The Hunter's big-hitting varietals of shiraz, semillon and chardonnay were the unanimous winners at this year's Hunter Valley Boutique Wine Show but some emerging styles also made a splash.
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The results were revealed at a glitzy ceremony at Maitland Showground on Thursday night which highlighted the efforts of smaller winemakers in the region.
Now in its 31st year, the boutique show attracted 344 entries, an increase of 10 per cent on 2018, as producers competed to land prestigious medals, which provide a boost to the wines' credibility and sales.
While traditional grapes were the big winners, emerging styles of rosé and new varieties of vermentino, merlot, viognier also made an impact on judges.
This year's Karl Stockhausen award for the Classic Hunter White Trophy was awarded to Silkman Wines for its 2018 Reserve Chardonnay, while Ridgeview Wines was presented with the Ray Healey Classic Hunter Red Trophy for its 2017 Impressions Shiraz.
The best white wine of show was awarded to Thomas Wines for its 2013 Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon. Thomas Wines received the award for best red wine of show for its 2018 Sweetwater Shiraz.
The results were a culmination of two days' intensive blind tasting at the Maitland Showground, where well-respected judges from across the industry scored wines according to strict criteria.
The wines were then ranked, with golds awarded to wines achieving 96 points out of 100 or more, silvers gaining 90-95 and bronzes for scores between 85-89.
Ridgeview Wines was one of the big winners, sweeping the board in five categories.
This year's show also welcomed McGuigan Wines chief winemaker Neil McGuigan as its new chair of judges, taking the reins from Keith Tulloch who stepped down after eight years.
Mr McGuigan said it was a privilege to take over from Keith and continue the excellent contribution he has made.
"The results of the 2019 Hunter Valley Boutique Wine Show reflected the marvellous 2017, 2018 and 2019 vintages," Mr McGuigan said.
"Of the 344 entries there was a medal strike rate of 58 per cent with 11 per cent of entries achieving a gold."
The 2017 shiraz class was awarded a total of six gold medals, and the 2019 semillon and 2018 shiraz picked up five golds each.
"What was also very pleasing was the performance of emerging varieties and styles in the Hunter including riesling, vermentino, verdelho, merlot, viognier and rosé," Mr McGuigan said.
Related: 2019 Hunter Valley Wine Festival
"As a region we need to respect the classic varieties and make shiraz, semillon and chardonnay world class but at the same time we must embrace new varieties to the region so that we are in step with the marketplace and encourage new wine enthusiasts to the Hunter.
"The show is a great springboard for new and upcoming winemakers and helps raise the bar in terms of wine quality. The calibre of judging is as tenacious and rigorous as any international wine competition and provides a great way for winemakers to hone their skills."
