Origins of the Royal Adelaide Wine Show
Wine judges circ 1950 Bill Seppelt, Colin Gramp & Byron Dolan
The upcoming 2025 Royal Adelaide Wine Show will showcase thousands of the finest wines from hundreds of the nation’s best wineries, but it wasn’t always such an illustrious event. 180 years ago, way back in 1845, wine was included for competition as part of the broader agricultural show for the first time. With the fledgling colony beginning less than six years earlier, grape vines had barely had time to mature. And so it was that there were only two entries that year – one red and one white. A review of the Show in the South Australian Register on the 15th of February 1845 pulled no punches when reviewing the wines, offering a particularly scathing critique of the red:
“Two sorts of wine were shown, one of which ought not to have been exhibited. The maker was at liberty to call it what he pleased; and of all names in the world he fixed upon "Burgundy." It resembled the warm water with which a jar of currant-jam had been washed out. The other was almost as improperly termed "Hock," for it had none of the character of a Rhenish wine; but it was pleasant in taste, and gave a pleasing promise of really good South Australian wine.”
By 1872, the wine industry in South Australia was growing rapidly, to the point where the RA&HS decided to hold the Wine Show as a standalone event. In 27 years it had grown from 2 entries to 327, and now boasts around 2,500 annual entries, going from strength to strength. Often events of great magnitude begin with humble beginnings and from little things, big things grow, including the Royal Adelaide Wine Show.
Origins of the Royal Adelaide Wine Show
Wine judges circ 1950 Bill Seppelt, Colin Gramp & Byron Dolan
The upcoming 2025 Royal Adelaide Wine Show will showcase thousands of the finest wines from hundreds of the nation’s best wineries, but it wasn’t always such an illustrious event. 180 years ago, way back in 1845, wine was included for competition as part of the broader agricultural show for the first time. With the fledgling colony beginning less than six years earlier, grape vines had barely had time to mature. And so it was that there were only two entries that year – one red and one white. A review of the Show in the South Australian Register on the 15th of February 1845 pulled no punches when reviewing the wines, offering a particularly scathing critique of the red:
“Two sorts of wine were shown, one of which ought not to have been exhibited. The maker was at liberty to call it what he pleased; and of all names in the world he fixed upon "Burgundy." It resembled the warm water with which a jar of currant-jam had been washed out. The other was almost as improperly termed "Hock," for it had none of the character of a Rhenish wine; but it was pleasant in taste, and gave a pleasing promise of really good South Australian wine.”
By 1872, the wine industry in South Australia was growing rapidly, to the point where the RA&HS decided to hold the Wine Show as a standalone event. In 27 years it had grown from 2 entries to 327, and now boasts around 2,500 annual entries, going from strength to strength. Often events of great magnitude begin with humble beginnings and from little things, big things grow, including the Royal Adelaide Wine Show.
