Australia’s king of the wine boffins (and untamed eyebrows), the much lauded James Halliday AM, in association with Wine Companion magazine and Hardie Grant Publishing, last night announced the winners of the inaugural James Halliday Australian Wine Companion Awards.
Designed to highlight outstanding quality, the awards celebrated wineries large and small, ahead of the release of the 2014 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion on Thursday, 25 July.
James Halliday said of the awards, “The time was right to celebrate the Australian wine industry’s finest. We’ve never before had a ceremony like this and it’s a fantastic way to recognise those wines and producers that are truly remarkable. It’s been a great year for over-performers.”
The four major awards of the evening were Winery of the Year, Wine of the Year, Dark Horse of the Year and New Winery of the Year.
And those lucky winners are:
Wine of the Year
Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir 2010
Winery of the Year
New Winery of the Year
Dark Horse of the Year
Varietal awards were also announced:
|
Sparkling Wine |
Arras Blanc de Blanc 2004 |
|
Riesling |
Castle Rock Estate A&W Reserve Great Southern Riesling 2011 |
|
Semillon |
Brokenwood ILR Reserve Hunter Valley Semillon 2011 |
|
Chardonnay |
Giaconda Chardonnay 2011 |
|
Sav B / Sem Sav Blanc |
Shaw + Smith Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2012 |
|
Pinot Noir |
Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir 2010 |
|
Other Reds |
Best’s Old Vine Great Western Pinot Meunier 2011 |
|
Shiraz |
Penfolds Grange 2008 |
|
Cabernet Sauvignon |
Penfolds Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 |
|
Sweet |
De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2009 |
|
Fortified |
Seppetsfield 100 Year Old Para Liqueur 1913 |
|
Other Whites & Blends |
Tahbilk 1927 Marsanne 2003 |
|
Sparkling Red |
Ashton Hills Sparkling Shiraz 2006 |
|
Shiraz Viognier |
Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2012 |
|
Cabernet & Family |
Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009 |
|
Shiraz & Family |
Jacob’s Creek St Hugo Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2010 |
Congratulations to all the winners!
Have you been lucky enough to try any of these wines yourself? (The Shaw + Smith Sauv Blanc 2012 is a big fave here. Can’t say the purse strings stretch to the ’08 Grange though). Let us know by leaving a comment below!
Tasted the 2010 Bass Phillip, 2011 Giaconda actually all the wines as I was lucky enough to be there….what a night!!
No way! Lucky you Annie 🙂 What was your personal fave from the evening?