Experiencing wine and food in perfect combination is the holy grail for many true wine lovers. Judging wine with food offers a realistic guide for consumers seeking the perfect wines to match their menus, says Sydney International Wine Competition director Warren Mason.

Judging for the 29th annual Sydney International Wine Competition has just finished. This exceptional show�s main aim, through its website www.top100wines.com, is to offer consumers an objective selection of superior ready-to-drink wines of varying palate weights, to complement appropriate food.

�The Competition makes no profound, single opinion to pontificate a given wine�s overall merit. This is a wine competition aimed at helping you choose the right wine for you, for the dish you have in mind,� says Mason.

To do this an international panel of judges, first using typical wine judging procedures, select the top twenty percent of a capped 2000 international entries. According to palate weight, the Judges themselves then array these 400 technically superior wines into Lighter, Medium and Fuller Bodied Style Categories, as opposed to Varietal Categories.

�This permits the Judges to assess these finalists in a second phase judging against wines of similar palate weight, but more importantly alongside a dish with flavours that these wines are likely to complement. This final test, with appropriate food complexing the judges� palates, is unique amongst the major international wine shows of the world,� says Mason.

Five times Chairman Kym Milne MW (Master of Wine) led a panel of four Australian, three United Kingdom, two USA, two New Zealand and one Singapore based wine experts over the five days of judging. Six of the panelists are Masters of Wine.

The full results of the Competition, including the Championship Trophy winner and twenty-three other Trophy Winners will be announced at a seven course Degustation Banquet to be held on February 20, 2010 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney. Online tickets are available from www.top100wines.com

The Competition�s 2010 website, which will include the recipe for the dish each wine category was judged against and six judges� independent comments for each of the Award winning wines, will be launched that evening.

All of the Blue-Gold Award winning wines including the TOP 1OO Wines of the Competition will be exhibited for public tastings on Saturday March 20, 2010 at The Menzies Hotel, Sydney. On-line tickets are available from top100wines.com.

For more information, recipes and photography contact:

Louise Johnson louiseflora@gmail.com +61 (0)400 241 179

Warren Mason, Competition Director Sydney International Wine Competition wbmason@top100wines.com +61 (0)2 4757 4400

Below, some comments from first time panellists with the 2010 Sydney International Wine Competition�

�The Sydney International Wine Competition was the most fascinating wine judging I�ve been privileged to attend. From the quality of the wines, to the camaraderie of the judges, to the quality of food and the unique aspect of including food with the judging, to the meticulous organization of the competition, and finally to the blissful setting in the Blue Mountains � this was a marvelous and tantalizing week. The entire SWIC team is to be congratulated for running what has to be the most professionally organized wine competition around. Every detail was accounted for and this allowed the judges to focus solely upon the wines, and not be bothered by distractions. I especially benefited from the relaxed timing between flights, allowing the judges the opportunity to read, chat, check emails or metabolize ethanol while playing petanque, table tennis, darts. Last, but certainly not least, the chance to judge wines in the majestic Blue Mountains of New South Wales was a dream come true for me.� Peter Marks MW, Vice President Education, Constellation Academy of Wine, USA (2010 Panel)

�The fuller bodied red category was matched with lamb pithiviers made in the classic style with shoulder of lamb flavoured with rosemary and garlic encased in puff pastry: a rich dish to suit some very concentrated, full flavoured wines. This was the Category where tannin really came into play. On reviewing my marks I found that when tasted with the food, ripe tannins seemed to melt into the dish allowing the juiciness of the fruit and the acidity to shine through. Any wines that were lacking in either mid palate fruit or acidity seemed to fall down at this stage. On the other hand, the well balanced wines sang out beautifully with this dish.� Jane Boyce MW, Wine writer, International Wine & Food Consultant, Northern Ireland.

�The two-phase judging process at the Sydney International is, to my knowledge, practically unique in the world of wine competitions. It certainly works flawlessly at the SIWC. All entries are given due and careful attention, and the standouts are selected for what I regard as the right attributes � technical quality, certainly, but also a confident sense of style and the clear potential to complement food. My experience at the Sydney International this year has left me with rich memories of effective teamwork with a great crew, fine wines enjoyed with marvelous food, a triumph of organisation and, above all, a delicious sense of the joie de vivre.� Martin Williams MW, Winemaking Consultant, Australia.

�The Sydney International Wine Competition was a fascinating, challenging and a thoroughly enjoyable week. The competition is unique in that it�s one of the world�s only wine shows where the wines are specifically judged and recommended for their compatibility with food. This makes a lot of sense. Although wine isn�t exclusively consumed with food, that it is so compatible with a wide range of food types and ethnic cuisines is what sets wine apart from other alcoholic beverages. A real eye-opener was just how much the different flavours and textures of foods can alter the taste and even the quality perception of wine. Some of my scores without food vs with food changed by as much as 3 points out of 10! Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Winewriter, Singapore.

�I have compiled a short list of what it was that left me feeling wonderfully privileged to have been a part of the SIWC experience: One. The behind the scenes co-ordination. I was absolutely blown away with how seamless this facet of the show was executed. Two. The food. Chef de Cuisine Jacqueline Mason should have a number of Michelin stars after her name. Three. Sauvignon Blanc. For me, this was one of the greatest revelations. Chef Mason served what, for me, was one of the most profound food and wine matches of the week: Goats Cheese Roulade. Check her Recipe. Truly delicious! Four. Chardonnay. We saw Chardonnays which were ideal examples of how wonderful this variety really can be. Judging these wines alongside appropriate food showed their ability to complement a wide range of cuisine, from delicate seafood to stronger white meat dishes. Five. Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the success stories of the week. Recently, this variety seems to have lost favour following the rise to stardom of Pinot Noir. But the ability of this variety to complement the right food is second to none. The best Cabernet wines when paired alongside savoury foods truly highlighted why these wines are the true classics." Liam McElhinney, Winemaker, The Ned, Marlborough, New Zealand.