- Di von Essen
Lucky Us! World-Class Wine at Affordable Prices
One of Australia’s oldest and most prestigious wine shows, the Sydney Royal Wine Show, announced its 2023 champion trophy recipients last month, and according to the results, it’s Australians who are the real winners. Not only are Australians getting access to some of the best quality wine in the world, but they are also getting it at reasonable price points. Out of the thirty trophies awarded, around 50 per cent are available to Australians at under $40, and a large portion are priced at $30 or less.
“Australian wine connoisseurs are winners here. The 2023 Sydney Royal Wine Show has demonstrated that not only are Australian producers delivering incredible wines, but they are doing so at reasonable price points for consumers,” said Sarah Crowe, chair of judges.
Once again, the Hunter Valley performed well, with Hunter Valley wineries receiving 4 of the 30 trophies awarded and sixteen wines across nine wineries from the Hunter region awarded a gold medal.
The James Busby Perpetual Trophy for Best NSW Wine is awarded to the wine achieving the highest total medal score over the previous 12 months on the NSW Wine Show circuit, and this year, the Trophy for Best NSW Wine went to Gartelmann Wines for their 2018 Gartelmann Diedrich Reserve Shiraz.
Matt Dillow, owner of Gartelmann Wines, was thrilled with the win, describing the wine as their iconic single vineyard Shiraz and “a beautiful balancing act of dark berry fruit and subtle spice with supple tannins and lasting acidity. It is a sleek, elegant wine with the perfect balance of power and finesse.”
Other worthy trophy winners include McGuigan Wines, who took home the Trophy for Best Semillon and Trophy for Best Mature White for their 2014 McGuigan Bin 9000 Semillon.
De Iuliis Wines took home the Trophy for Best Current Vintage White for their 2023 De luliis Semillon Single Vineyard, and Silkman Wines was awarded the Trophy for Best Small Producer for the 2022 Silkman Wines Reserve Chardonnay.
The 51st Annual PKF Hunter Valley Wine Show also took place in August, with a panel of judges meticulously evaluating an array of 541 submissions from 66 different exhibitors. As expected, the competition was exceptionally fierce, underscoring the region's remarkable vinicultural prowess.
This year saw 12 exhibitors awarded trophies, reflecting the breadth of quality wines on show. Bimbadgen, Charteris Wines, De Iuliis Wines, First Creek Wines, Margan Wines, Mercer Wines, Scarborough Wine Co, Silkman Wines, Sweetwater Estate, Thomas Wines, Tinklers Wines and Tyrrell’s all took out Trophy’s, with First Creek Wines winning the prestigious Iain Riggs Wine of Provenance Trophy.
The 2023 judging panel included international judge Jane Skilton from New Zealand, who admitted she loved judging regional shows as they provided her with a good overview of what is happening in that region.
“I feel honoured to be in the Hunter Valley, and I’ve been amazed by the uniform high quality of wines. The quality of the Chardonnay was great, and the alternative varieties showed great possibilities as emerging winemakers are trying something new,” said Jane.
