How about a no-show?

I WONDER if wine shows have lost their relevance.

Every year wine producers pack up samples and send them off to wine events and shows to be sipped, slurped and judged by panels of serious men and women. The wines are very often in flights of more than 30 wines; at the Perth show last year a category of shiraz had more than 100 wines, all of which were tasted blind (in a brown paper bag so the judges don’t know who made it) consecutively. By wine 25 I would need a sit down, at wine 50, probably a lie down. The scores are then collated and the highest pointed wines awarded bronze, silver, gold and trophies.

It’s these results that the wineries are after – you’ve seen the little gold stickers on the bottles in your local wine store – they are great from a marketing perspective, gives the buyer some added confidence that someone else out there reckons this is a good wine, and gives the producer something to make them stand out.

I reckon some of the results need a bit closer examination. How relevant is a sticker proudly proclaiming ‘York craft festival wettest wine of the show’ or even a gold medal looking sticker with a crest and a trophy on it saying ‘Winery X 10-year anniversary medal’, presumably self-awarded?

Chapman Grove in Margaret River this year received two trophies at The Sydney Royal Show for its 2008 Dreaming Dog Shiraz. I have seen this wine, and it is pretty good, as good as a Margaret River shiraz from pretty young vines with limited serious oak treatment can be. But it’s still a cheap, drink-now style of wine; it is certainly much better than its $15 price tag would indicate, but a trophy winner against the likes of Howard Park Scotsdale Shiraz, St Hallet and Paringa?

All of the wines I have just mentioned are considerably more expensive than the Dreaming Dog because they all get the full treatment – excellent quality fruit from established vineyards in recognised shiraz-producing regions, and the best quality oak available – so can rightly demand the $40-plus per bottle price tag they wear. These wines speak of where they are from.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not singling out a bad wine, I’m bringing up a questionable decision.

Chapman Grove is doing great things. I stock its wine in my venue – yes even the Dreaming Dog trophy winner – it’s a little cracker for the price. What I am questioning is the relevance of the show circuit. These wines are tried in an environment of tired palates, no food and only some (not even most) of the relevant wineries showing their wines.

For me, wine is to be enjoyed with friends and food; it’s supposed to excite conversation and be the lubricant for a heightened sensory experience.

You know what? We should start a reward system that recognises wines for being interesting, speaking of where they are from and relevance to food, wines that don’t normally turn up at wine shows. We could call it ‘the no-show wine awards’. Interested producers or those with selection criteria drop me a line at scott @beaufortmerchant.com.

Scott Taylor is the proprietor of The Beaufort Street Merchant in Highgate.