The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) is a not-for-profit organisation that has been an influential force in the direction and development of Australian agriculture through competitions, education and events since its foundation in 1822. Today, through the Sydney Royal Wine Show, we are promoting and rewarding excellence in Australian winemaking through several key initiatives.
Networks
The Sydney Royal Wine Show is committed to attracting the very best professionals as Judges and Stewards, providing an excellent environment for networking and professional development to all participants, resulting in benefits for the industry at large.
Development of Judges
The judging panel for the Sydney Royal Wine Show is selected by Chair of Judges Michael de Iuliis and the RAS Wine Committee, and aims to include a combination of viticulturalists, wine educators, winemakers, wine marketers, retailers, sommeliers, journalists and expert amateurs of wine from across Australia.
The RAS offers Associate Judge positions to a range of young industry professionals, including high-performing graduates from the Len Evans Tutorial, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and the Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS).
Grants & Scholarship Fund
The RAS conducts an annual wine sale, using a portion of excess wine show stock, to benefit the Australian wine industry. All proceeds are used to fund wine industry scholarships, as detailed below, and other initiatives. Applications for Sydney Royal Wine Show scholarships will open in July 2025.
For more information please visit: https://www.rasnsw.com.au/foundation/scholarships/sydney-royal-wine-scholarships/
Sydney Royal Wine Show Study Scholarship
First awarded in 2013, this scholarship honours the memory and contribution of Graham Thorp, Chair of the Sydney Royal Wine Committee from 1984 - 1990.
The Sydney Royal Wine Committee, in partnership with the RAS Foundation, offers an annual tertiary scholarship to foster the growth and development of Australia’s next generation of wine industry leaders. This national Award supports students who demonstrate passion and leadership and who are committed to contributing to the Australian wine industry. Students may be studying anything from agriculture science, horticulture, viticulture, oenology through to marketing, sommelier, lab technician and journalism.
The scholarship is valued at $6,000 for full-time study or $3,000 for part-time study and provides opportunities for successful students to network with wine industry leaders at the Sydney Royal Wine Show.
Sydney Royal Wine Show Professional Development Scholarship
The Sydney Royal Wine Committee, in partnership with the RAS Foundation, offers an annual scholarship to receive a fully paid position at the Australian Wine Research Institute’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course in Adelaide. This scholarship, first introduced in 2017, aims to encourage and support young professionals who are passionate about wine and committed to forging careers that will contribute to the Australian wine industry. Individuals may also apply for funding to pursue other professional development courses such as, but not limited to, certificates and diplomas offered by WSET and CMS, and the AWRI’s Advanced Viticulture Course.
Len Evans Tutorial
Since 2008, the RAS has been a key sponsor of the Len Evans Tutorial. This prestigious program, said to be “the best wine school in the world’’, was initiated in 2001 by Len Evans AO OBE, Chair of Judges at the Sydney Royal Wine Show for over 25 years. For more information visit www.lenevanstutorial.com.au.
Peter Doyle Trophy
The recipient of the Peter Doyle Trophy is selected by the Chair of Judges and is awarded to the Associate Judge who not only performs well during judging and related exercises, but who also displays a great attitude throughout the Show. It is presented in honour of Peter Doyle, legendary Sydney seafood restaurateur and long-time supporter of the Sydney Royal Wine Show judge education programme during the 1980s and 1990s.
In recent years, the Peter Doyle Trophy has been awarded to Hugh Spinaze (2025), Michael Latham (2024), Phillip Le Messurier (2023), Skye Salter (2022), Alex Kirkwood (2019), Brendan Carr (2018).
Educational Wine Program
Following judging, small quantities of excess wine stock are donated to a number of tertiary educational institutions across Australia. This stock and their associated scores are used to re-create judging panels as part of the classroom learning process.
Trade Seminars
The Sydney Royal Wine Show conducts a range of trade events in conjunction with other organisations, designed to educate wine professionals about the Australian Wine Show System and to showcase the Sydney Royal Wine Show.
Wine Show Collaboration
Wine Consultative Committee
The RAS Wine Committee facilitates the meeting of the Wine Consultative Committee. The purpose of this meeting is to analyse and review the Sydney Royal Wine Show by consulting with experts from different facets of the wine industry, capturing a wide range of perspectives. Experts not directly associated with the Sydney Royal Wine Show are invited to share their opinions and knowledge to ensure that the Wine Show continues to be relevant and contemporary.
Capital City Wine Show’s Committee (CCWSC)
The Sydney Royal Wine Show is proud to be a member of the Capital City Wine Show’s Committee (CCWSC), which was formed in October 2012.
Including all Capital City Wine Shows, the CCWSC aims to work collaboratively to ensure the relevance of and to raise the profile, of the Australian wine show system – enabling all participants to identify best practices and thereby fast track improvement of the breed.
NSW Regional Wine Show Meeting
The RAS Wine Committee regularly invites representatives from all NSW Regional Wine Shows to meet and discuss judging practices and, in a similar way to CCWSC, works in a collaborative manner to strengthen the Australian Wine Show system.
The Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology (ASVO)
The RAS Wine Committee is committed to following the 2020 Wine Show Best Practice Recommendations developed by the ASVO, which expresses the current industry view on what constitutes best practice in the Australian wine show system which can be found at https://crm.asvo.com.au/sites/default/files/uploaded-content/website-content/documents/asvo_2020_wine_show_bprs_2000903.pdf
