Entries are open for the 2015 Australian Cider Awards, with new style guidelines and classes this year.
“The awards give cider makers an unparalleled opportunity to have the quality of their products evaluated and benchmarked by some of the best judges in the nation,” said Cider Australia president Sam Reid.
Cider Australia has this year released comprehensive style guidelines tailored specifically to the Australian market that define how products in each class should present in terms of aroma and flavour, appearance, mouthfeel and overall impression.
“The style guide is a valuable resource for the Australian cider industry and will no doubt become a go-to reference for producers and anyone that markets, buys, serves or drinks cider,” said Reid.
“Release of the guidelines is a proud achievement for Cider Australia and a huge step towards our goal of enhancing and standardising cider judging across Australia.”
Entries will be assessed by a world class judging panel comprising chair Gary Baldwin, renowned international expert Claude Jolicoeur from Canada, Behn Payten, Karina Dambergs and Bradford Tetlow.
There are 19 award classes with standard cider and perry classes delineated as either a modern and fruit driven ‘new world’ style or a ‘traditional’ style, which shows comparatively more complexity, texture and structure. ‘Cider or perry with fruit’ and ‘apple or pear spirit’ classes have also been added to the schedule.
“Consumers are looking to try great examples of ciders across the ever growing spectrum of styles on offer, but are often not quite sure where to start,” Reid said.
“Participating in the awards is an excellent way for producers to showcase their products and foster continuous improvement in the category.”
Winners of the awards will be announced at a dinner on Friday, 9 October at Ormond Hall at The Village Melbourne, while cider lovers are invited to attend the Australian Cider Festival being held at Ormond Hall from 12-8pm the next day.
To enter the 2015 Australian Cider Awards, click here. Entries close 18 September.