Oh, that's just Cairns...

Since winning a couple of silvers and a bronze at the Royal Queensland Wine Show and then two more silvers at the Cairns Wine Show, I’ve heard a couple of comments along the lines of: "It is a pity it is only Cairns" (or anywhere in Queensland, apparently). For the record, and because people should know these things, at both of these shows, many of Australia’s best wines were represented. For example, the following are some of the medal winners in Category Eight, Full Bodied Red (Firm Tannins) at Cairns…

Winery	Wine	Vintage	Medal
D’arenberg Pty Ltd	Coppermine Road Cab Sav	1998	Gold
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	Mamre Brook Cab Sav	1999	Gold
Taylors Wines	St Andrews Cab Sav	1998	Gold
Taylors Wines	St Andrews Shiraz	1998	Gold
Andrew Harris Vineyards	Andrew Harris Reserve Cab Merlot	1998	Silver
Angove’s	Sarnia Farm Cab Sav	1998	Silver
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	Wolf Blass Classic Shiraz	1999	Silver
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	Jam Run Alexanders Block Cab Sav	1998	Silver
Rosemount Estate	Show Reserve Cab Sav	1998	Silver
Rosemount Estate	Traditional	1998	Silver
Moorilla Estate	Moorilla Cab Sav	1999	Silver
Wyndham Estate	Wyndham Estate Show Reserve Mudgee Cab	1996	Silver
Whiskey Gully Wines	Upper House Cab Sav	2000	Silver
Whiskey Gully Wines	Black Rod Shiraz	2000	Silver
McGuigan Wines	Personal Reserve Cab	1999	Silver
Auldstone Cellars	Auldstone Cab	1998	Bronze
De luliis Vineyards	De luliis McLaren Vale Shiraz	1999	Bronze
Terra Nova Estate	Cookoothama Pigeage Merlot	2000	Bronze
All Saints Estate	All Saints Estate Shiraz	1999	Bronze
Aquila Estate	Cab Sav	1999	Bronze
Charles Sturt University Winery	CSU Cab Sav Merlot	nv	Bronze
D’arenberg Pty Ltd	Coppermine Road Cab Sav	1998	Bronze
Elderton Wines	Elderton Barossa Cab Sav Merlot	1997	Bronze
Elderton Wines	Elderton Barossa Command Shiraz	1997	Bronze
Geoff Merrill	Geoff Merrill Cab Merlot	1998	Bronze
Morris Wines	Morris Durif	1998	Bronze
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	Jamiesons Run Reserve Red	1998	Bronze
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	Mildara Cowra Cab	1999	Bronze
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	St Huberts Cab Sav	1999	Bronze
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	Wolf Blass Grey Label	1998	Bronze
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	Wolf Blass Black Label	1997	Bronze
Beringer Blass Wine Estate	Robertsons Well Cab	1999	Bronze
Rosemount Estate	Hill of Gold Cab Sav	1999	Bronze
Constable & Hershon Vineyards	Cab Merlot	2000	Bronze
Penley Estate	Penley Estate Reserve Cab Sav	1998	Bronze
Red Hill Estate	Red Hill Estate Cab Sav Merlot	2000	Bronze
Stephen John Wines	Stephen Johns Cab Sav	1998	Bronze
Taylors Wines	Taylors Merlot	2000	Bronze

…and that is only the first page. There were 118 wines presented in this category for which four gold, ten silver and 45 bronze medals were awarded, and of which Queensland wines – in fact, Granite Belt wines – won two silver and six bronze. That is an excellent tally, in my view, given the exceptional quality of the wines and brands entered. By now, those of you suffering from a particularly bad dose of cultural cringe will be asking "what’s the catch?" If you can find one, please let me know. Also for the record, and for those who say Granite Belt wines are over-priced, I have checked on all of the gold and silver medal winners in this class. The average price of these particular wines is $35.06. This includes our Upper House Cab Sav at $22 and our Black Rod Shiraz at $24. Still, they are just Queensland wines so that probably explains it!