Winning the Best in Show trophy for Australian red wine for the 2021 ‘The Lone Goose’ Shiraz Viognier at the Mundus Vini competition is a great prize for Schubert Estate. Held twice a year in Germany, Mundus Vini is highly regarded as one of the world’s premier international wine tasting competitions. In our mind it’s only right that a classically proportioned Barossa Valley Shiraz is acclaimed Australia’s best red at an international wine competition such as this. These deeply coloured and richly flavoured wines have come to define the very best of Australian wine on the international stage, and consistently position the Barossa Valley as Australia’s pre-eminent wine region. We’re very proud to be flying the flag for Barossa Valley around the world.
We also received a Grand Gold for the 2021 The Lone Goose, and gold medals for the 2021 Gosling Shiraz and 2020 Goose Yard Block Shiraz. Two new wines from our sister Barossa Valley winery Hare’s Chase also received gold medals – the 2022 Endurance Grenache and 2022 St. Melengall Cabernet Sauvignon.
That impressive haul of a trophy and multiple gold medals continues a rich vein of success at international wine shows and I think begins to cements Schubert Estate as one of the Barossa Valley’s leading makers of world class Shiraz wine. We also recently triumphed at the Sakura Japan Women Wine Awards winning three double-gold medals, one diamond trophy, five gold medals and the Grand Prix pairing prize for Sukiyaki.
Since assuming the Chief Winemaker and General Manager role at Schubert Estate in 2019, I’ve led a vineyard to glass approach to further enhancing the already impressive quality credentials of our Estate portfolio. Neldner Road and Roennfeldt Road in the Marananga sub region of the Barossa Valley are some of the finest red wine addresses in the world. Great wine is entrenched in our vineyard DNA and in the past 5 years we have continued to make significant investments to promote soil and vine health which is fundamental to growing world class Shiraz. Recent certification by Sustainable Wine Growing Australia is testament to our long-term commitment to our vineyards and the pursuit of crafting first growth Barossa Valley Shiraz.
There are no shortage of opportunities to participate in wine competitions around the world, but we continue to adopt a targeted approach. The international wine competition program is a busy space, and it’s tempting to jump at every opportunity that comes our way. However, our ambition is to make world class wine and that demands pitching ourselves against the best and to being judged by the best. We are extremely selective about the shows we enter and the wine writers we engage with, deferring to respected reviewers and long-standing wine competitions to benchmark our wines. Mundis Vini fits the bill here in every respect.
The 2025 harvest is now complete, and I’m exceptionally pleased with the quality. Early season frosts and ongoing low rainfalls have reduced vineyard yields. But the consistent warm and dry weather has provided perfect ripening conditions. I am extremely pleased with the quality of wines we’re making this year which is showing all the hallmarks of a great Barossa Valley red wine vintage.
