Thu 28 Feb 2013

HKIWSC 2013 OPEN FOR ENTRIES!

Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition celebrates its fifth anniversary and announces new International Judge, Vanya Cullen

The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition (HKIWSC), now celebrating its fifth year, is the largest wine and spirits competition in Asia. The Competition, organised to the highest international judging standards, is now open for entries.

Each year, chair judge Debra Meiburg MW (acclaimed wine journalist, TV personality and one of Asia’s first Masters of Wine) invites an international judge to join the panel of Asian born and Asian based judges. This year Australian winemaker, Vanya Cullen has been appointed.

Vanya has been winemaking at her family's Wilyabrup estate since 1983. She was appointed Chief Winemaker in 1989 and Managing Director in 1999. Over the past decade, Cullen has transformed her family firm from one of Margaret River's best into one of the country's premium boutique wineries.

Her palate has been honed by judging throughout Australia and overseas, and by her continuous pursuit of a thorough knowledge of the wines of the world. Vanya was the winner of the 2000 Qantas/The Wine Magazine Winemaker of the year.

Cullen takes over from the preeminent wine educator Karen MacNeil in 2012 and Italian oenologist Alberto Antonini in 2011.

Cullen said: “I’m honoured to be appointed as this year’s International Judge at the prestigious Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Wine & Spirit Competition. As the Competition celebrates its 5th year, it remains the authoritative voice on Asian taste preferences. I look forward to judging alongside Asia’s top wine professionals and contributing my winemaking and judging experience to discover which producers are leading the way in the region.”

Debra Meiburg MW, Competition Director comments on Vanya’s appointment: “DEBRA QUOTE”

HKIWSC Managing Director, Allen Gibbons added: “We are delighted to welcome Vanya to this year’s judging. Australia has provided our largest number of entries over the last few years and has always been an export focused country and therefore we look forward to Vanya’s expertise in the judging.

The Asian panel of judges in fundamental in the Competition ensuring the winners are truly Asia’s Choice, Asia’s Voice. Before judging, wines and spirits are stored at the world renowned Crown Wine Cellars to ensure they reach the judging panels in perfect condition. The results themselves are then checked by a team from KPMG to ensure their accuracy, giving entrants complete confidence in the rigor and accuracy of the results.

This year judging takes place between 2nd – 6th October 2013 with the results announced at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair (7th – 9th November 2013).

The deadline for entries is Friday 13th September.

-ENDS-

For further details, please refer to the official website www.hkiwsc.com

About the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition

The Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition (HKIWSC) is organised by the IWSC Group. The Competition has one simple objective: to recognise and reward the best wines and spirits for the Asian market. With the best judges coming from all corners of our exciting region for the judging in Hong Kong, we can ensure that the HKIWSC awards are truly suited to the tastes of Asia – that is why we are proud to be Asia’s Choice, Asia’s Voice.

About the IWSC Group

The IWSC Group is the world leader in organising wine and spirit competitions around the globe. Along with the International Wine and Spirit Competition, which is considered to be the world’s premier competition of its kind, the IWSC Group launched the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition in 2008 and What Food What Wine? a food and wine pairing competition, in 2011. The Group also owns the brands “The Spirits of Mexico”, “Spirits of the Americas” and “Whiskies of the World”, three signature US consumer tasting events.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Anna Grant

Head of Sales & Marketing

IWSC Group

anna.grant@iwscgroup.com

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“Winning a silver medal in the HKIWSC has truly helped my product to achieve international credibility regarding its taste. This has positively affected decision making of several new merchants who now carry my product.”Kaustav BagchiOwner, Lamai Thai Spirits
“Louis Royer Cognac has been entering the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition for many years. This competition is regarded as the most respected in Asian countries. Winning an award is a high honour for our brand and a further seal of quality for our multi-award winning Cognac.”Carol FrugierMarketing and Communications Manager, Louis Royer Cognac
“Adding to our success over the past few years at the HKIWSC, winning a trophy means so much to us as we have just recently entered the Chinese market with our brandies. The Chinese market is unique, which makes it even more exciting to know that Oude Molen VOV Brandy is well accepted.”Kobus GelderblomBrandy Master, Oude Molen Distillery
“It is a great honour for us to receive this award and we are very thankful about the reputation from wine enthusiasts in China. This award is a testament to the fact that our white wines not only match the traditional Austrian food but also matches perfectly with the Asian cuisine.”Katja PflogschWinemaker, Domäne Wachau
“To get recognition from such a prestigious panel is vey rewarding indeed, and proves that our wines are made in a style that is truly food friendly. The HKIWSC has become one of the year’s most well-respected wine competitions globally. For us, the food match component is a fantastic chance to demonstrate how well our wines compliment so many different flavours. Moreover, it is a competition known and valued by our customers so a trophy can be hugely influential.””Susanna MayerWinemaker, Yealings
“Awards and medals at the HKIWSC have been like a stamp of approval to the quality of our wines. Because it is an Asian-focused competition, I know that my wines are being judged and measured by the same yardstick as all the other wines, given our viticultural conditions are quite unique compared with the rest of the world. These medals give me and, more importantly, my consumers the confidence that my wines stand apart from the competition.”Kalash GurnaniWinemaker, York Winery
“We are very proud of our results. One of our key focuses is the Asian market, so we really want to make our wines special and desirable for this market. That’s why we want to enter this competition and be evaluated by the expert judging panel.”Sofia Cajewski Winemaker, Cremaschi Furlotti
“We at Yealands Estate Wines are proud to be recognized by the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition. The organization is held in the highest regard and our success in the competitions has become a strong voice for our quality around the globe.”Avram DeitchGlobal Marketing Manager, Yealands Wine Group
“Winning awards in reputable international wine shows such as the Cathay Pacific HKIWSC is one of the many ways of educating our consumers and giving them confidence in purchasing the Saint Clair brand. This enhances brand perception an in turn increases sales across our entire portfolio of wines.”Maria EastonWinemaker, Saint Clair Family Estate

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