Wakefield Jaraman Chardonnay 2018 received Best of Show Australia White while Kilikanoon’s The Oracle Shiraz 2016 was named Best of Show Australia Red. Altogether, Australia claimed 3 Grand Gold and 47 Gold medals in the competition.

The Mundus Vini Grand International Wine Awards are considered one of the world’s biggest wine competitions. Each Spring and Summer, more than 250 experts from 54 countries travel to Germany to spend six days tasting and rating around 7, 500 wines from 45 countries.

This is the eighth Best of Show Australia award Wakefield Wines has received at both the Mundus Vini Spring and Summer Tastings since 2015, and its sixth Best of Australia award for a Chardonnay.

“The Clare Valley is widely celebrated for its iconic Rieslings, but today it’s clear that our small wine region can craft distinct, regional wines across varieties like Chardonnay and Shiraz,” third generation Managing Director and Winemaker Mitchell Taylor said.

“While Cabernet Sauvignon is the heart of our family business, Chardonnay is a second great love of ours. It’s fantastic to see the innovative work of our winemaking team with this variety be recognised on the global stage.”

Wakefield Jaraman Chardonnay 2018 brings together Clare Valley and Margaret River fruit resulting in an intensely flavoured, complex yet elegant wine that showcases the best of these iconic wine regions.

The free-run juice was fermented in tight grained French oak barrels, across a mix of new, second and third use, giving great structure while retaining the vibrant fruit characters. Half of the parcels were wild fermented, with the remaining half utilising a texture building strain of yeast designed for barrel fermentation. Lees stirring was employed after fermentation, creating a creamy texture to the palate.

Both Wakefield and Kilikanoon will receive the awards for Best of Show Australia at the ProWein Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany on Sunday 15 March.