A Tasmanian red wine has achieved an unprecedented victory at the 2026 Sydney Royal Wine Show, with Pooley Wines’ 2024 Pooley Syrah taking out the coveted Wine of Show trophy. The family-run Coal River Valley winery also secured the Best Red and Best Shiraz trophies, making history as the first Tasmanian Shiraz to claim these top honours in a competition traditionally dominated by renowned Shiraz-producing regions such as South Australia’s Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, the ABC reported.
The win is particularly significant as the Sydney Royal Wine Show celebrates its 200th anniversary this year, marking two centuries since wine was first included in the Agricultural Society of NSW Show. As Australia’s oldest and one of its most prestigious wine competitions, a victory at this event is considered a pinnacle of achievement for Australian winemakers.
Judges at the show, who blindly assessed more than 1500 wines across 55 categories, praised the medium-bodied 2024 Pooley Syrah for its exceptional balance and savoury fruit flavours. Chair of Judges Mike De Iuliis highlighted cool-climate Shiraz wines as a standout of this year’s show, noting the impressive range of regions and producers represented. He remarked that the success of the Pooley Syrah from Tasmania’s Coal River Valley serves as a “great reminder that cooler-climate sites are producing some exciting Shiraz in Australia right now,” demonstrating that high-quality wines can originate from anywhere in the country.
The triumph for Pooley Wines underscores Tasmania’s growing reputation in the national wine landscape. Beyond this historic Shiraz win, the island state also celebrated other significant accolades at the 2026 show. Tasmania’s House of Arras was named Winery of the Year, and Steve Flamsteed was recognised as Winemaker of the Year. Additionally, Bream Creek’s 2025 Pinot Noir secured another trophy for Tasmania, further cementing the region’s diverse winemaking excellence.
The results of the 2026 Sydney Royal Wine Show were announced on August 21, 2026. For more details on this historic Tasmanian achievement and the full list of results, readers are encouraged to refer to the original reporting by ABC News Tasmania.