Medal winning wines of the 2020 NSW Wine Awards were released this week, raising anticipation for the 25th NSW Wine Awards Presentation Luncheon on October 23.

Wines made from grapes grown in the Hilltops region collected seven gold medals and will be in the running for top gongs including the NSW Governor's Trophy for Best Wine in Show and title of '2020 NSW Wine of the Year'.

Three days of judging took place at International Convention Centre, Sydney on September 29 to October 1.

Sixteen expert wine judges tasted a record number of 904 entrants, awarding 65 of these wines with gold medals.

These gold medal finalists will feature at the Presentation Luncheon where various trophy winners will be announced.

The calibre of our judges and the rigorous procedures means that each awarded wine really is worth the medal it receives. One of the great pleasures of chairing the NSW Wine Awards is the robust discussions that surround the call-back and taste-offs and this year, the Shiraz and Semillon classes, two of the great noble grape varieties of our state, were very strong, highlighting the diversity of style and the great vineyard sites of our famous wine regions," Chair of judges Dave Brookes said.

"The Current Vintage Shiraz class was particularly impressive. Out of the 184 shiraz wines judged, 112 received a medal, 17 of which were gold medals."

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