A regional South Australian wine has been named the best of its kind in the world, beating entries from across the globe.
Riddoch Coonawarra's The Pastoralist cabernet sauvignon won the International Wine Challenge's International Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy, defeating entries from 20 countries.
Receiving a score of 96 out of 100, the wine was described by judges as having "classic style", with tastes of blackcurrant and mint.
Riddoch Coonawarra chief winemaker Tim Heath said the win would hopefully put Coonawarra on the world stage.
"Coonawarra is, to my mind, one of the most important wine regions in Australia," he said.
"One of the key things that the Coonawarra wine region does really well is grow fantastic cabernet sauvignon."
Mr Heath said price "isn't always" the best indicator of quality, with his wine set to sell for cheaper than many of its competitors.
He said he had tried wines that sold for thousands of dollars.
"Some of those have been alright, but not great," he said.
"And so, price for me is irrelevant."
Perfect soils
Coonawarra Vignerons executive officer Hugh Koch said he was thrilled with the announcement but not entirely surprised.
"In Coonawarra, it's our king of grapes, it's the one we're so well renowned for," he said.
"To actually win this award really indicates to us how well the last few vintages have gone in Coonawarra."
The region is well known for its "terra rossa" soils, more commonly found in the Mediterranean.
"The soils which we have allow that to grow so beautifully, allows that beautiful drainage which occurs, it allows the deepness of the root structure of the vines," Mr Koch said.
"Importantly it's the cooler climate, the slow ripening, which allows those really intense flavours for cabernet and that's why we do it so well."
Back to work
While the win was a nice reminder he was doing something right, Mr Heath said he didn't get into the business to win trophies.
"I don't really believe wines are like race cars," he said.
"Their job isn't to enter into shows and try to win a medal or an award.
"The job for wine really is just to be delicious."
Australian wines were well-represented in the competition, coming second to France for most awarded country overall.
