Wine show: Judge’s ‘gentle’ praise for wines

WALL to wall wines is just another day at the office for international wine judge Jane Skilton.

Hobart Wine Show, with NZ Master of Wine Jane Skilton who is making her first trip to the Royal Hobart Wine Show.

WALL to wall wines is just another day at the office for international wine judge Jane Skilton.

The New Zealand judge will plough through 1660 wines over three days, 190 of them Tasmanian, at the 2015 Royal Hobart International Wine Show, which began at the Hobart Showgrounds on Monday.

Because it is a blind tasting, she cannot comment on the standard of Tasmanian wines versus the rest of the world but she said the local wines she had tasted after work were impressive.

“The climate is very gentle and the wines are gentle,” she said. “They are lifted, not weighed down, with alcohol or weighed down by oak.”

After a big day at the office, Ms Skilton recovers with a hot cup of tea and a Tim Tam biscuit.

She said most judges drank beer to recover from the rigours of tasting wine all day but “I drink tea just because it’s nice and warm and comforting.”

Ms Skilton said the popular Riedel public wine tasting from 4.30-7.30pm on Friday at the Showgrounds was “a magnificent opportunity” to taste the best wines in the competition.

“For $30, you can taste award-winning wines,” she said. “You can’t go wrong.”