The Margaret River region took out the Len Evans Memorial Trophy for Champion Wine of the Show and six trophies overall at the 2013 Dan Murphy’s National Wine Show of Australia.
In the awards dinner held at The Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra last week, Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 won the top award as well as picking up two other trophies, the ActewAGL Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy and the Minter Ellison Dry Red Table Wine Trophy.
The Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 won the Canberra Times Mature Dry Red Trophy, signalling the pedigree of this Margaret River producer and its chief winemaker Glenn Goodall. It is also the first time a Margaret River red wine has won the Len Evans Memorial Trophy for Champion Wine of the Show in the show’s history.
Other trophy-winning Margaret River wines awarded were the Deep Woods Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2011, which received the Winetitles Blended Dry Red Trophy. The Parliament House Catering by IHG Sauvignon Blanc Semillion Trophy went to 3 Oceans The Estates Margaret River Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012.
Overall there were 21 trophies awarded as well as a total of 511 gold, silver and bronze medals and two awards, including the International Judge’s Award nominated by David Jean from Systembolaget, Sweden, given to the Eddystone Point Pinot Noir 2011.
For the first time, an award was given by Chair of Judges, Stephen Pannell. Pannell nominated his favourite wine as the House of Arras Blanc de Blancs 2001 from Tasmania. It also picked up the Samuel Smith & Son Kit Stevens Memorial Trophy for Sparkling White or Pink and was the favourite wine of eight of the 20 judges and associates.
Reaffirming its recent Jimmy Watson win at the 2013 Royal Melbourne Wine Awards, the Yabby Lake Block 1 Pinot Noir 2012 won both the RSN Riedel Trophy for Best Pinot Noir and the Treasury Wine Estates Single Vineyard Dry Red Trophy.
In a surprise win, the Bellarine Peninsula region triumphed in the Shiraz class with Terindah Estate Shiraz 2012 winning the Wolfgang Blass AM Shiraz Trophy.
The major white wine trophy, the Dan Murphy’s Dry White Table Wine, went to Penfolds Bin 311 Tumbarumba Chardonnay 2012, which also took out the Oakton Chardonnay Trophy.
The awards were presented by respected wine writer and judge James Halliday AM at a Gala Presentation dinner held at The Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra on Thursday night.
Margaret River: Australia's most drinkable wines
Chair of Judges for the second year running, Stephen Pannell from S.C. Pannell Wines, said his panel of judges were adamant to award wines that they were all keen to buy and put away in their own cellars.
“We were looking at rewarding wines that were grown and not made; wines that speak of place and are not clouded by excessive winemaking,” he said.
“The 2012 vintage is proving to be a very good vintage across Australia with a wide range of varieties, styles and regions. The reds have certainly lived up to the hype and of course you can’t ignore the quality of wines coming out of Margaret River. They have to be the most drinkable wines in the country.”
Judging took place over four days with 1363 wines judged by 12 judges and eight associate judges. Western Australia dominated the trophy count at seven followed by Victoria with six, South Australia with four, New South Wales with three and Tasmania with one.