Our 1999 People's Choice Wine Show would have to go down as the best yet, and was unquestionably one of the major highlights of this year's Sunday Times Margaret River Region Wine Festival.

The event, which was held in the idyllic surrounds of Flutes Café at Brookland Valley, saw fifty wine connoisseurs and would-be judges come together to enjoy the range and polish up their tasting and analytical skills.

We couldn't have asked for a better cross section of top Margaret River wines. These were carefully selected from 50 superb entries by Sunday Times wine doyen Bill Thompson and that dynamic barrel room duo from Cullen Wines, Trevor Kent and Damien Jens.

The trio had a hard time of it, honing down the final selection (mind you, it's always a rather tasty exercise in elimination!). All the classic Margaret River styles were represented in the final dozen.

When they had whirled, sniffed and swoshed (not to mention swallowed quite a few) six outstanding reds and whites, a deserving winner emerged - the 1997 Voyager Chardonnay. This wine has already won high praise from Australia's best wine judges, so the People really put the stamp of approval on it.

While those at the Wine Show may be new to judging, there is no doubt that Australian consumers have a good grasp of what constitutes a quality wine. Indeed, they could even teach the professionals a thing or two!

Following this most enjoyable event the 50 new "judges" sat down to a memorable lunch in the multi award-winning restaurant, Flutes, overlooking the lake, truly an icon of the heart of Willyabrup.

Many thanks to Bill Thompson and the Sunday Times, which was a co-sponsor of the event this year, and Trevor and Damien for all their input.

So, you think you missed out on the tasting of a lifetime? Well, you didn't really, because the final dozen just happens to make up our People's Choice Special Festival Dozen. You can order all the wonderful wines tasted through the ordering system on this website. Why not judge for yourself? But you will want to get in quick, so give us a call today. - Ron Macfarlane

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