Medals galore at Geelong Wine Show

A small producer with a vineyard on the banks of the Barwon River has taken out Wine of the Show Award at this year’s Bendigo Bank Geelong Wine Show.

Proprietor Tony Pye of Barwon Banks vineyard was ecstatic when he learned that his 2015 Barwon Bank Shiraz had taken out the Award.

“We have been making wine from that vineyard for many years now. I always thought it was a good site, and this award confirms my belief,” he said.

The Barwon Banks 2015 Shiraz also took out the Barry Plant Trophy for Best Shiraz.

The award was announced at the Bendigo Bank Awards Presentation Dinner, which was hosted by local media identity Catriona Rowntree and held at the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre; 190 entries were received from 38 local wineries, making it one of the most eagerly contested wine shows in recent years.

A total of 19 gold medals, 31 silver medals and 57 bronze medals were awarded to the exhibitors, which chief judge Robert Paul described as “a very high strike rate, which reflected the exceptional vintage conditions experienced in Geelong over the past few years”.

Ken and Joy Campbell, who were among the first to establish a vineyard when the Geelong wine region was revived during the 1960s, were inducted into the Geelong Wine Association Hall of Fame at the Awards Presentation Dinner to recognise their outstanding and enduring contribution to the Geelong Wine Industry.

They join Daryl and Nini Sefton and Stuart Hooper, who were inducted last year.