THE Canberra International Riesling Challenge (CIRC) has again been postponed, this time until October 2022.

It’s been pushed back a year for the second time due to the continuing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has escalated in NSW and overseas.

Founded in 2000, the event has since become the largest single varietal wine show in the southern hemisphere, usually attracting more than 500 entries from about 10 countries, said challenge chairman James Service.

The challenge usually welcomes several international judges, receives up to 30 per cent of entries from major Riesling producing regions from around the world, and holds a number of significant public events as part of the challenge, he said.

“Due to the international border restrictions the committee had already taken the decision that using International Judges was not feasible, and we now find that the current situation with domestic border closures leaves us with great uncertainty in accessing sufficient judges with expertise in Riesling to be able maintain the high quality of judging that the Challenge entrants expect,” he said.

“The committee considered the risk of having the wines in Canberra but not being in a position to judge them is a very real prospect. We also believe that there is a strong probability of not being able to hold the significant public events that are an integral part of the challenge.

“We remain confident that the challenge will be able to return in 2022 to continue to promote excellence in Riesling and the appreciation of Riesling by wine lovers.”