SA winemakers win big at prestigious national awards
South Australian wineries swept the floor at a prestigious national wine awards last night, providing a boost for growers and producers at a particularly challenging moment for the industry.
The state’s wine industry won big last night at the National Wine Show in Canberra – where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was a guest – taking home nine of the 23 trophies.
In the white wine category, Adelaide Hills winery Lobethal Road won the Pinot Gris/Grigio Trophy for its 2025 Pinot Gris, while Barossa Valley winery Leo Buring won the Riesling Trophy for its Leonay Mature Release Riesling and Hahndorf winery Sidewood Estate won the Sauvignon Blanc Trophy for its 2025 Sauvignon Blanc.
In the red wine category, McLaren Vale’s Willunga 100 took home the Grenache Trophy for its 2025 Trott Vineyard Blewitt Springs Grenache and Clare Valley winery Jim Barry was awarded the Shiraz Trophy for its 2023 Lodge Hill Shiraz Mataro.
Meanwhile, Langhorne Creek winery Lake Breeze Wines won the Cabernet Blends Trophy for its 2023 Arthurs Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec, Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards in the McLaren Vale took out the Alternate Red Blends Trophy for its 2025 Brioni’s Blend, and Jacob’s Creek won the rosé award for its 2025 Le Petit Rosé.
Sam Barry, who manages sales for Jim Barry Wines, said the winery was “super, super excited” to win an award for its 2023 Lodge Hill Shiraz Mataro, saying it was an endorsement of the wine’s consistency.
“It’s really indicative of the style of shiraz that we’re making at Jim Barry Wines, which has been super successful at wine shows,” he said of the wine, which won against 189 other entrants.
“It’s medium-bodied, it’s juicy, it’s vibrant, it’s fresh. It’s the style of shiraz that the modern consumer wants to drink – moderate alcohol, very low oak impact, and just really nice and fresh and crunchy and vibrant.”
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Barry said that despite challenging conditions for the Australian wine industry, the Jim Barry Wine brand was performing well due to its solid reputation.
“We’re seeing consumers gravitate towards trusted brands, which we’re one of the trusted brands for consumers,” he said, with Jim Barry having won 50 awards over the past few years.
However, Barry said that despite strong sales, there were other challenges, such as cost pressures and a changing climate, which had affected the whole wine industry.
“There are no wineries that are immune from some sort of challenges at the moment,” Barry, whose grandfather founded Jim Barry Wines in 1959, said.
Owen Inglis, the founder and vigneron at Sidewood Estate, said it was fantastic to take home the Sauvignon Blanc Trophy for its 2025 Sauvignon Blanc, saying it highlighted the winery’s “attention to detail, our fixation on the quality”.
Inglis described the wine as crisp, fresh and fruity, saying “it’s beautiful to drink on its own out in the sun or as an aperitif, a compliment to lighter dishes like seafood or oysters”.
“Producing quality Sauvignon Blanc, we feel, is all about getting the yield, the pruning and the viticultural regime perfect, making sure we don’t overcrop it, that there’s no disease in the fruit and being able to pick it at the exact ripeness,” he said of the “fruit-forward” wine, which is currently grown on three of Sidewood Estate’s four vineyards.
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“Once we pick the fruit, we’re able to get it to our winery within about an hour of picking, which is very important to make sure that the fruit is fresh. It gets chilled down for 24 hours, then it’s a very light pressing … and we only use free-run contact.
“Then it will sit in a stainless steel tank for about six to eight weeks before we bottle, and the bottling is also done at Sidewood – so, we’re very much a grape to glass producer.”
NATIONAL WINE SHOW 2026 TROPHY WINNERS
SPECIAL TROPHIES
- Sparkling: Coldstream Hills 2018 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir Chardonnay (VIC)
- Sweet White: De Bortoli Wines 2022 Noble One (NSW)
- Rose: Jacob’s Creek 2025 Le Petit Rosé (SA)
- Fortified: Morris Wines Cellar Reserve Grand Muscat (VIC)
WHITE WINE TROPHIES
- Pinot Gris/Grigio Trophy: Lobethal Road 2025 Pinot Gris (SA)
- Riesling Trophy: Leo Buring 2022 Leonay Mature Release Riesling (SA)
- Semillon Trophy: Tyrrell’s Vineyards 2017 Vat 1 Semillon (NSW)
- Sauvignon Blanc Trophy: Sidewood Estate 2025 Sauvignon Blanc (SA)
- Chardonnay Trophy: Evans & Tate 2023 Single Vineyard Chardonnay (WA)
- White Varietal Trophy: La Kooki 2025 Chenin Rocks Chenin Blanc (WA)
- Blended White Trophy: Sapling Yard 2025 Fiori Riesling Pinot Gris Gewürztraminer Pinot Blanc (NSW)
RED WINE TROPHIES
- Pinot Trophy: Giant Steps 2024 Sexton Vineyard Pinot Noir (VIC)
- Grenache Trophy: Willunga 100 2024 Trott Vineyard Blewitt Springs Grenache (SA)
- Shiraz Trophy: Jim Barry 2023 Lodge Hill Shiraz (SA)
- Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy: Xanadu 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon (WA)
- Red Varietal Trophy: De Bortoli Wines 2025 Yarra Valley Estate Vineyard Gamay (VIC)
- Grenache Blends Trophy: St Hugo 2024 Grenache Shiraz Mataro (SA)
- Shiraz Blends Trophy: Hamelin Bay Wines 2023 Rampant Red (WA)
- Cabernet Blends Trophy: Lake Breeze 2023 Arthurs Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec (SA)
- Alternate Red Blends Trophy: Oliver’s Taranga Vineyards 2025 Brioni’s Blend (SA)
JAMES HALLIDAY RED WINE OF SHOW
- Xanadu 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon (WA)
LEN EVANS MEMORIAL WHITE WINE OF SHOW
- Evans & Tate 2023 Single Vineyard Chardonnay (WA)
PRIME MINISTER’S TROPHY
- Xanadu 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon (WA)
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