“I just got off the plane from receiving the award in London and was told about this win. This is great news to see we are getting recognition for both our red and white wines at all levels of the international show system” says Mitchell Taylor of Taylors Wines.

Almost 3000 wines were entered into the Burswood Perth Royal Wine Show, a 20 percent increase on last year’s entrants. “The show identifies the very highest quality wines and promotes them to the domestic and international markets. It showcases our very best, epitomising the RAS mission," states Dr Don Robertson, President Royal Agricultural Society WA.

Mitchell always believed the 2002 shiraz was going to be one of the best vintages on the Clare estate for this wine: “We are always confident with the quality and consistency of our shiraz but the 2002 vintage was exceptional. I am quietly confident that the 2002 vintage may even eclipse the previous great red vintage of 1998”.

The 2003 vintage in the Clare was a different story. While the chaotic vintage had various consequences across Australian wine regions, Taylors and the Clare Valley had excellent results, most notably with the variety for which it is most famous, riesling.

There has been much talk of the great 2003 riesling vintage and this wine is testament to this. "Such recognition confirms my belief that our 2003 riesling is an even better wine than the outstanding 2002 vintage from the Clare Valley," states Mitchell.

“Despite the 2003 growing season being one of the driest on record, the riesling coped very well because of its natural resistance to drought,” explains Mitchell.