There is one very applaudable wine show in this country-it’s in Cairns and thankfully held in June each year.

Now that’s a good time to attract southern wine judges who flee their winter freeze and like the capital of tropical sunshine.

The most important job for these judges-headed by Andrew Corrigan from Brisbane, Marie Clay (Fosters, McLaren Vale), Tony Hooper (Red Winemaker Jacob’s Creek, Barossa) and Andrew Spinaze (Chief Winemaker Tyrrells, Hunter) is to decide the best wine for tropical enjoyment. That’s a trophy.

This year it went to an aged semillon-Coolangatta Estate 2006 from Shoalhaven on the NSW South Coast. These guys have a huge history of winning trophies with old semillon so why not win another one.

That’s not easy in Cairns because the types of wines pushing to win this trophy are roses, rieslings, pinot gris, pinots and all things chillable to protect them from the sun under the palm trees.

Best red of the show was Richmond Grove Shiraz 2006 from the Barossa while the said Coolangatta wine took Best White.

Best Pinot Noir came from Portsea Estate 2008 from Mornington. It’s a wine with a high show achievement before this award.

Best Chardonnay and Best Queensland White went to a chardonnay from St George-Riversands Inland Way Chardonnay 2008, and what a cracking result as this wine out-pointed chardonnays from Tumbarumba, the Perth Hills, the Adelaide Hills and Cowra.

An even better result was best Queensland Red going to the small producer Ridgemill Estate with The Spaniard Tempranillo 2009, a wine made from the oldest vine planting of this grape in the State.

Curiously Ridgemill’s tempranillo was planted by a Spanish gentleman nine years ago. This wine also outpointed an Adelaide Hills tempranillo to be top gold of the class.

So when next in Cairns ask for an old semillon and knock it back with a sliver of bbq painter lobster.

And think what the judges say about tropical drinking.

Full wine results www.cairnswineawards.com.au