The wine show was originally launched back in 1999, with Mr Knappstein playing a key role since the beginning.

"I was approached to see if I would be the chairman [of the show] and I've been the chairman since," he explained.

"It's been running for 21 years now and I've only subbed the chairmanship once, to one of the other guys because I was driving in a rally."

Coming back every year as chairman for the Bathurst-based event was never a problem for the vigneron from the Adelaide Hills in South Australia.

"I've always liked coming here because in the past we've organised the event to be the week after the Bathurst 1000," he explained.

"A couple of us are motor sport freaks."

Now the event is held a few weeks after the Great Race, but that hasn't stopped Mr Knappstein from heading to Bathurst to judge the best cool climate wines.

He knew nothing but wine making, being born into the industry.

"I was kind of pushed into it. I came from a wine-making family which, at the time, didn't have a winemaker, so I was it," he said.

"I can't ever say I've ever regretted it."

From his two-decade stint judging at the National Cool Climate Wine Show, Mr Knappstein has noticed has the wine industry is constantly evolving.

"It's always changing, like style," he said.

"A few years ago, we were getting very, big, fat, very alcoholic chardonnay with lots and lots of wood.

"They've sort of transformed themselves into wines that are bright, lower alcohol, bigger fruit character and less wood.

"Chardonnay is now coming back into favour, because of the style.

"You can also notice that there's been a move away from red wine that has a lot of oak flavour. They still have oak flavour but now there's increasing awareness that oak is not a primary makeup.

"Only 10 years ago, there was a lot of wines dominated by oak flavours."

As a wine judge, there's many things he looks for in a wine.

"First of all, we don't judge comparatively. You've have to have a standard of a gold in your head, so you judge to pre-determined standard of quality," he said.

"Supposedly you're judging for riesling, in all wines you look for harmony, flavour and balance. But they've also got to look like riesling or sauvignon blanc or whatever your judging. So that's the first test, does it look like the variety you're looking for?

"What you're looking for in a wine too is if it has a good volume of the fruit that is associated with that character. Does it have any faults? If it doesn't, does it have the balance, texture and flavour that you look for?"

"If you judge a variable class, it must be like that variety. It sounds very simple."

Judging wrapped up for the National Cool Climate Wine Show on Friday morning, with a public tasting event to be held at Panthers Bathurst on Saturday night.