$20 red wins 2013 GREAT AUSTRALIAN SHIRAZ CHALLENGE

More proof that price is no guide to quality? Or is it the judging?

You decide. This year’s outright winner of the 2013 VISY Great Australian Shiraz Challenge is Pepperjack Shiraz 2012, a commercial red made by Saltram (part of TWE) that is on regular discount for less than $20. It’s usually a great big steak and eggs Barossa Shiraz, fairly typical of the obvious reds that tend to win at wine shows because they stand out like dogs’ balls. The 2012 is only 14.5% but this line often runs into 15 or more.

The under $25 category winner is the 2012 Ingoldby Shiraz, an even more commercial drop with no great pretensions that rarely rises to even modest heights and is often discounted to $10 a bottle. The ultra reliable Campbell Mattinson at the Winefront gives it 88 points.

In the glass

As usual, curiosity got the better of me. The Ingoldby Shiraz opened in typical fashion, with an inky Shiraz nose and a big palate that showed a touch of that McLaren Vale hardness and a hint of sour acid. It improved in the glass during the evening but it never looked like a gold medal candidate, let alone the second best Shiraz in Oz (and the best under $25). It’s another big red that carries 14.5% alcohol.

The Pepperjack opened with a lot more promise, a big plum pudding nose and sweet, slightly porty, dark chocolate fruit on the palate. Quite attractive really in a big and obvious sort of way. Later on, it came up a bit inky as well, but the attraction is pretty clear. Best Shiraz in Australia? Not on your life.

Do wine judges get it wrong, or do winemakers have no idea which their best wines are?

These are curious winners of the title BEST AUSSIE SHIRAZ. It’s also curious to see wines like those below languishing at the bottom of the results list (we’re talking big names and a $500 total for these 4 wines):

• ·         Penfolds RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz 2010
• ·         Wolf Blass Platinum Shiraz 2009
• ·         St Hallett Old Block Shiraz 2010
• ·         Penfolds Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz 2010

I’ve written enough about how our judges get it so wrong, and the question about our winemakers is just as intriguing. You see, if the judges are right, the winemakers at Saltram have no idea what they’re doing: their $20 red wins a trophy, and their $90 Single Vineyard Shiraz 2010 scores a modest 16.3 (see below). James Halliday gives the 90 dollar Saltram 96 points, so he agrees with the winemakers. There are no reviews from reliable sources of the Pepperjack 2012 as yet.

It’s a similar story with Seppelts: Their $17 Chalambar scores a strong gold, while their $70 St. Peters gets a silver.  If there is one thing winemakers know well, it’s their own wines. They make them, nurture them and check them often to see how they’ve developed – they know their best wines, and they label and price them accordingly. So it looks like the judges came unstuck on this occasion. Kim

A short selection from the full list