{"id":786,"date":"2026-09-16T21:37:24","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T21:37:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/?page_id=786"},"modified":"2026-09-16T21:37:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T21:37:24","slug":"wine-show-rules","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/?page_id=786","title":{"rendered":"Wine Show Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rules for 2026<\/h2>\n
\n
\n

1. Definitions<\/strong>
\n\u201caward\u201d means a gold medal, a silver medal, a bronze medal, or a trophy
\n\u201cClass\u201d means an exhibition class defined by the Committee from time to time, and for the time being specified at Schedule A to these Rules
\n\u201cCommittee\u201d means the Committee of the Society
\n\u201centry\u201d means a wine listed and described on an Entry Form submitted by an exhibitor, and for which the appropriate entry fee has been received by the Society
\n\u201cEntry Form\u201d means the official Entry Form at Schedule B to these Rules
\n\u201cexhibit\u201d means a wine received from an exhibitor by the Society to be judged at the Show
\n\u201cexhibitor\u201d means the bona fide owner of an exhibit, and may be a natural person, a partnership or an incorporated body
\n\u201cShow\u201d or \u201cTWS\u201d means the Tasmanian Wine Show conducted annually by the Society
\n\u201cSociety\u201d or \u201cTWSS\u201d means the Tasmanian Wine Show Society
\n\u201ctrophy\u201d means a special award made in accordance with Schedule C<\/p>\n

2. General rules \u2013 all Classes<\/strong>
\n2.1 Subject to specific exceptions for sparkling wines under rule 4.1, entry in all Classes is open to wines made from 100% Tasmanian grapes.
\n2.2 Submission of entries in varietal classes shall be open to wines made from not less than 85% of the specified grape variety.
\n2.3 An entry in any Class must be a finished, bottled wine.<\/p>\n

3. General Rules \u2013 Classes 1-22<\/strong>
\n3.1 Wines entered in any Class must:
\n(a) be available for wholesale and\/or retail trade at the time of entry or
\n(b) be scheduled for release to wholesale and\/or retail trade before the end of the calendar year following the year in which the Show is held (i.e. 31 December 2017 in the case of the Show held in January 2016).
\n3.2 Subject to any special provision in Schedule C \u2013 Trophies, each entry must comprise a minimum quantity of 225 litres at the time of entry.
\n3.3 An exhibitor must provide as exhibits four (4) bottles of each wine entered in classes 1-22.
\n3.4 If a wine has not yet been labelled, then the exhibitor must affix to each bottle of a wine entered in a Class a label that clearly states:
\n\u2022 The name of the exhibitor
\n\u2022 The commercial brand and any other relevant distinctive description of the wine
\n\u2022 The variety or varieties from which the wine is made
\n\u2022 The vintage year
\n\u2022 The percentage by volume of alcohol in the wine
\n\u2022 If requested, the residual sugar contained in the wine, expressed as grams per litre
\n3.5 The Society reserves the right to inspect stocks and records at the premises of an exhibitor, to verify that minimum quantity requirements and other requirements relating to the identity and composition of exhibits have been met.<\/p>\n

4. Rules for Particular Classes<\/strong>
\n4.1 Classes 1, 2 and 3
\nEntry of sparkling wines in Classes 1, 2 and 3 is open to wines made from not less than 85% Tasmanian grapes.
\nA \u201cvintage sparkling wine\u201d is a wine made from not less than 85% Tasmanian grapes of a single vintage.
\n4.2 Class 19
\nA wine exhibited in Class 19 may be 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, or may be a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and another grape variety or other grape varieties, e.g. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot.<\/p>\n

5. Museum wines<\/strong>
\n5.1 An entry in the Museum Class must be of an age appropriate to its type, as set out below:
\n23a Sparkling wines 10 year old wines and older
\n23b White wines 6 year old wines and older
\n23c Red wines 7 year old wines and older
\n5.2 There is no minimum quantity requirement at the time of entry, but each entry must have been comprised of a minimum quantity of 225 litres at the time of making.
\n5.3 Despite rule 5.1, if a wine continues to be commercially available, or its commercial release is pending (e.g. a late-disgorged vintage sparkling wine), it must be entered in the appropriate Class 1-22.
\n5.4 An exhibitor must provide as exhibits two (2) bottles of each wine entered in the Museum Class 23<\/p>\n

6. Submission of entries<\/strong>
\n6.1 The Society will call for the submission of entries in the next year\u2019s Show in November each year, advising potential exhibitors of:
\n\u2022 The dates for the Show
\n\u2022 The venue for the Show
\n\u2022 The Classes of wines to be judged at the Show
\n\u2022 Means by which entries may be lodged
\n\u2022 Entry fees in each Class
\n\u2022 Acceptable forms of payment
\n\u2022 The closing date for receipt of Entry Forms and payment
\n\u2022 The closing date for receipt of exhibits at the venue for the Show
\n6.2 Submission of entries will be made on the official ONLINE Entry Form.
\n6.3 Each Online Entry Form shall be accompanied by the appropriate fee, using PayPal.
\n6.4 A wine entered by an exhibitor must be the bona fide property of the exhibitor.
\n6.5 An exhibitor may enter more than one wine in any Class.
\n6.6 An exhibitor may not enter a particular wine in more than one Class.
\n6.7 An exhibitor may not enter a particular wine more than once in any Class.
\n6.8 Upon submission of an entry, the exhibitor agrees to be bound by these Rules and any conditions specified by the Committee for participation in the Show.<\/p>\n

