe. The best wines in Australia are grown not made, and pinot noir requires sensitive and thoughtful farming to be at its best, which we will discover through the course of the challenge.”

Mr Harrop said lovers of fine wine can be confident any award winners from the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge will be wines of exceptional quality, and a faithful expression of where they are grown, and the expertise of the grower.

In 2021, an unexpected yet exceptional wine grown on the pristine north-east coast of Tasmania was the 2020 OSSA Pinot Noir from OSSA Wines, founded by Rod and Cecile Roberts.

‘We entered our inaugural release pinot noir into the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge in 2021 with hope; hope that the judges liked it. They liked it so much that we won the top national award and in just six months sold out of our pinot noir. We are honoured to have received this recognition, not only for our wine but also to celebrate our winemaker Liam McElhinney, who was new to the Australian wine scene from New Zealand,” they said.

Chair of the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge, Lindsay McCall said the challenge has provided producers and pinot noir drinkers with an account of the best pinot noir wines every year, and has helped to uncover some impressive jewels in a growing crowd of Australian pinot noir wines.

“Every year we are impressed by the exceptional quality of pinot noir wines presented from all corners of the country,” said McCall.

“Australian pinot noir growers and makers have proven their talent for perfecting the cultivation and production of what is a delicate and somewhat challenging variety; and they are doing it in well-established and well-known pinot growing regions but also in extremely isolated locations such as those we discovered in Tasmania and Western Australia last year.

“The Australian Pinot Noir Challenge gives us an opportunity to celebrate a uniquely Australian expression of pinot noir and the meticulous work being done in the vineyard and winery to make better and better wines,” he said.

Entries close this week on 26 August 2022 and producers can access the full schedule of the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge is available online at: The Australian Pinot Noir Challenge.