Champagne Bureau Australia has announced the launch of the biennial 2018 Vin de Champagne Awards.
The 2018 Vin de Champagne Awards will be the 43rd edition of this coveted wine accolade which is unique to Australia. Organised on behalf of the Comité Champagne, representing the Houses, Growers and Co-operatives of Champagne, the Awards honour the importance of the long-standing relationship between Australia and the Champagne region in France where Australia is ranked as the 6th largest export market in the world, importing 8, 534 351 bottles in 2017 marking a 15.5% increase in volume from the previous year.
The Vin de Champagne Awards aim to educate consumers that Champagne only comes from Champagne and encourage the enjoyment of Champagne in Australia. The awards program has established a network of over 40 Champagne specialists who act as Ambassadors to promote the Champagne Appellation Australia-wide by sharing their knowledge and appreciation of the wine.
The 2018 Vin de Champagne Awards invites candidates to apply in one of two categories: Professional, for people working in the food, wine and hospitality industry, or those whose main enterprise is associated with food and wine communications. The Amateur category is for those Australians who simply have a passion for Champagne.
To enter, candidates in both categories first answer six essay-style questions about the history, viticulture and wine-making traditions of the Champagne region. Answers should display an understanding on how Champagne is made, recognise key moments in Champagne’s history, and show knowledge of the organisation of the Champagne industry. State finalists are selected and flown to Sydney in September, where a panel of expert judges will test the entrants’ skills in a blind tasting of Champagne wines.
A program of Vin de Champagne Award training classes will be run concurrently with the award to ensure entrants are able to taste a diverse selection of Champagne.
The judging of the 2018 Vin de Champagne Awards is carried out by a panel of industry experts and past winners including wine writer, Huon Hooke, writer and presenter Peter Bourne, and author and Champagne educator, Bernadette O’Shea.
Winners will be announced in the evening of the final judging at an invitation-only dinner attended by Australia’s most respected wine and food industry luminaries. The grand prize for the two winners is a two-week educational tour through the Champagne district where they are presented with their medal by Comité Champagne and are immersed in the wine culture of Champagne.
You can see the 2016 winners here. Entry forms and questions are available on the Champagne Bureau Australia website here.
