Australian Italian Varieties Wine Awards

The Australian Italian Varieties Wine Awards has been created by the Riverina Winemakers Association to focus specifically on the development of Australian wines from Italian varieties. The awards have a natural link with the Riverina, as the region’s agricultural foundations were underpinned by the strong Italian migrant population, right back to the early 1900s.

CLASSES

SPARKLING

Class 1: Prosecco

Class 2: Moscato

WHITE WINE

Class 3: Arneis 

Class 4: Fiano 

Class 5: Greco 

Class 6: Pinot Bianco

Class 7: Pinot Grigio 

Class 8: Vermentino 

Class 9: Other White Varieties 

Class 10: Other White Blends 

Class 11: Rosé  (any variety or style)

RED WINE

Class 12: Aglianico

Class 13: Barbera 

Class 14: Lagrein 

Class 15: Montepulciano

Class 16: Nebbiolo 

Class 17: Nero d’Avola

Class 18: Primitivo 

Class 19: Sangiovese 

Class 20: Other Red Varieties 

Class 21: Other Red Blends

TROPHIES

SPARKLING

Best Sparkling (Class 1 and 2)

WHITE

Best White Wine (Classes 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10)

Best Pinot Grigio (Class 7)

RED

Best Rosé  (Class 11)

Best Red Wine (Class 12-21)

ALL

Chief Judges award for ‘Most Exciting Wine’ 

Australian Italian Varieties Wine Awards Champion

RULES 2024

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Australian Italian Varieties Wine Awards is only open to finished wines i.e. wines that have been bottled during a commercial bottling run with a seal/cork that the consumer will break to consume. THEY NEED NOT necessarily bear a commercial label or be available for sale at the time of judging. Where a finished wine is not commercially labelled, the exhibitor must list on the entry form the commercial brand under which the wine will be sold. Failure to do so may see the wine disqualified. Commercial labels should NOT be removed from exhibits.

  1. All classes are open for competition to winemakers and distillers and wine and spirit merchants. A wine merchant shall mean any person, association or company buying wine and brandy for re-sale or wholesale. A winemaker shall mean any person or firm manufacturing wine from grapes.

  2. An Exhibitor shall mean the person(s), business or company as designated on the Wine Show entry form and also includes an agent and anyone acting or purporting to be acting on the Exhibitor’s behalf, whether or not employed by the Exhibitor.

  3. The Committee means the Riverina Wine Show Committee convened under the Riverina Winemakers Association Inc.

  4. A grape meets the definition of an Italian Variety if it is one of the grapes granted “authorised” status by Italy's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MiPAAF).  If unsure of a variety contact the show committee on info@riverinawinemakers.com.au

  5. Entry fee is $60.00 (inc. gst).

  6. Entries shall comprise THREE bottles 750 ml sized totalling 2250 ml. Smaller sized bottles can be sent as long as it is equivalent in mls required.

  7. There is no limit to the number of entries in any Class.

  8. An exhibitor may be awarded more than one medal in any Class.

  9. No exhibit may be entered in more than one class, and no exhibit may be entered in the show by more than one exhibitor.

  10. MINIMUM QUANTITIES: 100 by one-dozen cases (900 litres) or equivalent at the time of entry. 

  11. Up to 1 dozen of any medal winning wines may be requested at wholesale price for the presentation function. 

  12. Medals will be awarded as follows, based on the agreed score of the judging panel:

    Bronze Medal 85 - 89 points

    Silver Medal 90 - 94 points

    Gold Medal 95 - 100 points

  13. Entries are to be made via the AWRI Showrunner online form only

  14. No person will be permitted to inspect an entry form after receipt by the Secretary. No person will be permitted access to the exhibits, with the exception of the Judges, Stewards, Secretary and staff, until the awards have been determined.

  15. EXHIBIT LABELS WILL BE GENERATED VIA THE ONLINE SHOWRUNNER SYSTEM. Exhibits are to bear the labels supplied by the Committee. Commercially labelled wines should retain commercial labels. Please apply Committee labels on the entries in a manner that allows the organisers to ascertain product descriptions and other label matters

  16. Wines entered into varietal classes must comprise a minimum 85% of the stated grape variety.

  17. Wines entered into blended classes must comprise a minimum 85% of Italian variety/varieties, as per rule 4

  18. Entries in the Sparkling wine classes may be made in any style and sweetness, however, residual sugar level must be noted on the entry form. Carbonated wines are allowed. Flavoured wines and/or wine products will not be accepted.

  19. All exhibits shall become the property of the Committee. Exhibits must be solely the produce of Australian grapes and conform to the respective Acts of the States and the Commonwealth, which govern the manufacture of Australian Wine and Brandy. 

  20. The Committee reserves the right to have any exhibit inspected and/or analysed by one or more persons appointed for that purpose.

  21. No protest will be entertained unless made within seven (7) days of the announcement of the awards.

  22. No entry will be received from any person or persons disqualified by this or any other similar Wine Show Organisation. Should any entry be accepted, it shall, when discovered, be deemed void, and the entry fee and exhibit shall be forfeited.

  23. All persons exhibiting shall accept the decision of the Judges appointed by the Committee, as to the merits of the exhibits.

  24. Exhibitors agree that their results can be published in the catalogue of results.

  25. Audit of exhibits and use of medals will be undertaken. This may involve establishing minimum stock levels and consistency between exhibits and commercially obtained products. It is a condition of entry that exhibitors will co-operate with auditors acting at the request of the Riverina Wine Show. If requested, exhibitors will provide samples from company warehouses.

    TROPHY AND MEDAL ASSESSMENT

  26. Trophies will only be awarded where a wine has first won a gold medal in the Show.

  27. Judges will judge each Class without collaboration. 

  28. The Chair of Judges shall have the final power to arbitrate the Awards. Judges will not have access to the exhibits apart from the glass placed in front of them by the Stewards. Judging will be conducted in accordance with the rules of the show.

  29. The judges shall have the power to disqualify or dismiss, as not being eligible for judging, any exhibit which, in their opinion, does not comply with regulations in every respect, and any such disqualification shall be accepted as final.

  30. Awards may be withheld in any Class where exhibits are considered unworthy.

    DISPLAY OF AWARDS

  31. The Riverina Wine Show adheres to the Winemakers Federation of Australia Code of Practice governing the display of awards. This states that producers will not use medals, stickers, symbols or other devices on a bottle in order to misleadingly convey the impression the wine has received an award at an open, objective and independent competition.

  32. Awards received by an individual wine will bear the year of the award and the class description and shall only apply to wines bearing the name under which the exhibit was entered.

  33. Compliance by a producer to the WFA’s Code of Practice for the display of awards is a prerequisite for entry to the Riverina Wine Show. Any exhibitor making improper use of Awards for Advertising purposes may be disqualified from any future shows.