Rise of Grenache, with Jimmy Watson winner Hentley Farm

Established in 1884, the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards annually attracts around 2,500 entries from over 400 wineries from across the country.

The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy is the pinnacle of the competition. It’s awarded to the best one or two year old red wine as blind tasted by the judges.

Last year, the winner was the 2021 Old Legend Grenache from Hentley Farm in the Barossa Valley.

It was another milestone in the ascendancy of Australian grenache, which is something I’ve discussed recently on the podcast with both with Max Allen and Jane Lopes.

Hentley Farm chief winemaker Andrew Quin joins us this episode with the trophy presentation for the 2023 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards coming up this Friday November 3.

Wolf Blass once said the Jimmy Watson was worth a million dollars to the winning producer, so I started by asking Andrew about the significance of last year’s prize to Hentley Farm.