Small Australian wineries record ‘mind-blowing’ wins at Decanter awards in London

Australian wines have recorded “mind-blowing” wins at the prestigious international Decanter awards held in London overnight. 

After more than 18,000 wines were tasted, and tasted again, eight Australian wines were selected among the top 50 in the world. 

Only France recorded more Best in Show medals, prompting Decanter to declare that Australia had “retained its status amongst the major global players.”

South Australia was the best local performer, with Barossa Valley winery Chaffey Bros among three producers from the state to receive a coveted Best in Show medal. 

“It’s a fantastic surprise,” said the winery’s co-founder, Daniel Chaffey Hartwig. 

“They sort of call it the Olympics of wine. It’s a great analogy, because the wine has to keep stacking up all the way through the finals. 

Margaret River’s Stella Bella winery also received the top honour for its Luminosa Chardonnay, with the judges labelling the iconic south-west WA wine region a “source of world-class Chardonnay.”

“The team feels a massive sense of achievement,” said Tom Barnes from Stella Bella.

“It’s a bit mind-blowing, really.”

Recognition during reckoning 

The Decanter awards bills the event as the biggest in the world, with 243 international wine experts descending on London for an exhaustive series of blind tastings. 

All told, Australia notched up 71 gold, platinum and Best in Show medals. 

For the first time, two Pinot Noirs from Tasmania figured among the best in the world, with judges declaring the state to be “a Pinot region of extraordinary promise.”

While there is often scepticism around the value of awards, the results are nonetheless a shot in the arm during a turbulent moment for the local industry.

There is too much wine in Australia, with estimates of around 500 million litres of red wine alone sitting in tanks, barrels and bottles around Australia. 

The federal government last week announced $3.5 million in funds to help wine growers deal with oversupply issues. 

It was far short of the $85 million some in the industry had called for to assist growers to rip up their vines and exit the industry in the wake of a collapsed Chinese market. 

For Mr Chaffey Hartwig, the moment of reckoning can equally be a moment of opportunity. 

“When China was closed, everyone in South Australian wine regions and Australia turned around and realised that the rest of the world is drinking a lot more light, elegant-style wine, and we have to look at those global trends,” he said. 

“Of course, stick to what we’re doing well, but there’s no reason why we can’t really embrace this because our region can do these styles exceptionally well.”

A ‘new era’ for Australian wine

It’s no accident the Chaffey Bros Best in Show wine is labelled as a Syrah and not Shiraz, the far more widely used term in the Barossa. 

Both are made from the same grape, but the usage gestures to a subtly different winemaking approach that is increasingly favoured in an emergent wine culture.

“I was just talking to a US importer the other day and they said they were really excited about seeing Syrah coming out of Australia, because they can relate to that better. 

“Clearly there is a demand for wines that are a little bit lighter, lower in alcohol, and very balanced. It indicates this is a new era and a new wave for Australia.”

At Stella Bella, which also received one Gold and four Silver Medals, Tom Barnes described a viticultural approach that is simultaneously “very hands-off” but with a lot of attention to detail.

“Our focus is on the quality of the wine and not to get too caught up in mass production,” he said.

“We’re obviously just one of those smaller producers, but we feel we’re probably punching above our weight.”

With Australian wineries figuring in so many of the award categories, Mr Chaffey Hartwig said there was a clear confidence in local winemaking that was being reflected on the world stage.

“I think it’s an exciting new era that the Decanter awards has picked up on that,” he said.

Australian wines awarded Best in Show medals

Tasmania 

• Lowestoft 2022 Single Vineyard Jacoben Pinot Noir — Derwent Valley
• Bay of Fires 2022 Pinot Noir

NSW

• Mcguigan 2014 Bin 9000 Semillon — Hunter Valley

South Australia

• Red Knot by Shingleback 2022 Classified GSM — McLaren Vale
• Penny’s Hill 2023 Yeenunga Grenache — McLaren Vale
• Chaffey Bros 2021 Evangeline Syrah — Eden Valley

Western Australia

• Fermoy 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon — Margaret River
• Stella Bella 2022 Luminosa Chardonnay — Margaret River