- The trophy winners of the 2023 Adelaide Hills Wine Show presented by Harris Real Estate/ Taylor Bishop, were announced today at a gala luncheon at Lot 100 in Nairne. The results reveal the top wines made in the Adelaide Hills Wine Region.
The intrinsic diversity of the Adelaide Hills was evident with fifteen different wines receiving trophies across the various categories. However, one producer stood head and shoulders above the rest this year, and that is Sidewood Estate.
Sidewood triumphs
In total Sidewood Estate was awarded seven trophies – the first time a single producer has won so many categories with three different wines, in the Show’s twenty-six-year history.
The wine of the day was Sidewood 2021 Mappinga Chardonnay which won the Best Wine of the Show, Best White Wine, Best Chardonnay, and Best Single Vineyard Wine. Their 2015 Isabella Rosé Sparkling was deemed Best Sparkling Wine, and 2023 The Mad Cat Rosé was granted Best Rosé. These outstanding results culminated in Sidewood Estate being unequivocally named the Best Producer of the Show >100 tonnes, to back up winning the same award last year.
The President of Adelaide Hills Wine Region, Alex Trescowthick commented, “Sidewood Estate’s commitment and passion for the Adelaide Hills wine region is indisputable. For the past 20 years, Owen and Cassandra Inglis have dedicated themselves to outstanding wine quality and they must be bursting with pride in their achievements. I’d say there will be some big celebrations over in Hahndorf this week.”
Sarah Crowe, Head of Judges was surprised when she found out that so many of the awarded wines came from one producer: “The judging of the wines is all done blind, so none of the judges (including me) know the identity of any of the wines during the judging process. We are purely assessing each wine on its individual merits and scoring them accordingly.”
When speaking about the Best Wine of Show and Best White Wine, Crowe said, “The best wine of the show, whose identity was later revealed to me as the Sidewood 2021 Mappinga Chardonnay, showed excellent balance and complexity; perfectly treading the fine line between refinement and flintiness, and generosity of flavour and complexity.”
Longview Vineyard also did exceptionally well, especially in the red wine categories, winning a total of four trophies. They won Best Red Wine of Show and Best Shiraz for its 2022 Macclesfield Syrah Best Red, Best Cabernet or Blend for Devil's Elbow 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as Best Gruner Veltliner with their 2023 Macclesfield wine.
From her notes, Crowe reported, “Regarding the Best Red Wine, the Longview 2022 Macclesfield Syrah had a lovely fruit profile, good volume on palate, and a wonderful acid line. There was also a lovely nettle-like grip on the palate that gave the wine an extra element of freshness.”
Meanwhile, boutique winery Mount Lofty Ranges Vineyard in Lenswood took the award for Best Producer of the Show <100 tonnes, on the back of its stellar 2023 Home Block Riesling which was deemed Best Riesling.
Gamay makes a move
In additional news, for the first time ever in an Australian wine show, a new Trophy was created for Best Gamay sponsored by TK Print, which was won by Golding Single Vineyard Series 2023 Ombre Gamay. Gamay is a newly emerging varietal star of the Adelaide Hills and a record number of fourteen Gamay wines were entered into the show this year.
Alex Trescowthick says, “There is fantastic potential for the Adelaide Hills wine region to become the leader for Gamay in Australia. The unique red grape variety grows beautifully in our cool climate and produces elegant, medium-bodied wines with finesse and flavour.”
Sarah Crowe agrees, “In a couple of years’ time, Adelaide Hills Gamay will be a very exciting category. My decision to award a trophy for Gamay this year will hopefully drive Adelaide Hills’ wine producers to continue to strive for excellence.”
2023 Adelaide Hills Wine Show Top Trophy winners include:
- Best Wine of the Show, sponsored by Harris Real Estate/Taylor Bishop
Sidewood 2021 Mappinga Chardonnay
- Best White Wine of the Show, sponsored by Langley & Co
Sidewood 2021 Mappinga Chardonnay
- Best Sparkling Wine of the Show, sponsored by Torresan
Sidewood 2015 Isabella Rosé Sparkling
- Best Red Wine of the Show, sponsored by Orora Beverages
Longview 2022 Macclesfield Syrah
- Best Producer of the Show <100 tonnes, sponsored by Duxton Hospitality Services
Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard
- Best Producer of the Show >100 tonnes, sponsored by Chassin Cooperage - Sidewood Estate
2023 Adelaide Hills Wine Show Trophy winners by style/variety include:
- Best Single Vineyard Wine, sponsored by Clemens/GJ East
Sidewood 2021 Mappinga Chardonnay
- Best Chardonnay of the Show, sponsored by F Miller & Co
Sidewood 2021 Mappinga Chardonnay
- Best Riesling of the Show, sponsored by Prowine
Mt Lofty Ranges Vineyard 2023 Home Block Riesling
- Best Sauvignon Blanc of the Show, sponsored by Fermentis
K1 Wines 2023 Sauvignon Blanc
- Best Pinot Gris/Grigio of the Show, sponsored by Hahn Corporation
Lloyd Brothers 2023 Pinot Grigio
- Best Grüner Veltliner of the show, sponsored by The Manna Group
Longview Macclesfield 2023 Grüner Veltliner
- Best White Wine in Classes Other, sponsored by Lallemand
Artwine 2023 The Real Thing Albarino
- Best Rosé of the Show, sponsored by Cutler Brands
Sidewood Estate 2023 The Mad Cat Rosé
- Best Pinot Noir of the Show, sponsored by Vinpac
Shaw + Smith 2022 Pinot Noir
- Best Shiraz of the Show, sponsored by Cospak
Longview Macclesfield 2022 Syrah
- Best Cabernet family or Blend of the Show, sponsored by Blue H2O Filtration
Longview Devil's Elbow 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon
- Best Gamay of the Show, sponsored by TK Print
Golding Single Vineyard Series 2023 Ombre Gamay
- Best Red Wine in Classes Other, sponsored by Culture Crop
Berrigan Wines 2022 "Shining Rock" Sangiovese
- Best Wine in Museum Classes, sponsored by Mt Lofty House
Wicks Estate 2013 Pamela Sparkling
- Best Wine of Provenance, sponsored by Multi-Color Corporation
The Pawn 2023, 2021, 2015 Grüner Veltliner
A total of 627 wines were entered and judged in the 2023 wine show, up 3% from 2022.
About Adelaide Hills Wine Region
Adelaide Hills Wine Region is a membership body established in 1988 which represents wineries, grape-growers, and associated businesses in the Adelaide Hills. A not-for-profit body, it works with members to represent their collective interests, to grow brand equity to ensure long-term sustainability of the grape, wine, and tourism industries in the region, and promote the Adelaide Hills brand locally, nationally, and worldwide. For further information go to https://www.adelaidehillswine.com.au/
About Adelaide Hills Wine Show
The Adelaide Hills Wine Show is a regional wine show, meaning all the wines entered are made from grapes grown in the Adelaide Hills region. It effectively assesses the best wines being made in the Adelaide Hills, as judged against their regional peers. The wines are tasted blind by qualified judges, who independently provide a score for each wine, without knowing the identity of the wines. To determine trophies, the judges discuss the wines and then independently submit votes which are tallied to determine the best wines of each category. The Adelaide Hills Wine Show began in 1997 and celebrated its 25th year in 2022.
