Houghton Gains Eight Gold Medals for Red Wine at Adelaide 2016 – and Other Extraordinary Stories.
You will never read about it on-line or in the national wine press, but the recent Western Australian share of trophies and gold medals on our national wine show circuit confirms this state’s dominance in the Sauvignon Blanc, SSB blends, Chardonnay, Cabernet and Red Bordeaux classes.
Australia has a seven capital city wine show system and each awards a trophy for the best of each of the most important wine varieties.
In the latest 2 capital city wine show results to be announced, from Adelaide and Melbourne, the west gained six of the fourteen chardonnay gold medals at the former and six of twenty two at Melbourne. The west has won four of five of 2016’s capital city Best Chardonnay Trophies.
In Adelaide, the west gained 18 of the 19 medals awarded in the 2016 Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc blend class and … 14 out of 14 at Melbourne! Exceptional.
In the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc classes, three of the six gold medals at Adelaide and all three gold medals awarded at Melbourne came to the west.
It is time to remind you that Western Australia produces just 4% of Australia’s wine grapes.
When it comes to cabernet sauvignon, the west, as always, remains dominant. WA gained 12 of the 28 cabernet and red Bordeaux blend gold medals at Adelaide and 12 of 23 at Melbourne (52%.) All seven of the capital city Best Cabernet Sauvignon Trophies awarded this year have been won by Western Australian wines.
Deep Woods’ Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 won both the Best Cabernet Sauvignon and the famous Jimmy Watson Trophy (for Best One or Two Year Old Red Wine) at Melbourne – giving Deep Woods its third consecutive Best Cabernet Trophy there, as well as two of the past three at Adelaide.
In other ground-breaking news, at Adelaide, Houghton gained 8 red wine gold medals ranging from an under $10 Red Classic to the 2013 Jack Mann at $130. Has any other winery ever won eight gold medals for red wine at a capital city wine show? Probably not.
John Jens, 21st October 2016