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Wine Show

2023 MGA INSURANCE McLAREN VALE WINE SHOW

The McLaren Vale Wine Show seeks to highlight excellence in varietal expression, viticulture, production, provenance and sub-regionality and is open to all current financial members of McLaren Vale Grape Wine & Tourism Association.

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KEY DATES

Date

Action

Notes

Monday 31st July 2023

Online Entries OPEN

-

Friday 8th September 2023

Online Entries CLOSE

No late entries will be accepted

Monday 25 September 2023

Wine Delivery OPEN

Serafino, McLaren Vale

Friday 29 September 2023

Wine Delivery CLOSE

Serafino, McLaren Vale

Monday 16-Thursday 19 October 2023

Judging

Serafino, McLaren Vale

Friday 27 October 2023

Announcement of results

Monday 30 October 2023Exhibitors TastingSerafino, McLaren Vale
Thursday 2 November 2023Trade & Consumer Tasting (Trophy & Gold)Bar Riot, Adelaide



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2022: Please click here to download the 2022 McLaren Vale Wine Show Results.

2021: Please click here to download the 2021 McLaren Vale Wine Show Results.

ABOUT THE MCLAREN VALE WINE SHOW

Every year in October, the great producers of the McLaren Vale wine community prepare their most prized wines for judging at the annual McLaren Vale Wine Show - one of the most significant regional wine shows in Australia. The McLaren Vale Wine Show provides a platform for presenting wines that demonstrate varietal expression, excellence in viticulture and production, as well as provenance and sub-regionality.

The McLaren Vale Wine Show is highly regarded by international and national wine media and trade, and annually attracts a panel of high-calibre wine judges.

In 2014, McLaren Vale became the first regional Australian wine show to introduce a food component into the judging process with the intention to invite the public along to be part of the experience through a series of intimate local wine dinners for epicurean devotees. It also became the first regional wine show to invite Australian ‘Silver Bullets’ to guest judge varieties of particular influence and lead the discussion for the attendees at the dinners. The Consumer Dinner Series inclusion proved to be hugely successful and paved the way for the future trajectory of the event.


HISTORY OF THE BUSHING TRADITION

For half a decade, the McLaren Vale wine community has celebrated, shared and crowned its best through the Bushing tradition.

The tradition brought together three elements - the annual wine exhibition, “the best party ever”, and the desire to present new release wines to trade and the public.

The McLaren Vale wine exhibition, developed from an informal showing of wines initiated in 1965 by the Southern Vales Cooperative, was formalised in 1968 by the newly-formed McLaren Vale Winemakers' Committee. Marking the first competitive wine show outside of Adelaide, thirteen southern wineries took part in the 1968 wine exhibition which saw trophies awarded for the best Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Dry White wines. This wine exhibition continued to take place in October each year.

In 1972 local legends Greg Trott, Tony Brooks and fellow members of the Spontaneous Events Society organised an Elizabethan-themed Feast which was deemed “the best party ever”, so good in fact that it was decided that it must be repeated.

Around the same time local winemaker David Hardy began advocating for the formation of a local wine festival with an Elizabethan theme to mark the release of new vintage wines and present these to trade and consumers.

In October 1973 the McLaren Vale Wine Bushing Festival was launched as a week-long celebration, encompassing the wine exhibition and a celebratory feast that continued the Elizabethan theme by crowning the maker of the best wine of the show as the Bushing Monarch.


FROM ADOPTED TRADITIONS TO OUR OWN TRADITIONS

The term “bushing” springs from a medieval European custom of placing a branch or bunch of ivy, sometimes known as a bush, above tavern or alehouse doors as a sign that it sold wine. The branch of ivy could also signal the arrival of new wine and so the tradition was adopted in McLaren Vale, where many of the new whites are released towards the end of the year but with an olive branch rather than a bush of ivy.

During the early days of the Bushing Festival, McLaren Vale winemakers adopted this tradition to mark the release of new vintage wines by hanging olive branches over their cellar doors. Nowadays the tradition continues with olive trees placed (or planted) outside many cellar doors.

The format of the Bushing celebration has evolved over the past 50 years from the inaugural Elizabethan Feast to the much larger Bushing Festival and Parade, encompassing family-fun days, gala dinners, cellar door tours, wine breakfasts and tastings.

Today, each October the McLaren Vale winemaking community still gathers for the celebratory gala lunch to celebrate the best of the region through the awarding of the McLaren Vale Wine Show trophies and crowning of the Bushing Monarchs, marked with charged glasses and the singing of the ‘Wassail’.

The job of each newly crowned Bushing Monarch is to ‘ring in’ the start of the next vintage at the annual Bell Ringing Ceremony held in the February, tolling Wirra Wirra’s Angelus Bell.

