A $20 Australian shiraz named the best in the world (and this time it's not a joke)

This time, fortunately, it is not a 2 euro piquette made from marc, the infamous “Château Colombier” that has been the talk of the town, but an actual wine produced in Australia that beat more than 580 other bottles from 15 different countries at the 20th annual Vinus International Wine & Spirits Competition in Argentina. The wine in question is Taylors Heritage Label Shiraz 2022 from Taylors Wines, a family-owned business in the Clare Valley, about 100 km north of Adelaide, which costs only $20. The surprising thing is that last year the company won the same award with another wine, Estate Shiraz 2020.

The 100/100 Shiraz

This is a single-varietal wine made from shiraz that is described as full-bodied and expressing rich aromas of plum, pepper, blackcurrant and cherry. A judgement that delighted Mitchell Taylor, winemaker and managing director of Taylors: “Not only did we win a major trophy for our wine, but the judges deemed it worthy of 100 points. It is phenomenal. Heritage Shiraz is a special wine that celebrates the heritage of our family winery and is inspired by our first selling vintage in 1973."

How the competition was judged

Journalists, sommeliers and wine experts organised in separate panels with at least five tasters per tasting table evaluated the wines. The tests were carried out strictly blind with the possibility for the organisers to carry out chemical analyses if the proposed sample aroused suspicion. In this case, therefore, we are talking about impeccable organisation headed by the Argentinean Leonardo Castellani, a veteran of international wine and extra virgin olive oil competitions.

Not only an expert organiser, but also a son of art who inherited his passion for this work from his father Raul, a chemical engineer with a passion for sensory analysis. Since 1978, he has participated as an international jury in no less than 674 wine competitions around the world and has been the president of 149 international wine competitions and 22 international olive oil competitions. Today Castellani continues with the same passion the work of his father, who passed away in 2016, organising competitions all over the world, including Italy where he works in the Evo Iooc chaired by Antonio Lauro.

Is it possible that there are no Italian wines among the winners?

If you scroll through the list of award-winners you will notice many companies from Argentina itself, but also Brazil and Australia. Italy is not among the winners. It is not so much a question of protectionism, but simply the fact that many of the competitions held around the world, although international, are aimed at an audience of consumers who often reside in the same countries or continents.

In a competition such as Vinus, organised in Argentina, it is normal for local companies or companies from countries that aim to export to that country or neighbouring countries to participate. Most Italian companies that make quality wine aim at positioning themselves in foreign markets that are often different from those of Latin America and therefore prefer international competitions organised in other countries or continents.

It is a different matter for the many Australian companies, such as the winner, who, especially in recent years, have been trying to diversify their exports, especially after the Chinese blockade that began in 2020 and will apparently be resolved soon. Indeed, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed that he will visit China next month, announcing a promising review of heavy trade tariffs on Australian wine. In a statement released earlier this month, the premier said his historic visit follows months of “productive discussions” on trade tensions between China and Australia.