Festival bubbling with success

MARYSVILLE’S natural and man-made attractions came together beautifully to cement the Marysville Sparkling Wine Festival as a premier event on the Australian wine industry calendar.
Centred around the 2012 Australian Sparkling Wine Show, the festival started with the judging on 23 and 24 October of sparkling wines from around Australia followed by a series of events including the community wine tasting at the golf club, business breakfast with celebrity guest Sam Kekovich at Steavenson Falls and the Gala Awards Dinner at Lake Mountain.
Organising team members Michael Gelbert and Graham Taylor were thrilled with the success of the festival and said planning was already underway for the introduction of a three-day national sparkling wine conference next year.
Mr Taylor said every event had a unique aspect which showcased the area’s assets, from the events at the golf club to breakfast at the base of Steavenson Falls to the awards dinner on top of Lake Mountain.
“A lot of people had not been to Lake Mountain before and it was a fantastic way to enjoy it with great food and a night spent enjoying all the winning wines over dinner,” he said.
He said the wine show had attracted quality wines that were unanimously acclaimed by the judges.
He said all seven judges voted for a gold medal for the winning wine, an E.J. Carr House of Arras from Piper’s River in Tasmania.
“The wines came from everywhere and the judges on the night were very adamant, as were our sponsors Dan Murphy, that this year’s show has well and truly cemented the event on the Australian wine calendar.
“The wine show committee is especially thrilled to have at this stage a three-year commitment from Dan Murphy as the major sponsor giving certainty to the event,” Mr. Taylor said.
“The way the festival was structured this year, with the community night at the golf course where everybody got to taste the competition wines, the golf day, breakfast and dinner … it was just a fantastic week for Marysville.”