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​After a seven-year absence, the French Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FACCI), is pleased to reintroduce its renowned Concours des Vins du Victoria, a celebration and tribute to the diversity and excellence of Victorian winemakers and "terroirs".

Established in 1990, and traditionally sponsored by Air Liquide, our Concours has consistently united two proud wine-producing cultures, French and Australian, in an environment where Victorian terroirs and aromas harmonise with the French palate.

WHY ENTER?



Our competition is a testament to the strong bond between the French-Australian wine community, celebrating the fusion of two rich winemaking traditions. Participating in our Concours is an opportunity for Victorian wineries to have their wines evaluated by some of the most respected names in the French-Australian wine industry. 


What truly sets this competition apart is its unmatched commitment to excellence, with a judging panel comprising renowned French-Australian wine importers, taste experts, sommeliers, and winemakers, all of whom bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the table. 



BENEFITS



For all the Participants:

  • Social Media Exposure: All participating wineries will be featured on FACCI's social media.
  • Scores Feedback: After the judging session, all participants will get their score breakdown by each criterion.



For all the Bronze, Silver and Gold Medals:

  • Media Outreach: We collaborate with our media partners to share the results with both industry professionals and consumers. All winners will be featured on FACCI's website and will benefit from FACCI's visibility among its members.
  • Certificate & Medals: Get your own exclusive medal artwork and PDF certificate to showcase your win. Winners will also have the opportunity to purchase physical stickers to make their bottles stand out.
  • Acknowledgement during our Gala Dinner: During this event, all medal-winning wineries will be acknowledged, and showcased during the Opening presentation.



For the Best Two Gold Medals per variety:

  • Gala Dinner invitation: The Best Two Gold Medal winners will get two complimentary tickets to attend our Gala Dinner, including meal, wine and entertainments. Their wine will be featured and tested by our guests, who will be able to directly place their orders.


For the Wine of the Year:

  • Acknowledgement during our Gala Dinner: A showcase on Global Victoria's stands during Food & Beverages Trade Mission.*
  • The winning winery will be featured in Global Victoria's LinkedIn page.


*Global Victoria delivers multiple types of overseas trade missions, some involve trade shows, others exploration trade missions. These activities explore business opportunities, gathers market insights and can help create networks of buyers, agents, suppliers and key government contacts in a specific country or region. Note, Flights, accommodation, insurances, and product logistics are at the cost of the award-winner. The offer must be claimed by 13 November 2025. 

Registration FeesRegistration Fees

WINE REGISTRATION FOR 2024 EDITION IS CLOSED! 

Register interest for next year here.


Early Bird – 75 AU$

Regular – 90 AU$

FACCI Members – Free entry


Not a member yet?


Click here​ to become a FACCI Wine & Dine member and get your discount code for a free entry.

FACCI's Wine & Dine Membership is designed to benefit restaurants, bistros, cafes as well as wine and food providers by giving them access to the Chamber's diverse range

of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship opportunities.

Our JudgesOur Judges

Liinaa Berry (Freelance Wine Consultant & Wine Buyer at Embla)

Liinaa Berry

Freelance Wine Consultant & Wine Buyer at Embla

Sophie Carbonneau (National Sales Manager and Senior Buyer at Bibendum Wine Co.)

Sophie Carbonneau

National Sales Manager and Senior Buyer at Bibendum Wine Co.

Gilles Lapalus (Wine Consultant at Lapalus)

Gilles Lapalus

Wine Consultant at Lapalus

Loic Le Calvez (Senior Winemaker at Chandon Australia)

Loic Le Calvez

Senior Winemaker at Chandon Australia

Christian Maier (Operation and Beverage Manager at University House)

Christian Maier

Operation and Beverage Manager at University House

Alexandre Rougeot (Founder & Director of CLOS CACHET)

Alexandre Rougeot

Founder & Director of CLOS CACHET

Camm Whiteoak (Sommelier at RACV City Club)

