Taylors Wines, a family-owned winery from Clare Valley, has hit a home run by scoring a perfect 100-point rating for its Taylors Heritage Label Shiraz 2022 at the 20th annual VINUS International Wine & Spirits Competition. This achievement also earned them the International Champion trophy.
The wine was judged alongside over 580 samples from 15 countries. Impressively, this is the second year in a row that Taylors has won this top award, with its Estate Shiraz 2020 taking the prize last year. This makes Taylors the first winery to win this title two years running.
But that’s not all. Taylors Wines also bagged the Best Series of Five Wines in Competition Award and walked away with six Double Gold and ten Gold medals. Two other wines from their collection, The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 and The Pioneer Shiraz 2019, both nearly hit the top score with 99 points, making it to the Top Ten VINUS 2023.
“This is such exciting news for our winery – not only have we taken out a major trophy for our wine, but the judges deemed it to be worthy of 100 points. It’s phenomenal,” Taylors third-generation Winemaker and Managing Director Mitchell Taylor said.
“The Heritage Shiraz is a special wine that celebrates the heritage of our family winery and takes inspiration from our very first vintage release in 1973. Fifty years on, we are proud to represent the Clare Valley and South Australia and its awards like this that help showcase the quality of Australian wines to the world.”
The Australian wine industry has faced its share of challenges, especially with a 10% drop in exports last year, as reported by Wine Australia. The situation was made tougher with high tariffs on Australian exports to China in 2020. However, there’s some hope on the horizon as Chinese officials are reviewing these tariffs.
“We’re optimistic about the future of our industry, particularly now as China is reviewing its tariffs on Australian wine exports. We’re very excited about getting back into the market and telling the story of premium Australian wine to China’s many wine consumers,” Taylor said.
“I’ve spent most of my life working in the wine industry, and the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that not every year can be rosy. In fact this is the hardest I’ve seen over my last three decades working in the wine industry. One thing is certain – the wine community knows how to navigate itself during challenging times to come out stronger on the other side. Winning this award is one of those times we get to come together and celebrate.”
The award-winning Taylors Heritage Shiraz 2022 is known for its rich flavors of plum, black currant, and cherry, with a hint of mocha. It’s a full-bodied wine with a smooth finish.
Other Clare Valley wineries have also been in the spotlight. Kilikanoon Wines won a major award in Germany for its 2019 Oracle Shiraz, and Paulett Wines grabbed the top spot at the Canberra International Riesling Challenge with its 2022 Pauletts Alison Riesling.
All in all, it’s been a good year for Clare Valley wines, showing they can shine even when times are tough.