DROUGHT across much of he State has again caused issues for managers of the five District Exhibits' courts at Sydney Royal, particularly in the north western quarter of the State, yet the annual colourful display of produce will again take shape in the Dome at Sydney Showground.
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Last year Central District came out on top in the overall points tally, taking home the H.C.M. See Memorial Award, while Northern District claimed a double win claiming the Woolworths Perpetual Trophy for display and the People's Choice awards.
Royal Agricultural Society of NSW agriculture committee chairman Geoff Mason said there were just 93 points separating the first and fifth-placed courts during last year's competition.
"I don't think the competition has ever been so close before - there were just 93 points separating the first and fifth court," he said at the time.
Following the past year of tough conditions in parts of the State competition organisers are expecting another closely, hard-fought competition.
Western District manager, Tom Dwyer, Forbes, said generally the courts' entries were looking good, although there had been touble finding good sized pumpkins and grammas.
"The drought conditions for much of the past year have been patchy - some people receiving good rainfall and neighbours receiving little or nothing, while some areas were wiped out with frost last spring," he said.
Among the produce on display as part of the Western District court will be wines from Winburndale Wines at Bathurst.
Owner and winemaker, Michael Bur- leigh, has contributed three bottles of Winburndale's multi-medal winning 2009 Solitary Shiraz to Western's dis- play.
The Solitary Shiraz is the winery's flagship varietal, and the 2009 vintage was a joint effort between Mr Burleigh and Bathurst winemaker and consultant Mark Renzaglia.
The 2009 Solitary Shiraz has, to date, won six trophies, five gold medals, two silver medals, and two bronze medals at national wine shows, including a gold medal at the invitational NSW Winewise Championships last year.
"Of the 48 gold medal wines judged at the 2013 Winewise Competition the 2009 Solitary Shiraz was judged the best," Mr Burleigh said.
Mr Burleigh and his wife Helen planted their vineyard just east of Bathurst in 1999 and since their first vintage in 2002 Winburndale Wines have been winning medals.
"Our first medal was for the 2002 Solitary Shiraz and it's proven a consistently good performer since," he said.
"The 2009 vintage was good across the board - we'd had well-timed summer rain and the weather was not particularly hot so the vines were not stressed and produced fully ripened fruit."
This is the first time Winburndale Wines has been invited to compete in the District Exhibits competition.
"Our wines will be one of a number selected which typify the wine making regions which the Western District encompasses," Mr Burleigh said.
