Aug 21, 2026 – 4.00amA phalanx of winemakers, sommeliers, writers and retailers descended on the Sydney Showground in late July to judge the Sydney Royal Wine Show, Australia’s oldest wine competition, celebrating its 200th anniversary this year.As per longstanding tradition, one of those judges was an expert flown in from the other side of the world to both bring an international perspective to proceedings and to spread the word on their return about the quality of wines encountered Down Under.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Max AllenDrinks columnistMax Allen is The Australian Financial Review's drinks columnist. He is an award-winning journalist and author who has written about wine and drinks for close to 25 years.Fetching latest articles