Service to WA wine industry rewarded with Sensory Scholarship
As part of its commitment to education and dedication to the WA wine industry, the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia (RASWA) is proud to have awarded winemaker Paul Dixon of Busselton with an opportunity to attend one of the pre-eminent Wine Sensory Evaluation courses in Australia.
Paul was awarded the scholarship based on his experience, which includes work at Thompson Estates, Vasse Felix and Moss Brothers, with over two dozen awards and recognitions won for the quality of his winemaking.
The Advanced Wine Judges Scholarship was developed by the RASWA Wine Committee to support education in agribusiness. The scholarship has been named after John Hanley, AO in recognition of 43 years contribution to the Perth Royal Wine Show and is intended to support the development of excellence in the WA wine tasting sector.
“It is an absolute pleasure to have Paul as our inaugural recipient of this scholarship,” said RASWA Councillor John Snowball.
“I could not think of someone more deserving and committed to excellence in all aspects of winemaking than Paul.”
The scholarship allowed Paul to attend the 40th Advanced Wine Assessment Course held by the Australian Wine Research Institute in South Australia. This prestigious course is internationally recognised as a vehicle for training professional wine show judges and is one of the primary developers of Australia’s elite wine sensory analysis and vocabulary capabilities.
The intensive course saw Paul engage in live training for four days, with the nation’s leading wine judges and winemakers assisting participants in the development of their skills.
“It was really good to be put into a show situation and to feel the pressure of what it would sbe like to be judging at the highest level,” said Paul.
“I tasted a huge array of wines and this will be of great benefit when I do wine show judging in WA’s wine producing regions.”
