The Barossa Valley and it’s ‘other’ favourite red grape – Grenache – are being celebrated
after our historic win at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show.
The 2016 Turkey Flat Grenache was became the first ever Grenache to wine Australia’s most
prestigious wine honour – the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy in its 56 year history. This
award also marks to return of the ‘Jimmy’ to the Barossa Valley for the first time since 2003.
For Winemaker, Mark Bulman, who admits his love for Grenache borders on the obsessive,
this win is particularly sweet. The suitability of Grenache in the warm, Barossa climate, and
the savoury, complex and tannic characters in the resulting wine were the hook for Mark
settling in this area. Mark noting “the hot, dry conditions of the 2016 vintage combined with
the timely 30mm of rainfall in January and our extraordinary old vine material set us up in
the winery to create something truly exceptional.”
Always a champion for Grenache, Christie Schulz is elated by the win. “The Royal Melbourne
Wine Show has the reputation for being the premier wine show in Australia. The Barossa has
some of the oldest Grenache vines in the country which are producing the best dry, varietal
Grenache. Tonight’s win is a vote of confidence for the distinct style of our Grenache.”
The Royal Melbourne Wine Show has been regarded as Australia’s leading national wine
awards since its inception in 1884 attracting approximately 4000 entries yearly in its 71
classes. It brings together the very best Australian wine makers and producers and is
renowned as a benchmark of excellence in wine production. The Jimmy Watson Trophy is a
memorial to the late Jimmy Waston, the proprietor of the iconic Watson’s Wine Bar, who is
credited with changing the tastes of the Melbourne wine drinking public, after his sudden
death in 1962. It has been won by some of the biggest names in the Australian wine industry
– which now, proudly, includes Turkey Flat.
…And the final words from Mark? “you think this is good… Just wait until you see the ’17!”
