Is your favourite Australian drop amongst the winners?
Australian wines picked up 393 medals in the latest round of the International Wine Challenge (IWC), the world’s most rigorous, impartial and influential wine competition. Last year the country brought home 256 in total – making this year’s haul a 54% increase from last year.
Of these, 22 were Gold medals. Only one country, France, collected more Golds this year with 23.
The McGuigan Shortlist Chardonnay 2015from Adelaide Hills was the joint highest scoring wine in the competition, with 97 points. The other 97-pointer, also made from Chardonnay, was William Fèvre’s Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir 2016 from France’s Burgundy region, demonstrating that Australia is now producing wine that comfortably rivals the traditional home of fine wine.
Eight of Australia’s Gold medals went to wines made from Chardonnay of which the judges “found some truly delicious, savoury, balanced examples”, explained IWC co-chair, Oz Clarke.
Another eight Gold medals went to Shiraz wines. Charles Metcalfe, another IWC co-chair, commented that many of the new Shiraz and Grenache reds coming through the competition were “much fresher and more elegant than the traditional styles”.
South Australia came out as the dominant region with 11 Gold medals. New South Wales, Tasmania and Western Australia also faired comparatively well with three apiece. Two Victoria producers, Bellvale Wine and Trentham Estate, were also awarded Gold medals.
Australian Vintage, owner of the McGuigan and Tempus Two brands, was the most highly celebrated with five Gold medals. Taylors Wines, which trades as Wakefield Wines in the Northern Hemisphere, took home two Golds.
The full list of Gold medal-winners from Australia is below:
| McGuigan Cellar Select Chardonnay | 2017 |
| Tempus Two Uno Semillon | 2014 |
| McGuigan Personal Reserve Vanessa Vale Shiraz | 2017 |
| McGuigan Shortlist Chardonnay | 2015 |
| McGuigan Shortlist Riesling | 2013 |
| Hills Are Alive | 2017 |
| Hahndorf Hill Shiraz | 2016 |
| Tenafeate Creek One Tree Hill Basket Press Shiraz | 2016 |
| Shingleback D Block Reserve Shiraz | 2015 |
| St Andrews Riesling | 2018 |
| St Andrews Chardonnay | 2017 |
| St Hugo Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon | 2015 |
| The McRae Wood Shiraz | 2013 |
| Sidewood Mappinga Shiraz | 2015 |
| Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay | 2017 |
| Artisan Tasmanian Chardonnay | 2016 |
| The Society’s Exhibition Tasmanian Chardonnay | 2017 |
| Athena’s Vineyard Chardonnay | 2017 |
| Trentham Family Reserve Heathcote Shiraz | 2015 |
| Domaine Naturaliste Sauvage | 2017 |
| Victory Point Cabernet Sauvignon | 2015 |
| Flametree S.R.S. Wallcliffe Chardonnay | 2017 |
The first part of the 2019 International Wine Challenge – Tranche 1 – saw 212 wine experts from 23 countries judging the wines over four days in London. Tranche 2 judging will take place from April 1-11, 2019, with the results announced on May 8.
