Bathurst’s wine-making industry is dwarfed by neighbouring regions such as Orange and Mudgee yet it now wields an influence far beyond its size.

The wine show started in 1999 and has gone from strength to strength over the past 17 years, now attracting hundreds of entries in a dazzling range of categories.

It is recognised as one of the premier wine shows in regional Australia and is a highlight on the wine industry’s calendar.

There have been two real keys to its success: first, the hard-working local committee that dedicates countless hours every year to developing the event and, second, the support of some of Australia’s most respected wine judges, including chief judge Tim Knappstein. 

It is the presence of judges such as Mr Knappstein that give the National Cool Climate Wine Show real credibility and ensures it attracts entries from across Australia.

But the show is also important to the continuing development of Bathurst’s broader food and wine industry.

In recent years the organisers have tried a number of different formats in an attempt to build on the success of the wine show and spin it off into a larger festival.

BRE&D Week shone brightly – if briefly – as a series of support events built around the wine show which added a vitality to the local food scene and celebrated what Bathurst can do differently to its neighbours.

And that has to be the focus in future years.

What Bathurst lacks in size as a food and wine destination it makes up for in quality, but the battle has always been to get that message heard over the roar of the V8s.

Rather than compete against the city’s association with motor sport, though, our food and wine providers must find ways to harness that incredible brand awareness for their own benefit.

Bathurst’s proximity to Sydney gives the city an extra edge over the larger wine industries in Mudgee and Orange and – in theory, at least – having just a few wineries here should improve the co-ordination between them.

Local vignerons have already shown through the wine show what can be achieved by working together and proved that when it comes to food and wine, bigger is not always better.