Here's some good news worth drinking to: nearly half the prizes in a prestigious wine competition have gone to bottles priced under $40. If you needed an excuse to indulge in a wallet-friendly quaffer tonight, this is it.
The swanky Sydney Royal Wine Show dates all the way back to 1826, and this year draws more than 2500 entries from 350 wines across the nation. So which Aussie reds, whites, rosés and sparklings were winners? After a rigorous process of multiple blind tastings, the judges have named the best of the lot.
Margaret River winery Evans and Tate waltzed off with the grandest victory of the night for its 2021 Redbrook Estate chardonnay. This liquid gold won Best in Show with a whopping 97 points and also nabbed the trophies for Best Chardonnay and Best White.
Montalto's 2022 Pennon Hill pinot noir from the Mornington Peninsula took home bragging rights as Australia’s Best Red, while another Victorian winery gained a trophy for Best Fortified. Its old premium muscat won the JCM Fornachon Memorial award.
Tasmania’s House of Arras claimed the crown for Best Sparkling with its 2015 grand vintage, and rounding up the awards for best value wine was the $25 Millbrook 2022 regional grenache shiraz mourvèdre. A gold-class wine for $25? Now that's worth toasting to.