Best’s Wines Great Western is celebrating 21 vintages of its most popular wine, Best’s Bin No. 1 Shiraz.
What began as a vision in 2000 has evolved into a medium-bodied Shiraz that the team says embodies everything they love about making wine.
While 21 years might seem modest for a winery with Best’s history, the team are celebrating because they are immensely proud of what Bin No. 1 represents.
Over two decades, the wine has been refined in the hands of remarkable winemakers – Hamish Seabrook, Adam Wadewitz, Justin Purser, and now Jacob Parton – each adding their personal touch while staying true to what the wine represents.
Since the 1870’s Best’s has been making Shiraz in Great Western Victoria, and while trends may shift, its focus remains.
Crafting six distinctive Shiraz expressions, plus two sparkling Shiraz wines, each tells the story of the small corner of Victoria and the historic vineyards that Best’s are custodians of. With its cool climate and diurnal weather patterns, along with varying soils across the region – full of quartz, sand, clay, slate and gravel – combined define the medium-bodied shiraz.
Best’s Wines said in a statement: “Great Western may be small, but our history and connection to shiraz remain a focus and point of difference.”
Bin No. 1 is described as “flavoursome and elegant, alive with pepper and spice. The tannins are textural, with generous fruit characteristics”.
Best’s Wines Chairman and fourth generation Viv Thomson OAM described Bin No.1 as “a drinking wine, not a thinking wine. Simply pair it with good food, good company and enjoy.”
Crafted from Best’s own Great Western fruit alongside parcels from trusted local growers, the wine reflects the strong relationships built with regional farmers who share the winery’s commitment to excellence.
One particularly memorable moment in Bin No. 1’s history occurred in 2012, when the 2011 vintage won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for the best young red wine at the 2012 Melbourne Royal Wine Show.