Three Trophies for Thomas Wines at the 2026 Hunter Valley Wine Show
The Hunter Valley Wine Show has always meant a great deal to me. It is our regional show, judged alongside the wines and producers who define the Hunter. To come away this year with three trophies and nine gold medals is something quite extraordinary.
The 2024 Sweetwater Ridge Shiraz was awarded both the Len Evans Trophy for Best Single Vineyard Red and the Stibbard-Hulin Trophy for Best Two-Year-Old Shiraz.
This marks back-to-back trophy success for the wine, having also been named Best Current Vintage and One-Year-Old Shiraz at last year’s show. Sweetwater Ridge has become an enormously important vineyard for Thomas Wines, consistently producing Shiraz with fragrance, finesse and detail, underpinned by the structure and intensity we expect from great Hunter Valley Shiraz. For the 2024 wine to receive three trophies across two consecutive shows is an emphatic endorsement of both the vineyard and the wine.
The 2025 Synergy Shiraz was awarded the Alexander Munro Memorial Trophy for Best Current Vintage and One-Year-Old Shiraz, following its gold medal in the 2025 Shiraz class.
Synergy is an expression of the Hunter Valley rather than any one vineyard, bringing together complementary parcels of fruit to capture the balance, savoury character and drinkability of contemporary Hunter Shiraz. The 2025 Synergy is expected to be released towards the end of this year, while the current-release 2024 Synergy also received a gold medal at last year’s show.
Beyond the trophy-winning wines, the depth of this year’s results was especially pleasing, with Thomas Wines receiving nine gold medals across three consecutive vintages:
2025 Black Cluster Shiraz
2025 Synergy Shiraz
2024 Sweetwater Ridge Shiraz
2024 Elenay Shiraz
2024 Kiss Shiraz
2023 Kiss Shiraz
2023 Sweetwater Ridge Shiraz
2025 Nova Shiraz Touriga Nacional
2024 Nova Shiraz Touriga
Three trophies and nine gold medals is a tremendous result for our small team. It reflects the quality of the vineyards we are fortunate to work with, the dedication of our growers and the attention to detail shown by Dan and everyone involved throughout vintage and beyond.
I’m immensely proud of what we have achieved, and particularly pleased to see Hunter Valley Shiraz, in its many different expressions, receiving the recognition it deserves.
Cheers,
Thommo