Unveiling Australia's Finest Wines: Winners from the Sydney Royal Wine Show Revealed!
By
VanessaC
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Wine-lovers, rejoice! The results of the 2023 Sydney Royal Wine Show are finally in!
The Sydney Royal Wine Show has announced the winners from the prestigious event that offered a platform for 1800 wineries from around the country to have their wines tasted and judged.
The prestigious title of Best in Show wasn't the only award doled out at the event. Blended wines featured strongly in the awards this year, with Sarah Crowe, Yarra Valley winemaker and chair of judges, noting: 'Australia is embracing the fact that we’ve got no boundaries or restrictions on what we can blend and from where.'
Ms Crowe attributed this to the experience Aussie winemakers have gained with varieties such as Tempranillo and Grenache, which are being blended with better-known grapes to produce good drops.
Clara Rubin, a British judge, said UK consumers were looking for more variety.
'The world sent Australia a message: “Thanks for all the shiraz and chardonnay, do you have anything else?”' she said.
'And you said, “Yes!”' she added.
Ms Rubin saw new varieties at the event and said: 'We've judged Gamay next to Malbec, Sangiovese' she said, impressed. 'There was a Grathiano, there was a Durif…amazing variety!'
She awarded the Guest International Judge's Award to George's Folly Wines in South Australia for their 2021 Pigs Might Fly Montepulciano-nero d’Avola blend.
Meanwhile, Montalto's 2022 Pennon Hill Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula picked up the Best Red Wine award.
While House of Arras in Tasmania can proudly boast of its 2015 House of Arras Grand Vintage, which earned the award for Best Sparkling Wine.
There were good reasons for the wine’s high price, says Ms Crowe. ‘They spent a year growing it, a year making it–they've been holding onto that wine, letting that get better for nine years now.’
Ms Rubin also encouraged Australian winemakers to age their products for longer saying: ‘We love to see maturity in the glass–not dust, not dead, but maturity.’
Adding to their list of winners is Liz and Sean Silkman's 2022 Silkman Wines Reserve Chardonnay, which earned the Best Small Producer award. And for those looking for a good drop on a budget, the 2022 Millbrook Regional GSM (a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre) from Jarrahdale in the Perth Hills was awarded the Best Value Wine award.
And the best wine overall?
The winner of this year’s most prestigious award of Best in Show is…
West Australia's 2021 Evans and Tate Redbrook Estate Chardonnay!
The winning wine was awarded the Tucker Seabrook Perpetual Trophy and impressed Chair of Judges, winemaker Sarah Crowe, who shared, 'They stand up proudly–shoulder to shoulder–with some of the best chardonnay internationally. They don’t have many challenging seasons there in Margaret River — it’s a winemaker’s delight.'
The judges didn't have an easy job picking a winner from several stand-out entries, including 'a beautiful, pristine sparkling, this lovely complex yet restrained Chardonnay, and a wonderfully fragrant, silky pinot noir.'
Thankfully, their determination finally led them to pick a deserving winner–the Redbrook Estate Chardonnay from Margaret River.
Will you be giving these award-winning bottles a sip? Got any recommendations for good wine at a fair price? Let us know in the comments below!
The Sydney Royal Wine Show has announced the winners from the prestigious event that offered a platform for 1800 wineries from around the country to have their wines tasted and judged.
The prestigious title of Best in Show wasn't the only award doled out at the event. Blended wines featured strongly in the awards this year, with Sarah Crowe, Yarra Valley winemaker and chair of judges, noting: 'Australia is embracing the fact that we’ve got no boundaries or restrictions on what we can blend and from where.'
Ms Crowe attributed this to the experience Aussie winemakers have gained with varieties such as Tempranillo and Grenache, which are being blended with better-known grapes to produce good drops.
Clara Rubin, a British judge, said UK consumers were looking for more variety.
'The world sent Australia a message: “Thanks for all the shiraz and chardonnay, do you have anything else?”' she said.
'And you said, “Yes!”' she added.
Ms Rubin saw new varieties at the event and said: 'We've judged Gamay next to Malbec, Sangiovese' she said, impressed. 'There was a Grathiano, there was a Durif…amazing variety!'
She awarded the Guest International Judge's Award to George's Folly Wines in South Australia for their 2021 Pigs Might Fly Montepulciano-nero d’Avola blend.
Meanwhile, Montalto's 2022 Pennon Hill Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula picked up the Best Red Wine award.
While House of Arras in Tasmania can proudly boast of its 2015 House of Arras Grand Vintage, which earned the award for Best Sparkling Wine.
There were good reasons for the wine’s high price, says Ms Crowe. ‘They spent a year growing it, a year making it–they've been holding onto that wine, letting that get better for nine years now.’
Ms Rubin also encouraged Australian winemakers to age their products for longer saying: ‘We love to see maturity in the glass–not dust, not dead, but maturity.’
Adding to their list of winners is Liz and Sean Silkman's 2022 Silkman Wines Reserve Chardonnay, which earned the Best Small Producer award. And for those looking for a good drop on a budget, the 2022 Millbrook Regional GSM (a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre) from Jarrahdale in the Perth Hills was awarded the Best Value Wine award.
And the best wine overall?
The winner of this year’s most prestigious award of Best in Show is…
West Australia's 2021 Evans and Tate Redbrook Estate Chardonnay!
The winning wine was awarded the Tucker Seabrook Perpetual Trophy and impressed Chair of Judges, winemaker Sarah Crowe, who shared, 'They stand up proudly–shoulder to shoulder–with some of the best chardonnay internationally. They don’t have many challenging seasons there in Margaret River — it’s a winemaker’s delight.'
The judges didn't have an easy job picking a winner from several stand-out entries, including 'a beautiful, pristine sparkling, this lovely complex yet restrained Chardonnay, and a wonderfully fragrant, silky pinot noir.'
Thankfully, their determination finally led them to pick a deserving winner–the Redbrook Estate Chardonnay from Margaret River.
Key Takeaways
- The Sydney Royal Wine Show declared a West Australian drop, the 2021 Evans and Tate Redbrook Estate Chardonnay, as Australia's Best Wine.
- Blended wines featured quite strongly in the awards this year which indicates possible increased experience with various wine varieties among Australian winemakers.
- Victoria's Mornington Peninsula's Montalto’s 2022 Pennon Hill Pinot Noir was named the Best Red Wine, indicating a potential shift in the Pinot Noir dominance by Tasmania.
- The Best Value Wine was judged to be a 2022 Millbrook Regional GSM (a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre) which was produced at Jarrahdale in the Perth Hills.
Will you be giving these award-winning bottles a sip? Got any recommendations for good wine at a fair price? Let us know in the comments below!