Canberra's winning shiraz
If you think navigating the lane one forms of State Circle is challenging, imagine competing against 2,000 wines to win Australia's most prestigious wine trophy. That's exactly what Four Winds Vineyard achieved last year, bringing home the coveted Jimmy Watson Trophy to the Canberra District for their 2023 Shiraz.
You don't need to be a wine expert to appreciate what this means for Canberra. This win has shone a national spotlight on the region, proving we can compete with – and beat – the best in Australia.
The "Jimmy," as it's affectionately known, isn't just any trophy – for an Australian red wine, it's the equivalent of winning an Oscar. Awarded annually at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, it celebrates the best one or two-year-old red wine in the country. Since its inception in 1962, winning the Jimmy Watson has been known to change a winery's trajectory overnight – think national headlines, international recognition, and wines selling out faster than Eras Tour tickets.
The Trophy's story begins in the heart of Melbourne's wine scene. Named after Jimmy Watson, the owner of a beloved Carlton wine bar that opened in 1935, the trophy was established to honour his contribution to Australia's wine culture. Jimmy's Wine Bar was more than just a place to drink – it was where winemakers, critics, and enthusiasts would gather to share their passion for Australian wine. After Jimmy's death in 1962, his family and friends created this trophy in his memory and for over 60 years, it's been awarded at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards to celebrate excellence in young Australian red wines.
Its focus is on wines that are just one or two years old – essentially identifying the most promising and exciting new releases that showcase where Australian winemaking is headed. This requirement has been criticised for favouring bright, early-drinking styles over wines designed for longevity, but the trophy remains a powerful indicator of innovation and excellence in Australian winemaking.
But winning isn't easy. Picture this: your wine first has to impress a panel of five judges who are tasting blind (meaning they have no idea whose wine they're tasting). If you make it through that round, your wine goes through multiple call-back judgings, where it's tasted again and again by different panels. Out of thousands of entries, only one wine emerges victorious.
Enter Four Winds Vineyard's 2023 Shiraz. This wine, crafted by the talented 2023 team at Four Winds including Sarah and John Collingwood and Jeremy Nascimben, didn't just win – it made history as the first Canberra District wine to claim the Jimmy Watson Trophy.
(Though let's give a quick nod to Eden Road Wines, who won in 2009 with their The Long Road Shiraz from the nearby Hilltops region, the only other NSW wine to win the Jimmy. Clearly, excellence runs in our neighbourhood.)
Winemaker Jeremy Nascimben, who made the winning wine, was blown away by the win. "I was in the ute at a set of traffic lights on the way home and for some reason, my phone started to go absolutely off tap, so I thought I'd better pull over and take a look at what all the fuss was about. Once I realised the enormity of it, my heart actually skipped a beat, hot and cold flushes, then a little smile, said to myself, 'nice one! Ticked that one off the bucket list,' then kept driving home."
For Sarah Collingwood, Four Winds CEO, winning the Jimmy is a “proud moment. It validates our vineyard management, winemaking practices, and ability to adapt to seasonal variations in fruit,” she says.
In addition to the Jimmy (plus three more trophies!), Four Winds Vineyard was awarded the Kym Ludvigsen Trophy for Viticultural Excellence, recognizing John’s outstanding work in the vineyard. This award celebrates exceptional vineyard management practices, and – in a La Niña year such as 2023, where consistent disease pressure and other seasonal challenges required constant vigilance – is well deserved.
These wines aren’t just about one bottle of wine – it's about what it says about our region. The Canberra District has long been known by those in the know for producing exceptional cool-climate wines, particularly Shiraz. But sometimes it takes a major award to make the rest of the country sit up and take notice.
As Jeremy puts it, “Working with Canberra District fruit over the years has made me come to realise the true potential the region as a whole can achieve, punching well above its weight considering the size of the wine industry here in Canberra being dwarfed by those around it… it is a true testament to the endless possibilities the region as a whole can achieve. The sky is truly the limit!”
Now, if you're reaching for your car keys ready to rush out and buy a bottle of this award-winning wine, I've got some bad news – it's already sold out. But here's the silver lining: this win highlights something we've known all along – the Canberra District is producing some of Australia's finest wines, and you don't need to wait for a trophy to experience them.
Instead of hunting for that one bottle, why not use this as an excuse to explore our wine region? Start with a visit to Four Winds Vineyard in Murrumbateman, where you can taste their other wines (spoiler alert: they're all made with the same care and expertise as the trophy winner). Then, make your way around the region's other cellar doors. Each winery has its own story, its own style, and its own take on what makes Canberra District wines special.
This Jimmy Watson win isn't just a win for Four Winds – it casts the limelight on our entire wine region. It tells the story of a region that's been quietly excelling at winemaking, producing wines that can compete with – and beat – the best in the country. It's proof that you don't need to look to the Barossa or Hunter Valley for exceptional Australian wine – sometimes the best drops are right in your backyard.
It tells the story of a wine region that has come into its own. Sarah points to the winning wine: “The label features a photo of a sheet on our washing line, situated between our Shiraz and Sangiovese blocks. Beside the sheet is a pair of tiny trousers belonging to one of our children, who was a toddler at the time. The image reflects how we’ve built this business alongside our family – a lovely, imperfect combination.”
Next time someone asks you about Canberra's wine region, tell them about the time one of our local wineries beat out thousands of competitors to win Australia's most prestigious wine trophy. Take them on a tour of our cellar doors and let them discover for themselves why our region is so special.
The Jimmy Watson Trophy might have flashed the national spotlight on Canberra wines last year, but it's the consistent quality across our region that will keep us producing elite, refined, delicious wines. And that's something worth celebrating.
