CEO Update: November 2024
19 Nov 2024 / Melbourne Royal News
Wine, equine and motoring excellence on show during November at Melbourne Showgrounds.
The 2024 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards presentation luncheon was held earlier this month in the Victoria Pavilion at Melbourne Showgrounds with more than 300 guests in attendance. The Melbourne Royal trophy that Australian winemakers want to win is the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for Best Young Red Wine, won this year by Four Winds Vineyard for their 2023 Shiraz. This is the first time Four Winds Vineyard has won this prestigious trophy, and the first time this trophy has been awarded to a wine produced from a Canberra District vineyard.
Along with the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy, the Trevor Mast for Best Shiraz, the Francois De Castella for Best Young White, and the James Halliday for Best Pinot Noir are some of the most respected trophies for winemakers in the country that are recognised both nationally and internationally.
Four Winds Vineyard 2023 Shiraz also won the Trevor Mast trophy for Best Shiraz, the Douglas Seabrook Trophy for Best Single Vineyard Wine and the Best NSW/ACT Shiraz.
The François De Castella trophy for Best Young White went to Tolpuddle Vineyard from Tasmania, for their 2023 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay. The same wine also won Best Chardonnay and the Best Tasmanian Chardonnay.
Home Hill Wines from Tasmania won the James Halliday trophy for Best Pinot Noir, with their Kelly’s Reserve Pinot Noir 2023. Home Hill Wines, Kelly's Reserve Pinot Noir notably won the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy in 2015, and Brown Family Wine Group from Tasmania was awarded the Dr Tony Jordan Trophy for Best Sparkling with their Pirie Sparkling Vintage, 2020.
In total, 1,222 medals were awarded in the 2024 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, including 177 Gold, 316 Silver and 729 Bronze. The awards were judged by 35 accomplished wine specialists led by Chair of Judges Mel Chester, who each sampled 100 wines on average per day over five days of judging. I sincerely thank Mel Chester who has completed her three term as Chair of Judges. Mel's passion and commitment to maximise the appeal and success of the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards during her term as Chair of Judges has further enhanced the reputation of the awards in the Australian wine industry. Replacing Mel as Chair of Judges for the 2025 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards is Marcus Satchell, winemaker and co-owner of Dirty Three Wines in the heart of South Gippsland, Victoria.
Congratulations to all the medal and trophy winners this year. Winning a Melbourne Royal trophy or medal is wonderful recognition and reward for winemakers and wineries producing excellent wine. The 2024 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards results demonstrates the enormous scope and strength of our proud winemaking heritage and a full listing of winners are available here.
Winning a trophy or a medal in the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards can be a game changer for a winemaker and winery, particularly the Jimmy Watson winner and we expect this will be the case for Four Winds Vineyard. The Melbourne Royal seal of excellence has significant cache in the wine industry and with consumers that offers unique marketing value to medal and trophy winners.
The success of the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards is attributed to the support we receive from the wine industry and in particular the industry experts who serve on our advisory committee. I sincerely thank Rohan Smith, Chair along with Mel Chester, Marcus Satchell, Tim Perrin, and Ed Merrison for their ongoing advice, counsel and involvement. We are very fortunate to have each of these highly experienced and respected wine industry representatives serving our Melbourne Royal wine awards advisory committee. They devote considerable time and effort to ensure the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards continue to evolve and remain highly valued and respected in the Australian wine industry.
Melbourne Royal is committed to celebrating excellence in Australian wine making and we look forward to Melbourne Royal Wine Awards continuing to be a unique and valuable platform to drive growth and inspire innovation in the future for the Australian wine industry.
Melbourne Showgrounds continues to be a hive of activity during November. Equitana Melbourne was held at Melbourne Showgrounds from 14 to 17 November and was highly successful. This biennial event at Melbourne Showgrounds is the biggest equine extravaganza in the southern hemisphere that features equine education, entertainment, exhibition and competition. I thank Rod Lockwood and his team at Equitana for choosing to hold the event at Melbourne Showgrounds and congratulate them on presenting an outstanding event.
The next forthcoming event at Melbourne Showgrounds is Motors and Masterpieces from Friday 22 - Sunday 24 November 2024. Motors & Masterpieces is a celebration of the greatest engineering and design achievements in everything automotive, spanning from the inception of motoring to the boundless possibilities of the future. Over 200 meticulously selected motorcars and motorcycles will be showcased all organised into ten thematic exhibits that reflect significant evolutionary stages and cultural settings.
A reminder to that complimentary parking is available exclusively to Melbourne Royal members attending events at Melbourne Showgrounds. Please ensure your Members car pass is displayed on your windscreen of your vehicle upon entry to Melbourne Showgrounds.
Finally, thank you for your ongoing interest in Melbourne Royal and I trust you will enjoy reading the additional articles in this edition of the newsletter. To stay well informed about all the latest news and updates with Melbourne Royal events, awards and venues, visit melbourneroyal.com.au
Brad Jenkins
Chief Executive