Vineyard sunrise 2023

Mount Barker & District
Agricultural Society (Inc.)

TUE 8 – THU 10
OCTOBER 2024

2024 Details coming soon

2023 Sanector 46th Wine Show of Western Australia

Important Dates:

Judging: Tuesday 10 – Thursday 12 October 2023

Exhibitor and Trade Tasting: Friday 13 October 2023

Trophy Presentation Dinner: Friday 13 October 2023

Sounness Park Mount Barker WA

Retravision Stadium Albany WA

Judging:

Exhibitor and Trade Tasting:

Trophy Presentation Dinner:

Tuesday 10 – Thursday 12 October 2023

Friday 13 October 2023

Sounness Park Mount Barker WA

Retravision Stadium Albany WA

Judging:

Exhibitor and Trade Tasting:

Trophy Presentation Dinner:

Tuesday 10 – Thursday 12 October 2023

Friday 13 October 2023

Sounness Park Mount Barker WA

Retravision Stadium Albany WA

For Exhibitors

The 2023 Schedule and ShowRunner are now open. Please enter the show via ShowRunner. If you already have an account, please check your contact details and update if required. We need to have current contact details to send the labels for your entries.

Chief Judge

Andrew Spinaze

Andrew is Senior Winemaker for Tyrrells based in the Hunter Valley completing over 40 vintages in the Hunter Valley alone. In that period Andrew has seen how stylistically how the industry has evolved.

He has been involved in the show system for over twenty odd years both regional and capital city shows. QANTAS Gourmet Traveller Finalist in 1999 and winner 2004 along with Hunter Valley Winemaker of the Year 2007.

Panel Chairs

Sarah Andrew

Sarah Andrew is a consultant, sommelier and educator with 20+ years of experience in the wine and hospitality industry. A champion for equity through mentoring, leadership and education, drawing upon empathy and compassion. An active member of ED&I working groups including WSET, Sommeliers Australia and Association de la Sommellerie Internationale.

Sarah studied at Monash University, completing a double degree with Honours in 1996 (Bachelor of Arts Hons & Bachelor of Science). She completed the Court of Master Sommelier, Certified Sommelier exams in September 2010 and in June 2012 she completed the AWRI Wine Judging Assessment Course. Sarah completed her Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma in January 2013 and has been a WSET Certified Educator (Wine) for WSET since May 2013. Sarah was a LET_2018 scholar.

Damian Hutton

Damian is Nikola Estate’s Chief Winemaker and General Manager. He has recently returned to the vineyards he once weeded under the watchful eye of his uncle, Ron Page, who was Houghton’s Vineyard Manager. Damian headed winemaking operations at Millbrook Winery from 2007 where he created regional wines from fruit sourced from all premium Western Australian wine growing regions. These wines won gold medals in every capital city wine show in Australia and every regional wine show in WA. Currently building Nikola’s core wine offering from a small estate range, Damian is scouring the West Australian wine landscape in order to produce a portfolio of wines that reflects the greatness that lies in the diversity of Western Australia.

Erin Larkin

Erin is an independent wine writer, judge and presenter based in Perth, WA. She reviews Australian wines full time for Robert Parker Wine Advocate.

Prior to this, Erin was part of the Halliday Tasting Team, at the Halliday Wine Companion (her areas include all of Western Australia, Clare Valley, Coonawarra, the Limestone Coast and others in South Australia), and was a regular contributor to the Wine Companion Magazine.

“Full time wine drinker as well as writer: I host wine events when I’m not writing, I do videos when I’m not hosting, and I drink wine throughout it all. Work doesn’t feel like work when you love what you do. I spend my time talking about wine to the people who make it or to the people who drink it, and I only recommend the things that I love. Drink well, time is short.”

Judges

Rob Mack

Rob Mack is the winemaker and co-owner with wife Louise of Aphelion Wine Co. based in McLaren Vale. Established in 2014, Aphelion has quickly gained a strong reputation for quality and value with a strong focus on Grenache. Aphelion has been awarded trophies at several wine shows, including winning the Young Gun of Wine award and taking out the trophy for Best Small Producer in McLaren Vale at the McLaren Vale Wine Show. Rob is shortlisted for the 2023 Halliday Winemaker of the Year award.

