Widely accredited as America's foremost expert on Australian and New Zealand wines, Chuck Hayward will join the prestigious judging panel at the three-day event, which has been held every year since 1974 and is considered one of Australia's oldest wine shows.

Now the proprietor of wine consulting company Vinroads, which is dedicated to marketing and education for Australian and New Zealand wines, Chuck was formerly a buyer at several American fine wine retailers. It was during this time he discovered his penchant for antipodean vintages, buying from small domains and importing them to the US.

His expertise is highly sought after in the industry; and Hunter Valley Wine Show President David Flynn said his addition to the judging panel would be an absolute highlight of the show.

'Chuck's knowledge of Australian wines is outstanding and his role as a spokesperson and educator has\ made him a highly valued part of the wine industry landscape,' he said.

'His expertise and experience will be a valued addition to the panel.' The annual regional wine show aims to assess and showcase the quality of wines being produced by the Hunter Valley, with medallists selected through a rigorous testing process.

David Flynn said the show was always an outstanding showcase of the quality wines being produced in the region and he expected this year to be no different. 'As Australia's oldest continuous grape growing region, the Hunter Valley is globally renowned for our wines and the Hunter Valley Wine Show is the perfect vehicle for highlighting the incredible wines being made in the region.

'We're also very excited about our Celebrations Luncheon which wraps up the show on Friday. We've got Merrick Watts as our MC - his Grapes of Mirth show has been touring wineries around the country to fantastic reviews, so everyone is in for a great day.'

Yarra Yering winemaker Sarah Crowe will once more take the reins of the prestigious panel, heading up the judges as they face the onerous task of tasting and evaluating the Hunter region's best vintages.

There are three judging panels, each consisting of one panel chair, two senior judges and one trainee judge. Over the course of the three-day event, each panel can sample up to 130 wines per day.

The awards will be judged by a fully integrated software system specifically designed to facilitate all functions of the show from online entry, electronic judging and scoring through to result collation. This means that the judges' scores come through live to the heads of the panel, making results instant and indisputable.

Judging of the exhibits takes place from 19 - 21 August. Winners will be announced at the Celebrations

Luncheon on Friday 23 August at Oaks Cypress Lakes.

EVENT DETAILS: The CCL Label 2019 Hunter Valley Wine Show Celebrations Luncheon

DATE: Friday 23 August

VENUE: Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort in the Lagoon Marquee

TIME: Noon - 4pm

COST: $150 per person HVWTA partners/$175 per person non-partners

Please note tickets are strictly limited and are non-refundable. It's advisable to book tickets early to avoid disappointment.