380 wines from around Oceania put to the test at Cairns Show Wine Awards
Some of Oceania’s best wines were judged on their taste, quality and suitability to the tropical north at the Cairns Show Wine Awards on the weekend.
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Some of Oceania’s best wines were judged on their taste, quality and suitability to the tropical north at the Cairns Show Wine Awards on the weekend.
The event, which took more than a month to prepare, had more than 380 entries of wines from across Australia and New Zealand.
The competitors battled it out for 17 awards in 11 categories.
“It was fantastic,” chief cellar steward Carolyn Allen said.
“Judges love coming because it’s a friendly show, and it’s all really about what we can drink in the tropics.”
Cairns Show Association president Ian Allen said judge and master of wines Andrew Corrigan called the Cairns awards one of the top 10 in Australia.
“Which is great for not being in a wine area,” Mr Allen said.
Mr Allen said the Cairns awards were held in such high regard because of their judging panel, which consisted of seven professional judges flown in from across Australia, as well as local associate judges.
The wines were judged for three days before being opened to 300 members of the public on Saturday, June 14.
The champion wine in show went to Blackstone Paddock’s 2024 limited release Margaret River chardonnay.
First place for the ‘best wine for enjoyment in the tropics’ was awarded to Dem Bones’ 2025 bone dry mataro.
Held by the Cairns Show Association from June 11 to June 14, it was the 33rd iteration of the event after beginning in 1992.
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Originally published as 380 wines from around Oceania put to the test at Cairns Show Wine Awards
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