Camm Whiteoak

Sommelier at RACV City Club

Liinaa Berry

Freelance Wine Consultant & Wine Buyer at Embla

Liinaa Berry (Freelance Wine Consultant & Wine Buyer at Embla)

Liinaa is a freelance wine professional with a 20-year background in the hospitality industry who worked as a head sommelier/wine buyer for the past decade.
As a Wine Consultant today, she leverages her expertise to pioneer innovative approaches to wine sales by curating and developing wine programs for hospitality venues, staff education and culinary events.
Notable achievements include curating winelists with over 2000 references earning prestigious Best Winelist Awards several times, with her last accolade being The Best New Winelist of Australia.
Drawing insight from extensive European travels encompassing more than 50 wine regions and contributions to esteemed publications, she also
contributes to wine judging panels at renowned wine shows. Liinaa does the list at Embla, and is the Melbourne ambassador for Star Wine List - a guide to the best wine venues across the planet written by wine experts for each city.

Sophie Carbonneau

National Sales Manager and Senior Buyer at Bibendum Wine Co.

Sophie Carbonneau (National Sales Manager and Senior Buyer at Bibendum Wine Co.)

Sophie Carbonneau, originally from Montreal, Canada, is a seasoned wine industry professional with over 20 years of experience.

She is currently the National Sales & Education Manager and Senior Buyer at Bibendum Wine Co. one of Australia's leading wine importers and distributors. Sarah's career includes 10 years as a sommelier in Australia and abroad, and another 10 years in wine imports. WSET diploma certified, she travels annually to Europe for buying trips and visits domestic wine regions monthly.
Known for her refined palate and strategic insight, she has also judged several wine competitions, contributing her expertise to the field.

Gilles Lapalus

Wine Consultant at Lapalus

https://maisonlapalus.com/
Gilles Lapalus (Wine Consultant at Lapalus)

Gilles Lapalus has wine flowing through his veins.

The third generation of a wine-producing family from the Cluny region of Burgundy, Lapalus embarked on a prestigious winemaking career that has taken him across three decades to the French regions of Burgundy, Languedoc, Medoc, and Beaujolais, and further afield to Italy, Chile and Australia.

In 2001, he moved to Australia to become the manager of biodynamic viticulture and winemaking at Sutton Grange Winery near Castlemaine, central Victoria.

In 2011 he established boutique Australian vermouth brand Maidenii with business partner Shaun Byrne, and in 2015, launched his own wine company Maison LAPALUS, with wine consulting and production under the Bertrand Bespoke label and Maison LAPALUS label.

Loic Le Calvez

Senior Winemaker at Chandon Australia

Loic Le Calvez (Senior Winemaker at Chandon Australia)

Australian-French Loic Le Calvez is the Senior Winemaker at Chandon Australia.
Loic graduated as an Oenologist in Bordeaux, he soon worked as an Assistant at Château d’Yquem in Sauternes followed by the prestigious Vérité Wines in Sonoma, California.
Arriving in Australia, Loic was the Winemaker, Chief Winemaker and then COO of Taltarni in the Pyrenees & Clover Hill in Tasmania over 14 years, before becoming the agent for Tonnelleries Vicard in Victoria and Tasmania.
He has developed his wine judging skills through the AWRI’s Advanced Wine Assessment Course and WSET Level 3 programs.

Christian Maier

Operation and Beverage Manager at University House

https://unihouse.org.au/
Christian Maier (Operation and Beverage Manager at University House)

Christian has spent many years in Michelin starred restaurants in France and London UK. Upon arrival in Australia, he further developed his skills by focusing on oenology and was appointed to the position of Sommelier at Hotel Sofitel Melbourne in 1994 subsequently being awarded Best Hotel wine list in 1997.

In 2000 the Age Good Food Guide handed Christian the inaugural award for Service Excellence as well as the New Zealand Wine advisory Award by the New Zealand Wine Institute.
In 2002 his long love affair with Champagne has seen him being the Australian winner of the Vin de Champagne Award.

