Tasmanian wine producers shine brightly

Tasmania produces just under 1% of all the wine made in Australia.

But the little island that could has just scored an 8.1% share of inclusions on a major list of Australian wine standouts.

The Real Review, headed by veteran critic Huon Hooke, today announced its Top Wineries of Australia rankings, with Yarra Valley producer Yarra Yering named Winery of the Year Australia for 2024.

Despite having a comparatively small total number of wineries compared to other regions, cool-climate Tasmania merited 32 entrants on the list.

Shining stars of the region include Tolpuddle (#10, top image), Pooley (#23), Stargazer (#47), and Chatto Wines (#52). Pressing Matters, House of Arras, OSSA and Clemens Hill also hit the top 100.

Stargazer moved up the ranking to #47 from its position of #114 last year, with winemaker Sam Connew's Palisander Vineyard Pinot Noir 2022 proving a star. For those interested in the top five: Henschke, Wine by Farr, Penfolds and Oakridge complete the list.

This year, 394 producers received a Top Wineries Certificate, representing approximately 16% of all Australia's wineries. Look through the list and you'll find plenty to disagree with. I certainly did.

 
The full list of The Real Review Top Wineries of Australia 2024 can be found at www.therealreview.com with information and tickets for tasting events in Sydney and Melbourne at therealreview.com/events.

Is this the silliest wine ranking list ever?

There is a new way to decide which country makes the best wine in the world.

Seriously.

It is the "brainchild" of kitchen experts Maxima Kitchen Equipment.

Who should, perhaps, stay in the kitchen.

Their genius methodology saw them analyse multiple wine award ceremonies over the past three years including the International Wine Challenge, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Sommeliers Choice Awards and Decanter Awards.

They decided that collating the wines winning awards at these events would show which country produces the best wines.

Never mind that Spain, Italy and France produce a whole lot more wine than New Zealand, Portugal and Greece. Or that wines from places like South Africa and Canada are a lot less likely to enter these shows.

Or that shows are entirely subjective and subject to regional prejudices.

No. None of that was apparently taken into consideration.

The top 10, should you care one jot about this flawed process, were, predictably, France, Spain and Italy. Then came Portugal, the US, Australia, Chile South Africa, Greece and Argentina.

France was top because it "snagged 851 or 24% of the awards". 

Never mind that top producers from Burgundy and Bordeaux would not enter any of these awards in a pink fit. 

Or that smaller producers can't afford to enter. Or sell all they need so don't need to.

That didn't stop websites like Eat This, Not That! from proclaiming the silly list as gospel. It also offers sage advice like "in Portugal Vinho Verde is the variety to start with". 

No wonder wine drinkers get confused. 

Image: Kayla Enright, Scop.io