The Hunter Valley this week celebrated the 39th year of the Hunter Valley Wine Show, widely regarded as the country’s leading regional wine show. Unlike many wine shows on the annual circuit, the Hunter Valley Wine Show has a strict regional focus and is exclusively for wines made with grapes grown in the Hunter Valley.
Incredibly, despite being the most recognised Australian wine region in the world, the Hunter Valley accounts for only 2% of Australia’s total grape production. And that figure is falling as more vines are planted elsewhere around the country every year. Celebrating the wines, history and innovation of this region is becoming more important than ever.
The trophies for the best Hunter wines of 2013 were officially presented at the Hunter Valley Wine Show Celebrations Luncheon held at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley on Friday, 16 August with an audience of 400 local wine industry colleagues.
And us.
Yes, we were there, sipping and slurping our way through the winning wines, and chatting with the incredibly talented teams of people who produce some of this country’s best drops. The entire event was a wonderful celebration of all things Hunter Valley and remained authentic and true to it’s regional focus.
Left – Hunter Valley Wine Show Trophy Winners Luncheon in full swing. Right – Shazaam! Liz Silkman (nee Jackson), winemaker extraordinaire at First Creek Wines with Jane Thomson from The Fabulous Ladies Wine Society.
The only dampener of the day was the horrendous commentary by event MC, former Australian cricketer Michael Slater, who’s foulmouthed, sexist and inappropriate jokes, and comments about those who weren’t winners being “total losers”, left many in the audience unsure whether to clap politely just to get him off the stage or hurl their newly emptied Semillon bottles at him. Some left the room altogether.
Stellar presentations by Jay Tulloch, Faye McGuigan, Bruce Tyrrell and Ned Goodwin saved the day. Their eloquence, intelligence and passionate support of all the hardworking Hunter Valley talent present in the room was truly inspirational.
The winners of awarded trophies in 2013 were:
Marshall Flannery Trophy for Current Vintage Semillon
Thomas Wines Braemore Cellar Reserve Semillon 2013
Jay Tulloch Trophy for Current Vintage Verdelho
Two Rivers Wine Hidden Hive Verdelho 2013
Current Vintage Dry White Wine, Other White Varietals & Blends
Mt Eyre Three Pond Fiano 2013
Henry John Lindeman Memorial Trophy for Current Vintage Dry White Wine
Thomas Wines Braemore Cellar Reserve Semillon 2013
Bill Ryan Memorial Trophy for Most Successful Exhibitor of Young Wines (Current Vintage Dry White Wines & One-Year-Old Dry Red Wines)
Tyrrell’s Vineyards
Ed Joualet Memorial Trophy for One-Year-Old Dry White Wine
Tyrrell’s Vineyards Old Vines Chardonnay 2012
Elliott Family Trophy Two-Year-Old Dry Red Wine
Pepper Tree Wines Limited Release Shiraz 2011
Dry Red Wine, Alternative Red Varietals & Blends, Any Vintage
Margan Family Wines Limited Release Barbera 2011
James Busby Memorial Trophy for Premium Vintage Dry Red Wine
Pepper Tree Wines Limited Release Shiraz 2011
McGuigan Family Trophy for Premium Vintage Premium Dry White Wine
Agnew Wines Audrey Wilkinson Museum Reserve Semillon 2006
Doug Galbraith Memorial Trophy for Premium Vintage Sweet White Wine
Margan Family Wines Botrytis Semillon 2011
Trevor Drayton Memorial Trophy for Premium Vintage Fortified Wine
Drayton’s Family Wines – Liqueur Verdelho Heritage Vines
John Lewis Newcastle Herald Trophy for Museum Vintage Dry Red Wine
Tinklers Vineyard 2005 U & I Shiraz
Graham Gregory Memorial Trophy for Museum Vintage Dry White Wine
Tempus Two Wines Copper Zenith Semillon 2003
Hector Tulloch Memorial Trophy for Dry Red Wine Currently Available
Pepper Tree Wines Limited Release Shiraz 2011
Maurice O’Shea Memorial Trophy for Dry White Wine Currently Available
Agnew Wines Audrey Wilkinson Museum Reserve Semillon 2006
Murray Tyrrell Chardonnay Trophy for Best Chardonnay Any Vintage
Tyrrell’s Vineyards Old Vines Chardonnay 2012
Draytons Family Trophy Best Named Vineyard Dry Red Sponsored by Draytons Wines & Robyn Drayton Wines
Leogate Estate Wines Western Slopes Shiraz 2011
Tyrrell’s Family Trophy Best Named Vineyard Dry White
Tyrrell’s Vineyards HVD Semillon 2007
Len Evans Trophy Best Named Vineyard Wine
Leogate Estate Wines Western Slopes Shiraz 2011
Petrie-Drinan Trophy for Best Dry White Wine of the Show Sponsored by Clear Image
Agnew Wines Audrey Wilkinson Museum Reserve Semillon 2006
Doug Seabrook Memorial Trophy for Best Dry Red Wine of the Show
Pepper Tree Wines Limited Release Shiraz 2011
Iain Riggs Wines of Provenance
Tulloch Limited Release Hector of Glen Elgin Shiraz 1994, 2006, 2011