The judging panel for the tenth Australian Cider Awards, and the first to occur since the start of the pandemic, has been announced by Cider Australia President Warwick Billings.
Judges have been drawn from across the drinks industry to weigh in on the best that Australia’s cideries have to offer. The panel consists of:
- Nyall Condon (Flying Brick Cider Co)
- Alice Glare (4 Pillars Distillery)
- Tim Jones (RDS Partners)
- Tina Panoutsos (Carlton & United Breweries)
- Tim Shand (Napoleone Cider)
- Kirrily Waldhorn (The Beer Diva)
- Jason Hirsch (Dan Murphy’s) – Associate
Loïc le Calvez, owner of wine consultancy firm, Wine Truth, is named as Chief Judge. Each entry will be assessed blind, with judging taking place on January 17 and 18.
Billings recognised the difficulties of holding an awards show in the current environment, but was quick to praise the Cider Australia team:
“Due to several pandemic-related postponements we will judge in the middle of the Summer holidays, a challenging time in hospitality at the best of times let alone this year, and we are ever thankful to the many volunteers who support our show.”
Billings was also delighted by the breadth and quality of the entries, saying: “233 entries have been received this year across 27 classes, including low and no-alcohol products for the first time.”
Unfortunately, due to the awards coinciding with the beginning of the apple harvest, the annual industry gala dinner has been scrapped in favour of a virtual awards show, slated to be held on the evening of Wednesday February 2.
For full details on the Australian Cider Awards, visit the website here.