The Royal Sydney Wine Show celebrated another successful year, with the 2023 Bream Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir taking the top honor, winning the prestigious Tucker Seabrook Perpetual Trophy for Best Wine of Show.
This remarkable pinot noir is the youngest red wine to earn the title in over 24 years and the first pinot noir to achieve this distinction since 2015. It also marks the first time a Tasmanian wine has claimed the top prize since 2016.
Sarah Crowe, Chair of Judges for the Sydney Royal Wine Show, praised the exceptional quality of the winning wine. “The young pinot class was a real highlight for our judges this year, and this standard of quality is reflected in our 2024 Wine of Show winner, the 2023 Bream Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir,” Crowe said. “For a young red to stand out among over 1,700 entries is impressive, and being the youngest red to win Wine of Show in the last two decades, if not longer, is quite the achievement.”
Crowe also highlighted the outstanding chardonnay entries, noting that Australian producers are consistently delivering world-class wines. “From larger producers like Evans & Tate, who took home Best White and Best Chardonnay with their 2022 Redbrook Reserve Chardonnay, to smaller producers like Silkman Wines, who claimed Best Small Producer with the 2023 Silk Chardonnay, the quality of chardonnay Australians are getting is exceptional,” she added.
Chardonnay emerged as a standout category, with the 2024 and 2023 classes securing the highest medal count across 52 categories judged, earning 118 medals, including 9 golds.
Other notable winners at the show included Calabria Saint Petri 2022 Shiraz Carignan, which won the Arthur Kelman Perpetual Trophy for Best Shiraz Dominant Blend, Yalumba Sanctum Cabernet Sauvignon 2021, named Best Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tasmania’s House of Arras Grand Vintage 2015, crowned Best Sparkling White for the second consecutive year. Robert Stein Rieslings also made a strong showing, with the 2017 vintage winning the Douglas Lamb Perpetual Trophy for Best Riesling, the 2023 vintage named Best NSW Wine, and the 2024 vintage awarded Best Current Vintage White.
Bill Calabria AM, speaking about the family’s Saint Petri 2022 vintage, sourced from their William vineyard in the Barossa Valley, remarked, “This wine represents not only our family’s love and dedication to winemaking but also honors the hard work and sacrifices of the generations before us who developed the vineyard.”
Yalumba’s Senior Winemaker, Heather Fraser, described the Sanctum Cabernet Sauvignon as “a modern take on a classic regional and varietal stalwart that is fun, flavoursome, stylish, and uninhibited.” She praised the 2021 vintage for its excellent growing season, which resulted in grapes with “freshness, acidity, and wonderfully expressive flavors.”
Ed Carr, Chief Winemaker at House of Arras, expressed pride in their Grand Vintage 2015’s continued success, stating, “We are thrilled to gain this recognition once again at such a prestigious program as the Sydney Royal Wine Show. The sparkling wine sector in Australia is producing exceptional examples that rival the best, and we are proud to be part of that movement.”
Jacob Stein, winemaker and owner of Robert Stein, was elated by their multiple awards, saying, “Winning these trophies far exceeds our expectations. Our history with growing Riesling dates back to 1838, and to consistently be awarded The Douglas Lamb Trophy is truly fantastic.”
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