News & Updates

James Halliday AM, in association with the Wine Companion Magazine and Hardie Grant Publishing, tonight announced the winners of the inaugural James Halliday Australian Wine Companion Awards.

Designed to highlight outstanding quality, the awards celebrated wineries large and small, ahead of the release of the 2014 James Halliday Australian Wine Companion on Thursday, 25 July.

James Halliday said of the awards, “The time was right to celebrate the Australian wine industry’s finest. We’ve never before had a ceremony like this and it’s a fantastic way to recognise those wines and producers that are truly remarkable. It’s been a great year for over-performers.”

The four major awards of the evening were Winery of the Year, Wine of the Year, Dark Horse of the Year and New Winery of the Year.

Without further ado, the winners are:
• Wine of the Year; Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir 2010 (Sponsored by Zagame Maserati)
• Winery of the Year; Penfolds (Sponsored by Liebherr Cellaring Solutions)
• New Winery of the Year; Rob Dolan Wines (Sponsored by Kennards Wine Storage)
• Dark Horse of the Year; Singlefile Wines (Sponsored by Zagame Ferrari)

Twelve of the varietal awards were also announced:
• Sparkling Wine; Arras Blanc de Blancs 2004 (97 points)
• Riesling; Castle Rock Estate A&W Reserve Great Southern Riesling 2011 (97 points)
• Semillon; Brokenwood ILR Reserve Hunter Valley Semillon 2007 (98 points)
• Chardonnay; Giaconda Chardonnay 2011 (98 points)
• Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon Sauvignon Blanc; Shaw + Smith Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2012 (96 points)
• Pinot Noir (Sponsored by Langton’s); Bass Phillip Reserve Pinot Noir 2010 (99 points)
• Other Reds; Best’s Old Vine Great Western Pinot Meunier 2011 (97 points)
• Shiraz; Penfolds Grange 2008 (98 points)
• Cabernet Sauvignon (Sponsored by Offset Alpine); Penfolds Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 (98 points)
• Sweet; De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon 2009 (96 points)
• Fortified; Seppeltsfield 100 Year Old Para Liqueur 1913 (100 points)

The other varietal award winners were Tahbilk 1927 Vines Marsanne 2003, 96 points (Other Whites and Blends); Ashton Hills Sparkling Shiraz 2006, 96 points (Sparkling Red); Clonakilla Shiraz Viognier 2012, 97 points (Shiraz Viognier); Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009, 97 points (Cabernet & Family); Jacob’s Creek St Hugo Grenache Shiraz Mataro 2010, 96 points (Shiraz & Family).

The invitation-only special event was held at principal sponsor Zagame Automotive in Melbourne’s Richmond, with 200 guests enjoying a four-course degustation accompanied by some of the award-winning wines. Guests included the Hon. Premier of South Australia Jay Weatherill, former Premier of Victoria Jeff Kennett, CEO of Treasury Wine Estates David Dearie and former TV presenter Daryl Somers.

Bought to you by Kennards Self Storage