Red, white and gold for Taylors Wines in San Diego

Taylors Wines has received top honours at the San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge where it was named Winery of the Year (Import) last night.

Judges crowned the Clare Valley family winemaker as the top imported winery in a competition that saw entries from more than 13 wine producing nations, including France, Italy, Spain, South Africa and the USA.

The top honours were awarded to Taylors as more than half of the winery’s entries received a gold medal ranking or better. This is the second consecutive year that Taylors has received the Winery of the Year honour.

In addition to the Winery of the Year trophy, Taylors’ Jaraman wines took top honours in the competition, with the 2019 Jaraman Shiraz (RRP $34) bringing home a platinum award and ‘Best Shiraz’ and the 2020 Jaraman Grenache (RRP $34), a new vintage release, receiving a gold medal and the ‘Best Grenache’ title. Overall, the family winery claimed eight medals at the competition.

Drinks Trade spoke to third-generation Winemaker and Managing Director Mitchell Taylor just as he was set to leave the Clare Valley where he had spent the day. He said: "The timing is perfect after the year we have had and just as we are about to re-launch in America."

in recent months, Taylors Wines have connected with a new importer and have just signed with a new US family-owned retailer chain. He said there is no doubt that the wins will open doors as the winery begins to build its presence in the US market.

"This award is terrific for recognition and we can now expect our key customers and retailers to be talking about it," he said.

He added that the win was not just good for Taylors, but for the industry as a whole, especially as the Jaraman wines do not sit above entry level with a price point around US$32.

“With the USA being the largest wine drinking market in the world, we certainly have our sights set on growing Australian wine’s prominence in the region. This terrific award will help us continue to establish a premium profile as we meet with North American customers and distributors,” Taylor said.

“As we continue to explore new markets to sell our wines, it’s awards like ‘Winery of the Year’ that help us tell the story of quality-made, premium Australian wines to wine lovers all around the world. We couldn’t be prouder to receive such a distinguished honour.”

The San Diego International Wine & Spirits Challenge is an annual event held by US wine critic Robert Whitley. Since 1996, the major competition has brought together wine critics, sommeliers, and winemakers to judge hundreds of wines from around the world.