7. Exhibits<\/strong>
\n7.1 Upon receipt, all exhibits become the property of the Society.
\n7.2 Except with the express permission of the President of the Society in special circumstances, an exhibitor is required to ensure that the exhibits relating to each entry in the Show are delivered to the venue for the Show no later than the date fixed by the Committee under Rule 6.1.
\n7.3 In the case that an exhibitor wishes to withdraw a wine from the Show, the exhibitor must inform the Chief Steward no later than five working days before the first day of judging.
\n7.4 In the event that a wine has been entered, but the exhibit has not been received before the first day of judging, the wine will be deemed to be withdrawn.
\n7.5 In the case that an exhibitor wishes to substitute a different wine for a wine entered on the official Entry Form, the exhibitor must inform the Chief Steward no later than five days before the first day of judging. The replacement exhibit must be received from the exhibitor before the first day of judging.
\n7.6 In the event that an exhibit received from an exhibitor does not correspond with a wine entered on the official Entry Form, the exhibit will be allocated to the Class most appropriate to the exhibit actually received, and judged in that Class. In the event that there is no suitable Class for the exhibit actually received, the wine will be deemed to be withdrawn.
\n7.7 Judges are not required to decide what is the appropriate Class under which an exhibit shall be considered.<\/p>\n

8. Judging and awards<\/strong>
\n8.1 Exhibits will be scored out of 100 points, as agreed by the three judges.
\n8.2 Awards will be determined from that score:
\nBronze 85 to 89 points
\nSilver 90 to 94 points
\nGold 95 to 100 points
\n8.3 No exhibitor shall advertise or allow to be advertised by any means whatsoever, whether by broadcasting, pictorially, or in writing, the fact that any exhibit has won any medal, trophy or other award at the Tasmanian Wine Show, unless such advertisement displays clearly:
\n\u2022 The words \u201cTasmanian Wine Show\u201d and the name of the wine as entered
\n\u2022 The year of the Show at which the award was won
\n\u2022 The Class in which the award was won, and a description of the Class in which the award was won [e.g. \u201cClass 12 Chardonnay \u2013 2016 Vintage\u201d], and for trophies the name of the sponsor
\nAny exhibitor not complying with this Rule may be disqualified from the current Show or future Shows, at the Committee\u2019s discretion.<\/p>\n

SCHEDULE C TROPHIES \u2013 2026<\/h3>\n

1 General Provisions<\/strong>
\n1.1 The highest scoring gold medal winning wines in each exhibition class are eligible to be considered for trophies.
\n1.2 The Society reserves the right to not award a trophy in the event that no wines in the class or classes to which the trophy relates have been awarded gold medals.
\n1.3 In cases where this Schedule stipulates that wines in two or more exhibition classes are eligible for consideration for a particular trophy, but a gold medal or gold medals have only been awarded in one of those classes, then the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in that class will be awarded the trophy.
\n1.4 In these cases, it will not be necessary for the judging panel to be involved in the selection of a wine to be awarded the trophy.
\n1.5 The Society has adopted the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology\u2019s recommendations on Judge Impartiality and Trophy Judging Protocols. The Chair of Judges will direct the judging panel in their consideration of wines eligible to be awarded a trophy within this framework.
\n1.6 The Chair of Judges will have the final arbitration power in relation to trophies awarded on the basis of their selection by the judging panel.
\n1.7 Subject to paragraph 16.2, in the case of trophies awarded on the basis of other criteria, the President of the Society will determine whether the criteria for awarding a particular trophy have been met.
\n1.8 No protest will be entered unless made in writing within seven days of the announcement of the awards. The only grounds for protest are that a trophy was not awarded in accordance with these rules.
\n1.9 Exhibitors are required to donate to the Society an additional 12 bottles of each trophy medal winning wine in Classes 1 \u2013 22. Trophy winning wines in Classes 1-22 will be served at the Trophy Presentation Event where the donation will be acknowledged.<\/p>\n

2 Champion Wine of Show<\/strong>
\n2.1 The highest scoring gold medal winning wines in Classes 1-22 inclusive are eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n2.2 This trophy will be awarded to the wine selected by the judging panel.<\/p>\n

