Selecting finalists

Every year in September, 10 Finalists are chosen by The Wine Society Tasting Panel, from the collection of nominations. Following selection, these 10 Finalists compete for 3 prestigious accolades:

• The Wine Society Young Winemaker of the Year
• Young Winemaker Finalists’ Choice Award
• Young Winemaker Supporters’ Choice Award

A detailed breakdown of how these 10 Finalists are chosen can be found below.

1. Winemakers are restricted to entering three Australian wines OR three New Zealand wines. No nominee may enter wines from both nations.
2. The Wine Society Professional Tasting Panel will judge all nominees’ wines early in September according to the Australian Show Judging System.
3. The scores attained by the wines from each nominee will be added together to form a total.
4. The lowest scoring wine from each winemaker will be subtracted from their total.
5. The winemakers with the highest totals will qualify as finalists.
6. In the event of a tie the winemaker/s with the highest score for their three wines combined will be considered a finalist.
7. Should #6 fail to produce a result the winemaker with the single highest scoring wine will be given preference.
8. In the event of a tie the winemaker(s) with the highest score for their three wines combined will be considered a finalist.
9. Should #9 fail to produce a result the number of finalists will be expanded to accommodate all participants vying for the lowest qualifying position.