Winners Spotlight: Four Winds Vineyard
17 Jan 2025 / Wine
Winning the prestigious Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy is a dream for many Australian winemakers, and in 2024, Four Winds Vineyard turned that dream into reality. Their dedication to crafting premium, approachable wines has earned them the highest recognition at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, connecting their brand with new audiences and reaffirming their winemaking philosophy.
Melbourne Royal spoke with Four Winds about their award-winning journey and what this milestone means for their future.
What does winning the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for Best Young Red mean for Four Winds Vineyard?
We have found that the Jimmy Watson trophy has connected the Four Winds Vineyard brand with new people from both inside and outside the industry. It has affirmed that we are on the right track with our wines; aiming for a premium, approachable style and working as hard as we can in the vineyard to deliver the best fruit we can.
Tell us a little about your winning wine and what success you’ve seen since the winners were announced.
We didn't make a huge volume of the 2023 Shiraz so we were sold out by the Sunday morning following the awards. The awards have had a nice halo effect on the rest of the rest of the brand with people regularly dropping into the cellar door to try the rest of the range of wines.
Why are the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards so important for the industry?
For us the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards have always been aspirational - to get a medal, trophy or the Jimmy Watson(!) is something that we have always aspired to and has helped us identify the premium, approachable style we aim for each year.
What did you most enjoy at the 2024 Melbourne Royal Australian Wine Awards Trophy Presentation?
It was a great chance to meet others in the industry. Sometimes it feels that we are working away in our own little silo within the Canberra District so it is great to get out and chat to others in the industry who are doing similar things.
Head to melbourneroyal.com.au/wine to see the full list of 2024 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards winners.