YEAR

BUSHING KING

BUSHING QUEEN

PRODUCER

WINE

2022

Malcolm & Richard Leask


Hither & Yon

2021 Hither & Yon Aglianico

2021

Zar Brooks

Elena Brooks

Dandelion Vineyards

Dandelion Vineyards 2020 Lion's Tooth McLaren Vale Shiraz Riesling

2020

Tom Harvey

Renae Hirsch

Chalk Hill Wines

Chalk Hill Wines 2019 Alpha Crucis Old Vine Grenache

2019

Malcolm & Richard Leask


Hither & Yon

2018 Hither & Yon Nero D’Avola

2018

Stephen Pannell

Fiona Lindquist

S.C. Pannell Wines

2016 S.C. Pannell Cabernet Malbec

2017

Duncan Kennedy

Elspeth Kay

Kay Brothers

2016 Kay Brothers Griffon's Key Grenache

2016

Stephen Pannell

Fiona Lindquist

S.C. Pannell Wines

2015 S.C. Pannell Touriga Cabernet Mataro

2015

Stephen Pannell

Fiona Lindquist

S.C. Pannell Wines

2014 S.C. Pannell Grenache Shiraz Touriga

2014

Matt Caldersmith and Nic Bowen


Chateau Reynella

2012 Chateau Reynella Basket Press Shiraz

2013

Matt Koch & Randall Cummins


Rosemount Estate

2012 Rosemount Estate District Release McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon

2012

Matt Koch & Andrew Locke


Rosemount Estate

2011 Rosemount Estate Nursery Project Mataro

2011

Stephen Pannell

Fiona Lindquist

S.C. Pannell Wines

2010 S.C. Pannell Tempranillo Touriga

2010

Michael Fragos & Bryn Richards


Chapel Hill

2008 Chapel Hill Vicar Shiraz

2009

Paul Carpenter

Alix Hardy

Hardy's Wines

2004 Eileen Hardy Shiraz

2008

Brian Light

Rose Kentish

Ulithorne Wines

2008 Ulithorne Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz

2007

Scott Rawlinson

Maria Maglieri

Serafino Wines

2006 Serafino Cabernet Sauvignon

2006

Wayne Thomas

Bev Thomas

Wayne Thomas Wines

2005 Wayne Thomas Shiraz

2005

Benn Riggs

Annie Riggs

Penny's Hill

2004 Penny's Hill Shiraz

2004

Wayne Thomas

Bev Thomas

Wayne Thomas Wines

2003 Wayne Thomas Petit Verdot

2003

Dan Hills & Tony Walker


Fox Creek Wines

2002 Fox Creek Short Row Shiraz

2002

Sparky Marquis

Sarah Marquis

Shirvington

2001 Shirvington Cabernet Sauvignon

2001

Grant Harrison & Mark Lloyd


Coriole Vineyards

1999 Coriole Lloyd Reserve Shiraz

2000

Ben Riggs

Annie Riggs

Wirra Wirra Vineyards

1998 Wirra Wirra "Chook Block" Shiraz

1999

Michael Fragos & Justin McNamee


Tatachilla Winery

1997 Tatachilla Cabernet Sauvignon

1998

Sparky Marquis

Sarah Marquis

Fox Creek Wines

1997 Fox Creek JSM Shiraz / Cabernet Franc

1997

Michael Fragos


Tatachilla Winery

1996 Tatachilla Chardonnay

1996

Sparky Marquis

Sarah Marquis

Fox Creek Wines

1994 Fox Creek Shiraz

1995

Brian Light

Kay Light

Merrivale Wines

1994 Brian Light Reserve Shiraz

1994

Mike Farmilo

Diane Murphy

Seaview Winery

1992 Edwards and Chaffey Shiraz

1993

Nick Haselgrove

James Haselgrove Wines

1992 James Haselgrove "Futures" Shiraz

1992

John Loxton

Maria Maglieri

Maglieri Wines

1990 Maglieri Cabernet Sauvignon

1991


Pam Dunsford

Chapel Hill

1990 Chapel Hill Reserve Shiraz

1990

Chester Osborn

Julie McEwen

d'Arenberg Wines

1987 d'Arenberg Noble Riesling

1989

Brian Light

Kay Light

Normans Wines

1986 Normans Chais Clarendon Shiraz

1988

Bill Hardy

Merrilyn Hardy

Thomas Hardy & Sons

1975 Harrdy's Vintage Port

1987

Walter (Bill) Clappis

Kerry Clappis

Ingoldby Wines

1985 Ingoldby Cabernet Sauvignon

1986

Scott Collett

Anne Tully

Woodstock Winery

1985 Woodstock Chardonnay

1985

Graham Stevens

Marie Stevens

Stevens Cambrai Wines

1984 McLaren Heights Hermitage

1984

Geoff Merrill abdicated

Greg Trott (replacement)

Janet Merrill

Chateau Reynella

1977 Chateau Reynella Vintage Port

1983

Peter Dennis

Marg Dennis

Daringa Cellars

1980 Daringa Cabernet Sauvignon

1982

Iain Riggs

Janice Riggs

Hazelmere Estate

1982 Hazelmere Estate Chardonnay

1981

Geoff Merrill

Janet Merrill

Chateau Reynella

[Wine Unknown]

1980

Ken Maxwell

Margaret Maxwell

Maxwell Wines

1980 Maxwell Shiraz

1979

Steve Maglieri

Letizia Maglieri

Maglieri Wines

1979 Maglieri Shiraz

1978

Ken Maxwell

Margaret Maxwell

Daringa Cellars

1978 Maxwell Cabernet Sauvignon

1977

Ian Wilson

Joylene Thorpe

Southern Australian Vintners

1977 Burge & Wilson Cabernet Sauvignon

1976

Graham Beenham

Jenny Beenham

Southern Vales Wines

[Wine Unknown]

1975

Graham Stevens

Marie Stevens

Coriole Vineyards

1975 Festival Shiraz

1974

Hugh Lloyd

Molly Lloyd

Coriole Vineyards

1974 Coriole Shiraz

1973

David Hardy

Helen Hardy

Thomas Hardy & Sons

[Wine Unknown]