TRENTHAM Estate clearly can’t help being one of the world’s best wineries.
Because after being crowned a gold medallist at the prestigious 2025 International Wine Challenge it has now been acclaimed as Best In Show at the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards with its 2023 Reserve Heathcote Shiraz.
And it’s not as if the winery is relying on one good vintage to make its mark – the IWC gong went to its 2021 Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon.
Stunning successes underpinned at the Decanter awards by its 2024 Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay and 2021 Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon receiving silver medals (at 92 and 91 points respectively) and the 2024 Vermentino from The Family range getting bronze.
But the outstanding winning red was awarded an extraordinary 97 points by the tasting panel at the Decanter awards, made up of the world’s most respected wine experts – Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, and regional specialists – who evaluate every glass for balance, complexity typicity and character.
Coming out on top from more than 18,000 entries which had been blind tasted this year.
Not surprisingly, Trentham Estate chief winemaker and managing director Anthony Murphy said he was “absolutely delighted with the news and incredibly proud of this Shiraz”.
He said it was a wine “made with the utmost precision and care”.
“The Reserve range by Trentham is produced from carefully selected, world class fruit, grown in the terroir perfectly suited to the featured varietals,” Mr Murphy said.
“And while Trentham Estate is no stranger to success internationally – most recently for our 2021 Coonawarra and before that for our 2005 Reserve Heathcote Shiraz, receiving the Trophy for Shiraz at the 2008 IWC – what we value as much is our reputation for providing people with quality affordable wines.
“That’s why everyone at Trentham is equally as proud of our shortlisting for Best Value Winery of the Year at the 2025 Halliday Wine Companion Awards, confirming our reputation of producing wines of amazing value.”
Mr Murphy conceded, however, he was more than a little chuffed at the tasting notes for the Trentham Estate 2023 Reserve Heathcote Shiraz from the Decanter judging panel:
“Remarkably, out of the 29 reds from Australia that we’ve found for the Best in Show selections in the past decade, none have yet come from Victoria – so a big welcome to this Shiraz from Heathcote,” the notes read.
“It’s dark red in colour and very lively in aroma, with lots of red fruits in peppery, spicy style.
“On the palate, too, the wine is boisterous and fresh, softly balanced and very pure-fruited. Intriguingly, the spice seems to pull back once the wine is in the mouth; with the warmth of the tongue you’ll find compelling floral notes emerge.
“Grace, charm, poise and freshness, with a deftly folded and gratifyingly discreet tannin-acid balance: the craftsmanship of this wine conveys a strong sense of natural articulation and an unforced celebration of outstanding raw materials.
“Congratulations… and well done, to the team behind this deft and satisfying wine.”
Well, you couldn’t say that much better yourself if you tried.
The Decanter World Wine Awards is considered the world’s largest and most influential wine competition celebrating quality, record performances, firsts and emerging trends, trusted internationally for its rigorous judging process where wines are organised for tasting by country, region, colour, grape, style, vintage and price, and judged across multiple rounds with rigorous calibration and integrity, ensuring only the most exceptional wines earn medals.
By receiving Best In Show, the Trentham Estate 2023 Reserve Heathcote Shiraz has also been included in the DWWA Top 50 Wines of 2025, which represents approximately 0.3 per cent of all entries, showcasing global excellence from 14 countries, helping Australian wines into fourth place overall, behind traditional powerhouses France, Italy and Spain.
