All the trophy winners from the National Wine Show

Penfolds was the toast of the National Wine Show awards last night at the National Arboretum when its 2017 Reserve Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills took out the Len Evans Memorial Trophy for Champion Wine of Show.

In fact, it completed the trifecta by also taking out the best chardonnay and white wine of the show. “An outstanding exhibit,’’ according to Chairman of Judges David Bicknell.

Twenty other trophies were presented last night (23 November) at a gala presentation dinner, the climax of a show that included a week of judging at Exhibition Park from 13-16 November with 1247 entries from 224 exhibitors, up 6.5 per cent on last year.

There were 56 new exhibitors, which Mr Bicknell said was particularly pleasing. “This points to a healthy belief in the quality of the show from our constituency,’’ he said.

This was reflected in the wide distribution of honours, with the major awards shared by 15 different producers across 11 different regions.

Competition was fierce and the standard high, with Mr Bicknell saying he could not recall a show where the final judging was so close between many different entries.

“The exhibitors who missed out on major awards should take heart from the scores they received when they read through the full list of results, as it was a close run thing,’’ he said.

“The breadth and depth of classes are a true indication of Australian winemaking skill.’’

While Canberra region winemakers missed out on the major awards, several scored highly and came away with medals, including Lerida Estate (2 Bronze), Mt Majura Vineyard (Bronze and Silver), Shaw Vineyard Estate (Bronze and Silver) and Wallaroo Wines (Bronze).

The top red of the show was the Xanadu 2016 Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon from Margaret River, and the Kit Stevens Memorial Sparkling Trophy went to Coldstream Hills’ 2014 Pinot Chardonnay from the Yarra Valley.

In the whites, Riesling was dominated by the younger vintages at the trophy taste-off, particularly 2017, and despite some of the older vintages starting to show their age, the variety prevailed in taking out the White Wine of Provenance award (2018, 2012, 2005 Leasingham Classic Clare Riesling, from the Clare Valley in South Australia).

The judges found the Semillon section to be typically strong, with a very high strike rate of medals, in a relatively small class.

The Chardonnay was also very strong across the 2017 and 2016 vintages with no less than seven different regions receiving gold medals.

In the end, it was a very tight tussle between the Yarra Valley, Margaret River and the Adelaide Hills for the top award, with the Adelaide Hills prevailing.

Shiraz was the biggest class represented in the Reds, with 284 entries receiving 20 gold medals, spread across 10 different regions, and offering a very diverse range of styles.

“It is easy to see the mastery that this country has with this variety in this forum,’’ Mr Bicknell said.

In a first, the winning trophy went to Geelong in Victoria (Clyde Park Estate 2017 Shiraz).

In the Pinot Noir section, the outstanding 2017 vintage led to some of the hottest judging in the show with the Mornington Peninsula, Tasmania and the Yarra Valley dominating proceedings with six gold medals.

“While the regional styles may have been disparate, the quality was uniformly outstanding,’’ Mr Bicknell said.

But the surprise packet of the show this year were the emerging reds and blends, with an exciting trophy taste-off between two Grenaches, Malbec, Montepulciano, Nero d’Avola, Sangiovese and a Tempranillo.

“Brilliant, and a testament to the effort exhibitors are putting in to find varieties that really suit their growing conditions,’’ Mr Bicknell said.

“The resurgence of Grenache would also seem complete in taking the varietal trophy, plus a Grenache blend, with Shiraz and Mataro, taking out the blended wine trophy.’’

Meanwhile, Western Australia’s Margaret River region again dominated the Cabernet Sauvignon, with red wine of the show winner Xanadu backing up with the Single Vineyard Dry Red Trophy and the Red Wine of Provenance Trophy.

The judging panel – a mix of winemakers, vignerons, sommeliers, purchasing managers and distributors – brought together many of the key industry stakeholders, with every state and territory represented except the Northern Territory.

The major award winners:

Kit Stevens Memorial Sparkling Trophy

Coldstream Hills, Yarra Valley, Victoria

2014 Pinot Chardonnay

Riesling Trophy

Robert Oatley, Margaret River, WA

2017 Signature Series Great Southern Riesling

Sauvignon Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Trophy

Miles from Nowhere, Margaret River, WA

2018 Sauvignon Blanc

Semillon Trophy

Tyrrell’s Vineyards Pty Ltd, Pokolbin, NSW

2013 Belford Semillion

Chardonnay Trophy

Penfolds, Adelaide Hills, SA

2017 Cellar Reserve Chardonnay

Other Single White Varieties Trophy

Hahndorf Hill Winery, Adelaide Hills, SA

2018 White Mischief Gruner Veltliner

Single Vineyard White Trophy

Stella Bella, Margaret River, WA

Luminosa 2017 Chardonnay

White Wine of Provenance Trophy

Leasingham, Clare Valley SA

2018, 2012, 2005 Classic Clare Riesling

Sweet White Table Wine Trophy

Deen De Bortoli, Riverina, NSW

2016 Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon

Rosé Trophy

McGuigan, Hunter Valley NSW

2018 Cellar Select Rosé

Pinot Noir Trophy

Giant Steps, Yarra Valley, Victoria

2017 Applejack Vineyard Pinot Noir

Shiraz Trophy

Clyde Park Estate, Geelong, Victoria

2017 Shiraz

Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy

Xanadu, Margaret River, WA

2016 Steven Road Cabernet Sauvignon

Blended Dry Red Trophy

Bleasdale Vineyards, Langhorne Creek, SA

2017 Wellington Road GSM

Other Red Single Varieties Trophy

Turkey Flat, Barossa Valley, SA

2017 Grenache

Single Vineyard Dry Red Trophy

Xanadu, Margaret River, WA

2016 Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon

Red Wine of Provenance Trophy

Xanadu, Margaret River, WA

2017, 2010, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon

Edgar Riek Memorial Fortified Wine Trophy

Morris Wines, Rutherglen, Victoria

NV Old Premium Rare Liqueur Topaque

White Wine of Show Trophy

Penfolds, Adelaide Hills, SA

2017 Cellar Reserve Chardonnay

Red Wine of Show Trophy

Xanadu, Margaret River, WA

2016 Stevens Road Cabernet Sauvignon

Len Evans Memorial Trophy for Champion Wine of Show

Penfolds, Adelaide Hills, SA

2017 Cellar Reserve Chardonnay