Australian Cider Awards now open for entries!

9 Aug 2014

A continuing growth in the popularity and production of cider has led to the development of the biggest Australian Cider Awards in its short history.

Cider Australia has today officially opened entries for the awards, aimed at showcasing and celebrating the best apple and pear ciders available across the country.

President Sam Reid said Cider Australia is expanding the range of award categories to better reflect the growing range of ciders available in Australia.

Seventeen categories will be judged by internationally-acclaimed expert Malcolm Reeves, from New Zealand, along with Australia counterparts Gary Baldwin, Wayne Hewett, Ian Kingham and Behn Payten.

“Our aim is to move towards a better understanding and appreciation of the different cider styles available in Australia, by producers and consumers alike,” Mr Reid said.

“This follows the approaches used in leading cider competitions overseas where ciders are judged against their stylistic peers.”

Cider and perry can now be entered into the “New World” or “Traditional” category.

In the “New World” categories, the judges will be looking for a modern, fruit-driven style that may have less complexity, texture and structure than ciders in the “Traditional” classes.

There will also be three new and separate categories for ice cider, fortified cider and experimental cider.

“We are hoping to see some interesting and innovative entries in the three new categories and their inclusion is a reflection of the growing maturity of the cider market in Australia” Mr Reid said.

Cider Australia is proud to set the benchmark with the new judging parameters.

“As the category continues to develop and we obtain learnings from the international judges that we bring in each year, it’s natural that we evolve the categories to reflect not only best practice but where the market is in Australia at this present time”, Mr Reid said.

“Of course the key point of the competition is the ability for producers to benchmark their ciders versus local and international producers and enable the continuous improvement in quality in the category that we are seeing.”

You can enter the 2014 Australian Cider Awards online via Cider Australia’s website at www.cideraustralia.org.au.

Entries close on Friday 19 September 2014.

Winners will be celebrated at a special dinner on October 10th at The Kelvin Club, followed by a Cider Festival in Ormond Hall at The Village Melbourne on October 11th and 12th.

 

THE AWARD CATEGORIES AND RULES ARE ATTACHED TO THIS MEDIA RELEASE

 

For more details or media enquiries, please contact Cider Australia President Sam Reid on 0434 734 797. You can also keep up to date with the latest news via twitter @cideraustralia or www.cideraustralia.org.au

 

ATTACHMENT: 2014 Australian Cider Awards

Rules of Entry:

1. Entrants must declare the product as either Cider or Perry and enter it in one of the 17 categories under classes 1 – 11.

2. A product may only be entered into the show once. Entrants may enter more than one product into a category.

3. There is no flavoured Cider or Perry class.

4. Where more than 5% water (in volume) is used in the production processes of a cider or perry (e.g. to reconstitute concentrate or adjust alcohol percentage) such products are to be identified on the entry form. This information is being collected for statistical purposes and will not be available to the judges.

5. Where sugar, apple juice concentrate or other sugar substitutes are used in the production processes specifically to increase alcohol percentage or to adjust sweetness, such products are to be identified on the entry form. (The use of sugar or substitutes where its sole function is to promote the secondary fermentation process for products entered into classes 4 and 8 does not need to be advised).

6. Entrants must have in stock at the time of entry a minimum of 225 litres of each product entered into classes 1-8, and 100 litres of each product entered in classes 9-11.

7. All entries must be available for sale in Australia at the time of entry.

8. The organising committee reserves the right to audit compliance in regard to entries.

9. An entry form and an entry fee must accompany each entry. Entries not accompanied by the fee and entry form will not be accepted. Entry charges for 2014 remain at $45 for members of Cider Australia and $55 for non-members.

10. Each entry will consist of 4 x 750mL bottles, or 8 x 375mL bottles or equivalent volume. Entries become the property of Cider Australia. The entries winning medals and/or best in class will be showcased at the Presentation Dinner through being matched by the judges to one of the courses served. We are asking that appropriate medal winners contribute 2 x cartons (9L or equivalent) to be served at the dinner. Additional carton/s, if required, will be purchased at wholesale prices by Cider Australia from the producer to ensure we have sufficient stock for serving. Only the selected winners will be asked to supply extra stock for the dinner. We trust that you will agree with this move to publicise the top products in this way and will be prepared to provide this support to the dinner.

11. Entries may be in any container less than 2L (glass, can, PET other) all closures permitted. At present the show is not able to receive or dispense keg formats.

12. Entries must have a Cider Australia label securely attached on each bottle/container, these can be printed when entering or from the website at a later date. Labels will not be sent out.

13. All entries and fees must be received by the organisers by Friday, 19th September 2014. No late forms or fees will be accepted.

14. Ciders and/or Perrys to be entered into the Awards must be delivered to;

Cider Australia Awards – c/o Past Last & Present.

51 Leather Street, Breakwater, Geelong, VIC 3219

between 8th September and 19th September 2014.

15. The judges’ decision is final.

16. The judges reserve the right not to award medals, prizes or certificates in each class.

Force Majeure and Modifications

If an event beyond the control of Cider Australia prevents the smooth running of the Cider Awards, Cider Australia cannot under any circumstances be held responsible. Cider Australia reserves the right to cancel the Awards, to alter the proposed date, to shorten, lengthen and change the conditions and running order. Responsibility will not be incurred by Cider Australia and therefore no compensation can be sought by participants.
 Cider Australia cannot be held responsible for any theft, loss, delay or damage during the transport of entries.

Audits

Cider Australia reserves the right to cancel wrongly completed or incomplete entry forms and to eliminate any entry that does not comply with the regulations. Cider Australia reserves the right to have any of the winning entries analysed by an approved oenological analysis laboratory and, subject to the results of the analysis, to take whatever action they consider necessary. Cider Australia is is the only organisation authorised to settle any disputes.

Categories Accepted:

1A New World Dry Cider [max. 1005 SG]

1B Traditional Dry Cider [max. 1005 SG]

2A New World Medium Cider [between 1005-1012 SG]

2B Traditional Medium Cider [between 1005-1012 SG]

3A New World Sweet Cider [min. 1012 SG]

3B Traditional Sweet Cider [min. 1012 SG]

4 Bottle Conditioned / Methode Champenoise Cider

5A New World Dry Perry [max. 1005 SG]

5B Traditional Dry Perry [max. 1005 SG]

6A New World Medium Perry [between 1005-1012 SG]

6B Traditional Medium Perry [between 1005-1012 SG]

7A New World Sweet Perry [min. 1012 SG]

7B Traditional Sweet Perry [min. 1012 SG]

8 Bottle Conditioned / Methode Champenoise Perry

9 Ice Cider/Perry

10 Fortified Cider/Perry

11 Experimental Cider/Perry

Explanatory Note

The classification into New World and Traditional ciders acknowledges the wide range of ciders available in Australia, and seeks to present groups of ciders to the judges that are to be judged against their stylistic peers. New World could equally be defined as Contemporary and is expected that ciders and perry in these classes will be in a modern fruit driven style, acknowledging that they may have less complexity, texture and structure than Traditional classes.

The use of water and fresh juice substitutes for fermentation has been included on the entry form as a requirement to be specified but has not been kept as separate classes.

The definitions of Cider and Perry are those of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and all entries in classes 1 – 9 should also comply with the WET Act definitions of Cider and Perry.

Where a product made from a mixture of apple and pear is in transition between classes and does not comply with the definitions in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (in particular that Cider may contain no more than 25% pear juice and Perry no more than 25% apple juice), it is ineligible for entry into classes 1 – 8. If entered into other classes, the percentage of each component (i.e. Apple 45%, Pear 55%) should be identified on the bottle label.