Rob is a Bachelor of Wine Science graduate from Charles Sturt University (and took out the University Prize for Sparkling Wine Production), and is an active wine show judge at both regional and capital city shows. He completed the AWRI Advanced Wine Assessment Course and was a scholar of the Len Evans Tutorial in 2019. He has completed the Wine Scholar Guild French Wine Scholar program (graduating with Highest Honours) and is commencing Master of Wine studies in 2023.

Livia Maiorana

Livia is the winemaker for South by South West wines, which she established with her partner in 2016. South by South West have two organically farmed vineyards in the Wallcliffe sub region of Margaret River. Whilst Livia is based in Margaret River, she also works with a team of loyal growers to respectfully make wines from across other south west regions to chase terroir driven wines.

Livia is a Wines of Western Australia (WOWA) board member and passionately represents small producers under 150T. Livia hit the judging circuit in 2022 as an Associate for the Perth Royal Wine Show, the Wine Show of Western Australia, and the Blackwood Valley Wine Show. In 2023 Livia completed the AWRI Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC) and is looking to continue her involvement in wine judging going forward.

Megs Kopke

Megs is the founder and owner of Morevino, an online wine store specialising in alternative varieties.

Megs is a graduate of Charles Sturt University and over the past 20 years has been involved in wine making, wine education, wine show judging, and wine retail.

Megs spent seven years as Chief Steward for the Geographe and Western Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show. She has previously judged at the Perth Royal Wine Awards, Margaret River Wine Show, Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, Geographe and WA Alternative Varieties Wine Show.

Chris Murtha

Chris is a winemaker at Castelli Estate in Denmark and has been producing cool climate wines in the Great Southern for over ten years.

Growing up in Perth, early wine experiences came from work in liquor retail, followed by a decision to study winemaking at Curtin University in Margaret River. In 2008 Chris graduated as Dux, collecting the Houghton Medallion for Excellence, awards for Sensory Evaluation, Viticulture and the Talijancich- Leeuwin Award which provided scholarship for an international vintage opportunity.

A strong interest in cool climate wine styles developed early on, leading Chris to work in Tasmania, Oregon and Champagne before settling in the Great Southern in 2012.

Chris and partner Silvia’s current side hustle is the rejuvenation of a small 40-year-old organic vineyard in Mount Barker with a view to producing some small batch wines. Current main hustle, raising a young family and loving life in Denmark.

Sam Badger

Sam’s started his wine story in hotels back in the UK before moving to Australia at the age of 18 to “follow a girl” after years pulling corks across the states wine bars like Must Highgate, Must Margaret River & Wino’s.

In 2010 he was a Scholar of the Sommeliers Australia Education Scholarship. In 2011 he took the plunge into production to get his hands dirty starting at Woodlands Wines as a Vintage Cellar hand. With a later stint in Napa Valley at Spotteswoode Wines in 2016.

2020 has marked his 10^th Vintage at Woodlands where he now heads up production as Winemaker.

Genevieve Mann

Genevieve Mann is co-founder and co-winemaker, alongside husband Rob Mann, of Corymbia. Their wines are made from single vineyard sites in the Swan Valley and Margaret River.

Genevieve was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Brave parents and a fortuitous set of circumstances, lead to her family emigrating to Australia in 1996, settling in Perth, Western Australia. With a whole new world of opportunities, Genevieve stuck her head into a Bachelor of Science (Viticulture & Oenology) degree while travelling the north-south intern highway working harvests in France, South Africa, California, Margaret River and McLaren Vale.

Genevieve is a recent Len Evans Tutorial scholar and has judged at the Halliday Cabernet & Chardonnay Challenge, Royal Perth Wine Show, Geographe Alternative Wine Show and Qantas Mount Barker Wine Shows.