Clare Valley family-owned winery Taylors has been awarded the International Champion Trophy at the 20th annual VINUS International Wine & Spirits Competition after scoring 100 points. The winning wine, Taylors Heritage Label Shiraz 2022, retails for just $20 a bottle and is a significant achievement for Taylors Wines.
The Clare Valley Shiraz was judged against more than 580 samples from 15 different countries by a panel of esteemed international wine experts, sommeliers and journalists.
Having won the same trophy last year for its Estate Shiraz 2020, Taylors is the first winery to win the prestigious International Champion Trophy back to back.
Taylors third generation winemaker and managing director Mitchell Taylor shared his excitement at the achievement.
“This is such exciting news for our winery – not only have we won a major trophy for our wine, but the judges thought it was worthy of 100 points. It’s phenomenal.
“The Heritage Shiraz is a special wine that celebrates the heritage of our family winery and takes inspiration from our very first vintage release in 1973. Fifty years on, we’re proud to represent the Clare Valley and South Australia and it’s awards like this that help showcase the quality of Australian wines to the world.”
In addition to winning the International Champion Trophy for the second year in a row, Taylors took home the Best Series of Five Wines in Competition award and a total of six double gold medals and 10 gold medals.
Joining the Heritage Label Shiraz in the Top Ten VINUS 2023 were The Visionary Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 and The Pioneer Shiraz 2019, both of which received 99 points from the judges.
In the face of economic challenges, the achievement came as welcome news to the Taylor family. Speaking about the announcement that Chinese officials will begin a five-month review of trade tariffs in the hope that they will be dropped, Taylor shared his enthusiasm.
“We’re optimistic about the future of our industry, especially now that China is reviewing its tariffs on Australian wine exports. We’re very excited about getting back into the market and telling the story of premium Australian wine to China’s many wine consumers.
“I’ve spent most of my life in the wine industry and the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that not every year can be rosy. In fact, this is the toughest year I’ve seen in my three decades in the wine industry.
“One thing is for sure – the wine community knows how to pull itself together during tough times to come out stronger on the other side. Winning this award is one of those times when we can come together and celebrate.”