Following his role of Head sommelier at Langton's Restaurant and wine bar in 2005 the establishment was awarded the Age Good Food Guide Best Restaurant Wine List, and subsequently Best Club Wine List at the Australian Wine List of the Year Awards four years in a row followed by Hall of Fame, during his tenure as Wine director at the RACV Club and Resorts.

At his current position as Operation and Beverage Manager at University House, Christian oversees the wine purchasing, wine lists, member events and the running of the house at the University House Club, Melbourne University.

His love of travel as taken him to lead many small group bespoke Gourmet Wine tours to all corners of France, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Spain, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay
He is also a senior judge with over two decades of experience having judged at the French Chamber of Commerce ‘Concours des Vins du Victoria’ since 1997, Sydney International Wine Competition, Victorian wine show and more recently the International Cool Climate Wine Show as a Panel Chair.

In the televised media, Christian has been the co-host of the food and wine segment on SBS television with celebrity chef Gabriel Gaté and writes regular wine column for various publications.

Christian also operates a wine consultancy business which has seen him consulting for Six Senses in Thailand, and conducts corporate speaking engagement on various wine themes.

Alexandre Rougeot

Founder & Director of CLOS CACHET

https://closcachet.com.au/
Alexandre Rougeot (Founder & Director of CLOS CACHET)

Alexandre compliments his experience in the field with a Masters in Wine Marketing and Management (Bordeaux International Wine Institute), and has used his qualification in diverse management roles across the United States, China and Australia. In 2012 he made the move to Melbourne and became Key Account Manager for Craggy Range Australia. This allowed Alexandre to gain insightful knowledge of the local trade and develop relationships with Australia’s finest venues and operators.

As Alexandre continued to engage with Australia's vibrant wine scene, a greater vision for his own venture began to form. He imagined a new platform for sharing his passion, unique knowledge and the finest French wines which he grew up with. And so Clos Cachet was launched in 2014.

Camm Whiteoak

Sommelier at RACV City Club

Camm Whiteoak (Sommelier at RACV City Club)

Camm is the Sommelier for the RACV City Club.

He has over 30 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry spanning many countries including the USA, Russia, United Kingdom, and Australia. Camm’s wine palate was first honed at Circa, the Prince in St Kilda where he joined the Sommelier programme and was awarded Dux. Since then, he has curated wine lists in many award-winning restaurants including Attica and the Healesville Hotel, the latter of which won Gourmet Traveller’s ‘Best Representation of a Region’ due to its focus on Yarra Valley wines. Camm’s ongoing attention at the RACV is on staff wine education and the development of wine lists across multiple venues.

Adeline Zimmermann

Export manager Pacific area for Barton & Guestier at Castel Wine

https://www.vins-castel.wine/
Adeline Zimmermann (Export manager Pacific area for Barton & Guestier at Castel Wine)

Hailing from Alsace, Adeline has been immersed in the wine industry from an early age, learning integral aspects of the business through family run a Domaine (est. 1693).

She completed her Master in International Business in China where she focused on the Chinese perception of French wines. Keen to continue her wine education, Adeline is currently studying for the Masters of Wine and is a certified Educator of WSET, teaching from level 1 to Diploma in Melbourne.

Today, Adeline is the Australia, NZ & Pacific islands sales manager for Barton & Guestier, Listel and Patriarche. This role provides her with the opportunity to share her passion for wine with trade and consumers.

See all speakers

Judging ProcessJudging Process

Key deadlinesKey deadlines

Wednesday 26 June

Opening of registrations



Friday 6 September

Registration deadline



Friday 13 September

Product delivery deadline

 Your bottles must arrive by September 13th in order to be judged.



Tuesday 8 October

Results announcement



Thursday 7 November

Gala Dinner and Special Awards announcement 

Book your tickets now!

AwardsAwards

How to Enter?How to Enter?

All registrations for the Concours des Vins 2024 must be completed through our Showrunner page.


