Australian wines have taken six of the Best In Show medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards. The winning wines are:

  • Sons of Eden, Romulus Old Vine Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia 2019
  • Galway Pipe, Rare Tawny Aged 25 Years NV, Cross-Regional Blend NV
  • Deep Woods Estate, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Margaret River, Western Australia 2020
  • Tyrrell's, Vat 1 Semillon, Hunter Valley, New South Wales 2016
  • Orlando, Lyndale Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, South Australia 2019
  • Sons of Eden, Remus Old Vine Shiraz, Eden Valley, South Australia 2019

Of the Cross-Regional Blend for Galway Pipe’s Rare Tawny Aged 25 Years NV, which judges commented: “A fortified GSM that came stomping through to Best in Show victory: an often unsung, unheralded category that draws on some of the deepest and oldest South Australian traditions.”

Australia was awarded a total of 744 medals, with 6 Best in Show, 15 Platinum, 60 Gold, 332 Silver and 331 Bronze.

On judging at the 2022 competition, joint Regional Chair for Australia, Justin Knock MW, said: “It was clear that enthusiasm for the overall quality was notably high – at one point it was made clear to myself and Huon [Hooke, joint Regional Chair for Australia] that the number of Gold medal wines from Australia was very high, to which we pointed out two things.

"One – the panel judges themselves were enthusiastically arguing for inclusion. This points to the level of excitement that Australia’s well-made wines can bring to the consumer. Secondly, the number of wines entered in the top price band categories were proportionally very high, giving us a very high calibre of wines to taste and no doubt leading to the strong performance of Australia overall.”

Sons of Eden is owned by winemaker, Corey Ryan and viticulturalist, Simon Cowham. The duo have collectively amassed over 50 vintages in the Barossa.

Upon their double win, they released a joint statement:  “We have long-known the ability of the Barossa to produce world class Shiraz and we are seeing the power of these old treasured vines from both the Eden Valley and Barossa Valley produce outstanding wines.

“We couldn’t be happier with these results. Awards like these help show the world that Australia, and especially our beloved Barossa, continues to produce excellent wines.”

The 2019 Sons of Eden ‘Romulus’ Barossa Valley Old Vine Shiraz and the 2019 Sons of Eden ‘Remus’ Old Vine Eden Valley Shiraz have a RRP of $80 / bottle and will be released early 2023. 

The competition’s top accolade, Best in Show, was awarded to just 50 wines. Australia recorded an impressive 744 medals across all categories including a record haul of 60 Gold medals.

A total of 15 Platinum medals were awarded for Australia, compromising nine reds, five whites and one sparkling rosé for Sidewood’s Isabella Rosé 2015 from Adelaide Hills which the judges described as “soft, rich and multi-dimensional… a complex wine, with a long and very satisfying finish.”

Of the country’s 60 Gold medals, standouts included a Cross-Regional Blend for Robert Oatley’s Craigmoor Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2021 and House of Arras’ EJ Carr Late Disgorged 2006 from Tasmania which received 96 points for its “bright finish which is tingling, enticing and very fine.”

Margaret River saw the most Golds awarded, with 11 wines receiving 95-96 points, and Barossa was not far behind - receiving 10 Gold medals almost entirely for its flagship Shiraz wines.

South Australia recorded three Best in Show, nine Platinum and 27 Gold medals. Tasmania was awarded one Platinum and four Gold medals. Victoria received one Platinum and 13 Gold medals. Western Australia one Best in Show, three Platinum and 13 Gold medals. New South Wales one Best in Show and Cross-Regional Blends saw one Best in Show, one Platinum and three Gold medals awarded.

Now in its 19th year, the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world's largest and most influential wine competition, with unrivaled global reach. Judged by top wine experts from around the globe, DWWA is trusted internationally for its rigorous judging process.

As part of this process almost 250 expert judges, including 41 Masters of Wine and 13 Master Sommeliers, evaluated 18,244 wines from 54 countries at DWWA 2022, making it a record year for wines tasted.

Visit awards.decanter.com for a full list of winners.

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