When Andy Scotson, proprietor of  the Gawler Bake and Brew Shop in Tod St decided to sponsor prizes for the amateur wine making section of the Gawler Show six years ago he was making a conscious decision to support the development of self sufficiency skills in the community. With support from sponsors like Andy and the voluntary stewardship of experienced amateur winemakers (Chief Steward of 10 years is Steve Clarke of Gawler) the winemaking section has grown to well over 30 entries and ranges from table wines to liqueurs and from sparkling wines to spirits. Judging is done by professional judges and the notes on each wine are eagerly absorbed by contestants as a guide to their winemaking techniques. 

One extremely happy contestant this year was Graham Brookman of  The Food Forest permaculture farm and learning centre who has entered wines for two years and corrected a number of techniques for the 2005 vintage on the basis of notes from Honorary Chief Judge Steve Chapman of Cellarmaster Wines. Graham scooped up the prize for Best White Wine and second place in the hotly contested current vintage Red section. 
 ‘Fermenting is essentially a pretty simple process but encouragement from people like Andy Scotson and Steve Clarke and the professional feedback from the show judging has been the key to having a serious go at winemaking’ said Graham. 

The public will have the opportunity to taste some of Graham’s products at The Food Forest on its next Field Walk.
 

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