FIVE Beechworth wineries have clinched places in the top 100 wineries around the nation for this year’s prestigious Halliday Wine Companion critique.
Giaconda is best known as a producer of world-class chardonnay, was named in the top 10 for the first time, ranked number three.
Among the wine champions Sorrenberg has been placed as number 36, Savaterre 55, Fighting Gully Road 77 while Eldorado Road is 89 on the list.
Halliday Wine Companion Top 100 Wineries is a celebration of the best wineries in Australia right now with the Companion’s focus on complete wine portfolios.
Giaconda winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner has been tirelessly tweaking his vineyard to find the best possible expressions of pinot noir, shiraz, roussanne and Nebbiolo an Italian variety planted at Red Hill near Beechworth by repopulating with new clones, replanting in more suited patches and refining management.
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The viticultural commitment is mirrored in the gravity-fed winery and cellar blasted out of solid granite for barrel maturation at ideal temperature and humidity.
Giaconda is anchored in the soils and rustic bush of goldmining country, but it has the gravitas and transformative wine character reminiscent of a great historic estate of the Old World.
Mr Kinzbrunner said his flagship wine Chardonnay makes up around two thirds of production and is the only one of his wines exported to Bordeaux in France, then sold from there all over the world to around 38 countries.
The winemaker said Beechworth with its terrain and climate has a high standard of different wines gaining a good reputation.
“It’s really great that there are a few Beechworth wineries in the top 100 list,” he said.
Delighted to be placed on the list at number three, with the Halliday Companion regarded as the top in the country for wine journalism, he said it is a good achievement as good wines have to be made across the range.
There are four in the team at the winery with his son Nathan working full time with him, a vineyard manager and another member with wine making qualifications who recently joined Giaconda
“We do everything from growing the grapes to selling the wine,” he said.
Mr Kinzbrunner said Giaconda was the first commercial winery operation established in the area 40 years ago since the very early 1900s.
“I dug the first holes in the ground and cut the first vineyard post in the bush myself and from first turnover of the soil to where I am now has been a long road but it's very lucky if you can work in a business that's your passion,” he said.
“You have to have a real passion when you can make good wine, but also a great wine.
“With many years with not a penny to spare putting everything back into the into the winery, gradually there were more vineyard, buildings and equipment."