Once your registration is confirmed via email, you may proceed to send us 3 bottles for each category you wish to enter.


Please ensure that each bottle can be easily identified using the information provided during registration on the Showrunner platform. There are no specific labels required to print or apply to your product.

Shipping InstructionsShipping Instructions

  1. Make sure to send 3 bottles per selected variety. Please note that the bottles won't be judged if the manufacture year is not respected.
  2. Pack all your samples in the same box
  3. Once the shipment has been done, please share the tracking details with the competition coordinator at event-vic@facci.com.au
  4. Please send your samples to the following address:



Attention: Paul Moing

FINNAirSea Logistics Pty Ltd

Unit 7B

1 International Drive, Westmeadows VIC 3049



Note:

  • Registration ends: 6th of September 2024 at 5.00 pm
  • Delivery deadline date: 13th of September 2024 at 5.00 pm


Important Note: Wines received after the deadline will not be accepted and refunds will not be issued.

FAQFAQ

ENTRY QUESTIONS


Are there any extensions to deadlines? 

No. Please make sure to register on Showrunner​ before the 6th of September 2024. All registrations and bottles received after the 13th of September will not be taken into consideration.


Are there any discounts for multiple entries or early entries? 

There are no discounts for multiple entries. However, we offer a reduced registration fee for our first 20 participants (Now sold out). Entrees are free for FACCI. If you are not a FACCI Member yet, we can register for our Wine & Dine Membership by clicking HERE​. 


Can I pay entry fees using my own currency? 

Unfortunately, we can only accept payments made in AU$.


SAMPLES & SHIPPING


When do I need to ship samples? 

Please make sure your bottles are received before the 13th of September, 5:00pm. 


How many bottles per entry do we need to send? 

Please make sure you send us three bottles per entry.


Where should I send my samples?  

Please send your bottles in cases properly marked with the exhibitor's name and contact details to:


Attention: Paul Moing

FINNAirSea Logistics Pty Ltd

Unit 7B

1 International Drive, Westmeadows VIC 3049


Our samples did not arrive in time/were late for the Concours des Vins. They are on hold by customs/damaged by courier/late to arrive. Can we still send our samples? 

Unfortunately, for our Jury to be able to test your wine, it is essential that your bottles arrive on time. All bottles received after the 13th of August will not be judged.


INVOICES & BILLING QUESTIONS


How will my invoice be sent to me?

You will automatically receive your invoice after you register on our Showrunner page.


RESULTS & WINNERS


How will I be informed of my results?

Results will be made public on Tuesday 8 October. You will also receive an email and a notification on your Showrunner account.


What do winners receive from Le Concours des Vins?

For more information on our awards, please visit the Awards page.


GENERAL QUESTIONS


When will the judging take place?

Our judging session will be held in September.


Who are your judges?

To know more about our judges, please visit the Judges page.


Have further questions?

If you have any additional questions about the Concours des Vins, please email event-vic@facci.com.au.

Our Sponsors and Event PartnersOur Sponsors and Event Partners

Naming Rights Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Event Partners

Product Sponsors

Media Partner

Organiser

About FACCIAbout FACCI

The French-Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FACCI) was founded in 1899. We are celebrating this year FACCI's 125th Anniversary. At the time, Australia's trade relations with France were almost solely dependent on the export of wool. More than a century later, this relationship now includes a host of many other industries.


The French-Australian Chamber is an independent not-for-profit organisation governed by 15 Board of Directors, with over 470 company members. Our head office is based in Sydney and we also have four other Chapters and offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.


The Chamber is affiliated with CCI France International​, a worldwide network of 120 French Chambers operating in 95 countries.


The Chamber's main mission is to promote our members and to help French and Australian companies succeed through information​, networking​ and business support services​.

Follow us on Instagram!Follow us on Instagram!

Contact usContact us

For any enquiries regarding the Concours des Vins du Victoria 2024,

please write to : event-vic@facci.com.au.