RIGHT FORMULA: Australian Vintage CEO-chief winemaker Neil McGuigan says the brand's success was across a wide range of McGuigan label red and white varietals.
McGUIGAN wines have struck a purple patch in international judgings – topped by being crowned Australian Winery of the Year at the 2018 New York International Wine Competition.
In a show that attracted 1300 entries from 23 nations, McGuigan also won two New York double gold medals and six golds.
The brand, an arm of ASX-listed Australian Vintage Ltd (AVL), added a star performance in the Decanter World Wine Awards in London, winning a best in show-platinum award and three gold medals. The competition attracted 16,903 entries from 60 countries and only 50 wines won a top-rank best in show platinum award.
Hunter semillons were key contributors to the McGuigan successes and a 96 points and higher score out of 100 Decanter platinum award went to the Brokenwood 2011 IRL Hunter Reserve Semillon and a gold medal to the Tyrrell’s 2014 Vat 8 Hunter Shiraz-Cabernet.
Limited stocks of all the winning New York and Decanter award wines are available. The McGuigan wines are at the McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin, cellar door, the Brokenwood at brokenwood.com.au and the McDonalds Rd, Pokolbin, winery and the Vat 8 at tyrrells.com.au, the Broke Rd, Pokolbin, winery and shops.
The winning wines were:
McGuigan 2014 The Shortlist Hunter Semillon - $40, New York double gold
McGuigan 2010 The Shortlist Eden Valley Riesling - $100 New York double gold and Decanter 96-point gold medal
McGuigan 2005 Vineyard Select Hunter Semillon - $80 a 98-point Decanter best in show and platinum awards
Other Decanter 95-point gold medals were won by the $50 McGuigan 2013 Bin 9000 Hunter Semillon and the $50 McGuigan 2009 The Shortlist Eden Valley Riesling.
New York gold medals were won by the $35 McGuigan 2015 Bin 9000 Hunter Semillon, the $40 McGuigan 2013 The Shortlist Hunter Semillon, the $45 McGuigan 2012 The Shortlist Eden Valley Riesling, the $35 McGuigan 2015 The Shortlist Eden Valley Riesling, the $40 McGuigan 2016 The Shortlist Adelaide Hills Chardonnay and the $30 McGuigan 2016 The Shortlist Barossa Valley Grenache-Shiraz-Mourvedre, which is also in wine stores.
AVL CEO-chief winemaker Neil McGuigan said the New York success was particularly welcome as it was across a wide range of red and white varietals.
It came as the McGuigan brand was being relaunched in the US, where premium Australian wine was gaining renewed buyer interest and our sales in the $US30 to 49.99 price bracket were growing at 25 per cent. WINE REVIEWS TOP QUALITY RIESLING
THE McGuigan 2010 The Shortlist Eden Valley Riesling is a white of superb quality with brassy hues, orange blossom and brioche aromas and delightful ruby grapefruit front-palate flavour. Granny Smith apple, lime zest, mineral and honey and toast marry on the middle palate and flinty acid refreshes at the finish.
PRICE: $100
DRINK WITH: EXP Restaurant’s Hiramasa kingfish
AGEING: 10 years
RATING: 5.5 stars NEW YORK GOLD BLEND
WITH 14% alcohol, bright garnet hues and potpourri scents, this McGuigan 2016 The Shortlist Barossa Valley GSM is a blend of grenache, shiraz and mourvedre. The front palate shows spicy blackcurrant flavour, the middle palate introduces rhubarb, peppermint chocolate, cloves and savoury oak and the finish has ferric tannins
PRICE: $30
DRINK WITH: steak and kidney pie
AGEING: eight years
RATING: 4.5 stars TOP VINTAGE, TOP RED
FROM a great Hunter Valley vintage, the Tyrrell’s 2014 Val 8 Shiraz-Cabernet is deep purple and has 14% alcohol and warm earthy scents. Vibrant cassis flavour comes through on the front palate, dried cranberry, dark chocolate, mint and vanillin oak integrate on the middle palate and peppery tannins display at the finish
PRICE: $75
DRINK WITH: char-grilled kangaroo fillet
AGEING: 12 years
RATING: 5 stars
Australian Vintage re-structures UK sales team to boosts impulse presence
By Lisa Riley
Published: 03 July, 2018
Australian Vintage Limited (AVL) has re-structured and expanded its sales team to support the company's growth in the UK market and strengthen its presence within the impulse channel.
Henry Moran, formerly channel manager for grocery, has been promoted to head of sales UK, covering all sectors, including supermarkets, impulse, wholesale, specialist and independent retailers.
In his new position, Moran would focus on strengthening business partnerships and on gaining wider distribution for key products and NPD, as well as continuing the company’s “rapid expansion” in the impulse channel in particular, said AVL.
In response to increasing demand in this channel, David Giltrow has been promoted to senior business manager impulse – a change AVL said would allow it to focus on it key customers and drive presence within impulse, supporting its core brands and increased in-market activation.
At the same time, AVL has welcomed back Senthil Kulandhaisamy, who has returned to the company as business manager, impulse, while Karen Humphreys has been promoted to the role of senior business manager, grocery.
The changes, introduced from this month, would ensure AVL continued to be as “responsive as possible” to its customers’ needs and further demonstrated its long-term commitment to the UK – one of its key markets, said the Australian wine company, which’s portfolio includes McGuigan, Tempus Two, Nepenthe, Miranda and Passion Pop.
In addition, the re-structure would allow AVL to develop new business opportunities as it identified potential areas to grow the portfolio, said COO Julian Dyer.
“The UK has always been a key market for us, and as our business continues to expand we need a strong sales team to reflect this. The impulse channel in particular presents a host of opportunities for us and these changes have been made with this priority in mind,” he said.
Alongside the changes to the UK team, AVL has made changes to its Irish team with Simon McStravick appointed senior business manager for Ireland.
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