Plenty shines at 2023 Australian Cider Awards

27 Oct 2023

Cider Australia announced the winners of the 2023 Australian Cider Awards at a gala dinner in Melbourne last night.

Tasmanian producer Plenty Cider was awarded Best in Show with Apple + Blueberry along with the Best Specialty Cider and Most Successful Small Producer trophies.

The quality of entries this year left the judges impressed with a record 75% of all ciders entered receiving a medal, showing how hard the industry is working to eliminate technical faults, meet style expectations and test the boundaries with new and exciting products.

A field of 219 local and international entries from 62 producers was judged by a highly skilled and diverse panel of nine judges led by chair Briony Liebich of consultancy Flavour Logic. Guest judge Darlene Hayes from the United States added valuable insight on global trends.

Thirteen gold medals and nine trophies were awarded. The Dry New World Cider class was a standout class with three gold medals awarded.

2023 Trophy winners:

Best in Show: Plenty Cider with Apple + Blueberry (TAS)

Best New World Cider: Hillbilly Cider with Apple (NSW)

Best Traditional Cider: Simple Cider with Wild Heritage Blend (TAS)

Best Perry: Napoleone Cider with Napoleone Pear Cider (VIC)

Best Specialty Cider or Perry: Plenty Cider with Apple + Blueberry (TAS)

Best Intensified / Distilled Cider or Perry: Carmel Cider Company with Apple Brandy (WA)

Best International Cider or Perry: Peckham’s with Stoke Red (NZ)

Most Successful Small Producer: Plenty Cider (TAS)

Most Successful Larger Producer: Hillbilly Cider (NSW)

Cider Australia also honours individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the Australian cider industry over a prolonged period of time through its Champion of the Industry Award. This Award was presented to Max Allen.

For a full list of award and medal winners visit: cideraustralia.org.au/past-results/2023-results 

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Media enquiries

Contact Cider Australia executive officer Jane Anderson on 0434 559 759 or
office@cideraustralia.org.au or visit www.cideraustralia.org.au.

About Cider Australia 

Cider Australia is an independent, not-for-profit organisation funded by cider businesses and sponsors, established in 2012. It aims to build a sustainable cider category by undertaking activities that improve the quality of ciders produced and marketed in Australia. The organisation represents the interests of the cider industry to policy makers, calling for regulations and policies that support a diverse and evolving cider industry, and runs the Australian Cider Awards and the national AusCider conference.

About the Awards

The Awards is the largest cider competition in Australia and is leading the standardisation and improvement of cider judging across Australia. The judging panel comprised:

• Briony Liebich (Flavour Logic) (chair)
• Darlene Hayes (Certified Pommelier™ educator and writer) (international guest judge)
• Max Allen (wine and drinks writer)
• Nyall Condon (Flying Brick Cider Co)
• Adam D’Arcy (Plenty Cider)
• Lindsy Greig (Certified Cicerone® The 5th Ingredient)
• Rob Hall (Napoleone Cider Bar) (associate)
• Emma Penny (Certified Cicerone® Stomping Ground Brewery) (associate)
• Jenny Polack (Bacchus Academy)

Chair of judges – Briony Liebich

Briony is a sensory analyst and tasting coach. Growing up in a winemaking family gave Briony a good grounding in the booze industry and developed her appreciation for good drinks. After working in winery laboratories, Briony became a sensory analyst running wine and food research projects and training sensory panellists. She side-stepped into the beer world and led the sensory program at Lion’s West End Brewery for 10 years working with beer, cider and RTD’s. During that time, she gained valuable judging experience at beer and cider awards and became a Certified Cicerone ®. Since West End’s closure, Briony has revamped her Flavour Logic brand to help drive a quality focus and improve tasting skills within the alcoholic beverage industry. She is a qualified trainer, writes regularly for Beer and Brewer, and runs educational workshops for consumers, hospitality staff and industry professionals.

Guest international judge – Darlene Hayes

Darlene Hayes, dipWEST and Certified Pommelier™, is a writer and educator living in Sonoma County, California. She’s been fascinated by apples and cider since she and her husband built a house next to a 100+ year old apple orchard. Ever curious, she has since been doing research, historical and otherwise, on numerous apple varieties and the ciders made from them. For the last six years Darlene has been working with the American Cider Association on their Certified Cider Professionals program developing content to educate beverage professionals and enthusiasts alike on the breadth and depth of what cider has to offer. She is a well-respected international cider judge and the editor of the cider and apple-themed zine, Malus as well as writing about cider and apples for a variety of publications and at www.allintocider.com. Her book, Cider Cocktails–Another Bite of the Apple, was the first book on the modern exploration of using cider in cocktails.

2023 Best in Class Winners