3 Reserve Champion Wine of Show<\/strong>
\n3.1 The highest scoring gold medal winning wines in Classes 1-22 inclusive are eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n3.2 In the event that the Champion Wine of Show is a white table wine or sparkling wine, the Reserve Champion Wine of Show will be the highest rated red table wine selected by the judging panel.
\n3.3 In the event that the Champion Wine of Show is a red table wine, the Reserve Champion Wine of Show will be the highest rated white table wine or sparkling wine selected by the judging panel.<\/p>\n

4 Best Late-Disgorged Mature Vintage Sparkling Wine<\/strong>
\n4.1 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 1.<\/p>\n

5 Best Vintage Sparkling Wine<\/strong>
\n5.1 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 2.<\/p>\n

6 Best Non-Vintage Sparkling Wine<\/strong>
\n6.1 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 3.<\/p>\n

7 Best Riesling<\/strong>
\n7.1 The highest scoring gold medal winning wines in Classes 4, 5 and 6 are eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n7.2 This trophy will be awarded to the wine selected by the judging panel.<\/p>\n

8 Best Chardonnay<\/strong>
\n8.1 The highest scoring gold medal winning wines in Classes 9, 10 and 11 are eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n8.2 This trophy will be awarded to the wine selected by the judging panel.<\/p>\n

9 Best Pinot Noir<\/strong>
\n9.1 The highest scoring gold medal winning wines in Classes 15, 16, 17 and 18 are eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n9.2 This trophy will be awarded to the wine selected by the judging panel.<\/p>\n

10 Best 3 Year Old Pinot Noir<\/strong>
\n10.1 To be eligible for this trophy, an entry must meet the following criteria:
\n\u2022 it must be entered in Class 17,
\n\u2022 at the closing date for entries, there must have been not less than 450 litres of the wine in bottles bearing the wine\u2019s normal commercial label, and
\n\u2022 at the closing date for entries, the wine must have been commercially available for wholesale and\/or retail trade.
\n10.2 Exhibitors entering wines in Class 17 must indicate at the time of submitting entries to the Show whether they hold sufficient stocks of wine and meet all the other conditions to be eligible for this trophy.
\n10.3 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 17 that meets these criteria.<\/p>\n

11 Best Sweet White<\/strong>
\n11.1 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 13.<\/p>\n

12 Best Other Wine<\/strong>
\n12.1 The highest scoring gold medal winning wines in Classes 12, 19, 21, and 22 are eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n12.2 This trophy will be awarded to the wine selected by the judging panel.<\/p>\n

13 Best 2025 Vintage Wine\/Best One-Year-Old Wine<\/strong>
\n13.1 The highest scoring gold medal winning 2025 vintage wines in Classes 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, and 22 are eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n13.2 This trophy will be awarded to the wine selected by the judging panel.<\/p>\n

14 Most Successful Exhibitor<\/strong>
\n14.1 The trophy for the Most Successful Exhibitor will be awarded to the exhibitor achieving the highest score for medals awarded to wines entered in Classes 1-22:
\nBronze 1 point
\nSilver 3 points
\nGold 5 points<\/p>\n

15 Pinot Noir Exhibitor of the Year<\/strong>
\n15.1 An exhibitor who has entered at least three wines in separate classes of Classes 15, 16, 17 and 18 and who has won a medal in each of three classes is eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n15.2 The trophy will be awarded on the basis of medal tally, with priority given to gold(s) over silver(s) and silver(s) over bronze(s), and the total aggregate point score in respect of the exhibitor’s best performing three wines from three different vintage classes.<\/p>\n

16 Best Museum Wine<\/strong>
\n16.1 Only wines entered in Class 23 will be considered for this trophy.
\n16.2 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 23.
\n16.3 Wines given an award in class 23 will not be considered for any other trophy.<\/p>\n

17 Chair of Judge\u2019s Selection<\/strong>
\n17.1 Wines awarded gold medals in Classes 1-22 inclusive are eligible for consideration for this trophy.
\n17.2 This trophy is awarded by the Chair of Judges at his or her absolute discretion.<\/p>\n

18 Best Shiraz<\/strong>
\n18.1 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 20.<\/p>\n

19 Export Wine of Show<\/strong>
\n19.1 Gold medal winning wines from Classes 1 to 22 that are currently exported, or destined for export, are eligible for this award; to be selected by the nominated Judge.<\/p>\n

20 Best Pinot Gris \/ Grigio<\/strong>
\n20.1 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in class 7.<\/p>\n

21 Best Sauvignon Blanc<\/strong>
\n21.1 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 8.<\/p>\n

22 Best Ros\u00e9<\/strong>
\n22.1 This trophy will be awarded to the highest scoring gold medal winning wine in Class 14.<\/p>\n

23 New and Special Trophies<\/strong>
\n22.1 The Society reserves the right to add any new and\/or special trophies at any Show without notice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rules for 2026 1. Definitions \u201caward\u201d means a gold medal, a silver medal, a bronze medal, or a trophy \u201cClass\u201d means an exhibition class defined by the Committee from time to time, and for the time being specified at Schedule … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-786","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":787,"href":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/786\/revisions\/787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taswineshow.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}