Symphony Hill Wines wins best of the best trophy in Canberra

In a major coup for QLD, Granite Belt boutique winery Symphony Hill Wines has won Trophy for Best Other Red Variety Wine at 2013 Winewise Awards in Canberra for their 2009 Reserve Petit Verdot (RRP $65). They edged out Rosemount’s Hand Picked Nursery Mataro 2011 by a narrow margin.

Winewise Awards are only open to wines that have won gold at major wine shows over the previous 12 months. Other trophy winners this year included Yalumba, Heggies, Rosemount and Shaw & Smith. Symphony Hill owner, Ewen Macpherson, reports, “It is exciting to have our wines match Australia’s best. Our flagship is our Reserve Shiraz which has been awarded gold at a national show every vintage since 2003, and now we have its lesser known sibling, Petit Verdot, clambering for attention. The 2009 Reserve Petit Verdot is a big purple cuddly monster and has such a different flavour profile from the standard Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2009 Reserve Petit Verdot had already won three trophies, including Champion Wine of the Show, at the 2012 New England Wine Show.”

“It has been a wonderfully successful 12 months for our wines with James Halliday rating the following wines 5 stars: 2008 Reserve Shiraz, 2011 Semillon, 2012 Pinot Gris and 2010 Wild Child Viognier.”

Symphony Hill Winemaker Mike Hayes said, “It is extremely satisfying when critics give our wines the nod. We crush over 80 batches of grapes in any one vintage and process over 30 different grape varieties. This is the second year in a row we have made a wine that has won a trophy at the Winewise awards. Last year we made a Gewurztraminer for a winery over the border called Toppers Mountain, that took out the Other White Variety Wine Trophy. We purchase the Petit Verdot fruit from Duncan and Dine Ferrier here on the Granite Belt and have done so for the last 7 years. As the vines mature we are seeing the complexity and intensity of the wines increase.”

Over the last two years the winemaking team at Symphony Hill has collected over 20 trophies, 25 golds, 30 silvers and 50 bronze medals and is rated a 5 star winery by James Halliday.

Symphony Hill resides in the cool climate region of the Granite Belt 2.5 hours south west of Brisbane. Since releasing their wines in 2004, they have incrementally increased production to meet demand. Their wine club has grown to such a level now that some wines are just released to wine club members, with each member receiving one bottle of a new vintage then it is sold out. One such wine is their current release of 2011 Reserve Nebbiolo which was sent out to their wine club members as part of their Autumn release 6 pack.

Owner Ewen Macpherson said, “We love to spoil our wine club members with all trophy and gold medal winning wines being sent to wine club members for just $25 as part of their bi-annual 6 bottle delivery. Members also receive 30% discount on all wines across our range with free delivery anywhere in Australia!”

“Each year, more and more people from South East Queensland are discovering they have their very own ultra premium wine district just around the corner!”

Find out more about Symphony Hill Wines.