WIMMERA wineries were bestowed top honours after featuring in James Halliday’s 2019 companion this month.
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The renowned wine critic rates the best wines across Australia.
Only wineries with at least two wines rated more than 95 out of 100 by Halliday will receive five red stars.
Five wineries from the Grampians achieved the special feat, with two others earning five black stars, which is the level below five red stars.
Best’s Wines, Fallen Giants, Grampians Estate, Mount Langi Ghiran Vineyards and Seppelt all received the top accolade of five red stars, while SubRosa and Norton Estate were given five black stars.
Halls Gap’s Fallen Giants was one of the best rated wineries, with two shiraz’s rated 98 and another two wines rating more than 96.
“To have four wines ranked so highly by one of Australia’s top wine critics is amazing,” Fallen Giants owner Rebecca Drummond said.
“It is our best ever scores. In the shiraz category we had two in the top 15 in Australia.”
Ms Drummond and her family, originally from Melbourne, purchased the vineyard in 2014. She said the decision to buy a winery in the Grampians was a great one.
“While we are a new brand the vineyard has been around since 1969,” she said.
“We really loved the region and there are some amazing wines produced here as shown with the ratings given to some of the other wineries.”
Wineries in the region have proven to be a successful way of attracting tourists and encouraging them to spend in surrounding businesses.
Ms Drummond said she hopes to see the wine industry in the region continue to grow and prosper.
“There is such underrated wine in the Grampians. It really is an area that produces great wine,” she said.
“Receiving ratings like this will only help put this region on the map for more people to come and try it. About more than 50 per cent of the wineries in this region got five stars, which is just incredible.
There is such underrated wine in the Grampians. It really is an area that produces great wine.
- Rebecca Drummond
“The more wineries we can get up around here and promoted the better.”
Norton Estate Wines Chris Spence said they had many achievements in James Halliday’s 2019 wine companion. He said it was the first time they achieved four red wines with a five glass rating.
“We are a small vineyard and only use the fruit that we grow. To achieve a five glass rating for all our red wines in the latest James Halliday wine companion is a really proud moment for us,” he said.
It was the second time we have been in his 25 reds of the year, which is mind blowing how much recognition we are getting in this little boutique winery.
- Chris Spence
Mr Spence said the winery also achieved a 97 score for its Wendy’s Block shiraz, which was named after his late mother.
“We ended up in the best of the best shiraz class. There was only 78 wines Australia wide that achieved that score or higher,” he said. “It’s a pretty good accolade and testament for the quality of the fruit we have been able to produce over the past few years.”
Mr Spence said the Arapiles Run shiraz was selected for James Halliday’s best red wines above $30.
“It was the second time we have been in his 25 reds of the year, which is mind blowing how much recognition we are getting in this little boutique winery,” he said.