Australia has taken huge strides in the field of winemaking in recent years. This fact was established beyond doubt when the International Wine & Spirits Competition announced their awards for the Southern Hemisphere. Australia’s mastery of winemaking was recognized worldwide when it cornered a staggering 568 medals in all. They received 27 Gold which were the Best in the class awards. In addition they received six other gold level awards. No other country had a gold haul as large as Australia.
It was Shiraz and Semillon who did Australia proud and cornered most of the awards received by the country. New Zealand also received 160 medals to boost the claim of the Asia/Pacific region as premier winemakers. South Africa was a worthy runner up to Australia with a total of 367 medals including five gold level awards. Australia tripped only in the Chardonnay category. Only one of the Australian Chardonnays could get a medal.
The International Wine and Spirit Competition is the most prestigious and credible competition of its kind. They have been holding this competition since 1969 where they blind taste the wines, spirits and liqueurs and select them for awards on a points system. The categories are subdivided on the basis of variety, region and vintage.
