About the
Australian Sparkling Wine show
Who we are and Why we Formed
The Australian Sparkling Wine Show (ASWS) is the only dedicated sparkling wine show in Australia. Our objective is to showcase the best sparkling wines Australia has to offer, recognise and support our Australian sparkling winemakers in this ever growing and improving category.
The Australian Sparkling Wine Show provides the best opportunity for national recognition and benchmarking for Australia’s sparkling winemakers.
We also provide a platform for winemakers, industry suppliers and supporters to connect, share ideas and raise their profile.
Our Wine Show Team
AUSTRALIAN SPARKLING WINE SHOW Committee
Our committee members are dedicated volunteers, who are key and influential members of the Australian sparkling wine industry. All of them have a passion for Australian sparkling wine and seeing the industry flourish.
Wine show committee members are responsible for engaging with winemakers and sponsors whilst sharing the value of participating in the ASWS and supporting our sparkling wine industry.
Trina Smith
Committee Chair
Committee Chair
Trina Smith is the Group White and Sparkling Winemaker for Pernod Ricard Winemakers Australia and is
a graduate of the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Oenology).
Trina started her sparkling winemaker career with Brown Brothers, before moving to Senior Sparkling Winemaker with Treasury Wine Estates prior to her current role with Pernod Ricard Winemakers.
A finalist for the Gourmet Traveller WINE, Winemaker of the Year in 2020, and a judge at numerous national and regional wine shows Trina has been in the wine industry for over 20 years.
Cate Looney
Secretary
Secretary
Cate Looney is the Senior Winemaker with the Brown Family Wine Group, at Milawa in Victoria’s King Valley. A graduate in Wine Science from Charles Sturt University, Cate has been with the Brown Family Wine Group for over 15 years managing a team of four winemakers and producing over 10M bottles of wine per year.
2020 Winemaker of the Year at the Women in Wine Awards, has extensive experience as a wine show judge, is the Secretary of the Australian Sparkling Wine Show Committee and sits on the Charles Sturt University Wine Courses Industry Advisory Committee.
Loïc Le Calvez
Treasurer
Treasurer
Loïc Le Calvez is an Oenologist / Wine Consultant who set out to champion the Australian Sparkling Wine Industry. A former Chief Winemaker and Chief Operating Officer at Taltarni in Victoria and Clover Hill in Tasmania, in 2016 Loïc started his own business ‘Wine Truth’.
With ‘Wine Truth’, Loïc consults to wineries but also delivers unique wines to individuals whilst sharing the story behind these wines.
Loïc is also an agent for French cooperage ‘Tonnellerie Vicard’ in Australia and a regular judge in Wine Shows.
Glenn Thompson
COMMITTEE MEMBER
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Glenn is the General Manager at Levantine Hill, Yarra Valley. He was previously a Winemaker at Domaine Chandon where he worked for 16 years.
Prior to this Glenn worked with De Bortoli Wines for 4 years. He has a bachelor of wine science from Charles Sturt University.
Glenn is an experienced and engaging wine show judge and is the Chief Steward of the Show.
Chris Smales
COMMITTEE MEMBER
COMMITTEE MEMBER
Chris is the winemaker at Sutton Grange on the southern edge of the Bendigo wine region in Victoria. Prior to this, Chris was the winemaker at Blue Pyrenees Estate for 20 years, involved in the production of traditional method sparkling wine, red and white table wine.
Chris has a bachelor of wine science from Charles Sturt University. He started his career with UK wine retailer Oddbins in 1990 and studied in the UK.
Chris is proud to be involved with the Australian Sparkling Wine Show and in the wine show system as a steward, associate judge and judge. the
ALISDAIR PARK
CHIEF STEWARD
CHIEF STEWARD
Alisdair Park is the Senior Winemaker for the Australian Cuvee Centre, based in the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and is a graduate of the University of Adelaide Bachelor of Science in Viticulture and Oenology.
Alisdair worked in the Arras sparkling wine program for several years where he gained a passion for crafting quality sparkling wine.
Alisdair is also a graduate of the AWRI’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course (AWAC) and has been involved in regional Victorian wine shows as an associate judge.
All judges for the ASWS are experienced wine show judges, and are members of our wine industry from backgrounds including production, media and wine service.
our 2023 Wine Show judges
Toni Paterson MW
• Judge •
Toni Paterson MW is a leading Australian wine judge, commentator and critic.
Alongside a degree in Applied Science and a Master of Oenology, she is a member of the Institute of Masters of Wine. She was awarded the prestigious Madame Lily Bollinger Medal for tasting excellence in 2003.
Paterson's lengthy wine judging career within Australia and abroad gives her a unique perspective on style, trends and vintage character. In addition to international judging stints, she is the Chair of Judges at a host of local wine shows.
Jeremy Dineen
• CHAIR OF Judges •
Jeremy is Consultant and Director at Vintegrity Consulting, providing specialised consulting services for wine businesses with over 20 years experience in wineries.
Prior to starting Vintegrity Consulting, Jeremy was Chief Winemaker and General Manager at Josef Chromy Wines.
In addition to winemaking (including his own brand Haddow + Dineen), Jeremy is an experienced wine show judge with terms as Panel Chair and Chairman of Show at regional and capital city wine shows
Sarah Andrew
• Judge •
Since 2015 Sarah has supported the WSET Educator Training program and is the Business Development Manager for AU & NZ.
She is on the technical committee for the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) and is active in Australian National and Regional wine shows as Chair, Panel Chair and Judge.
Sarah has been co-president of Sommeliers Australia since 2017. Len Evan Tutorial scholar, Certified Sommelier, WSET Diploma
Ella Hoban
• Associate Judge •
Ella Hoban is a White and Sparkling Winemaker at Accolade including working in the Arras and Yarra Burn programs.
Romaric Bertholle
• Associate Judge •
Romaric is a winemaker hailing from Champagne France. Originally from a family with vineyards in Champagne he brought with him a rich heritage and tradition in winemaking when he immigrated to Australia in 2017.
Romaric has worked as an Assistant winemaker at Sirromet Winery in Brisbane and as an assistant vineyard manager at Heathcote Estate. Today he works as a winemaker at Kilchurn Wines in the Macedon Ranges, specialising in sparkling wine.
Winemakers Enter Your
Best Australian Sparkling Wine
Entering your sparkling wine in this show provides the opportunity to benchmark against the best in Australia and be recognised by your Australian peers.
Importantly, as a Trophy, Gold or Silver Medal Winner, you will qualify to enter the exclusive National Wine Show in Canberra.
Plus, an excellent result at the show can provide a significant marketing uplift.
There are several wine classes for you to enter. Click below for entry details.
Our History
First held in 2010, the Australian Sparkling Wine Show (ASWS) is the only dedicated sparkling wine show in Australia, championing a growing category of exceptional wines.
Originally known as the Marysville Sparkling Wine Festival, the ASWS began as a seed that grew out of the rubble and ashes of a community that was destroyed in the devastating February 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
A group of locals, many of whose lives had been severely impacted by the fires, agreed to come on board to help make the show a success. Sixty-nine entries across five classes were received in that first year, and since then, the ASWS has continued to grow.
In 2013, it became the Australian Sparkling Wine Show (ASWS), highlighting its national significance.
