VINEYARD OF THE YEAR 2020
"The Swinney vineyard represents modern viticulture interwoven with Old-World techniques, executed with precision through a combination of exhaustive manual work and state-of-the-art technology, and all underpinned by an environmental focus...The scale of the vineyard, coupled with their pinpoint focus and pursuit of innovation, and the quality of the resulting wines, is truly extraordinary and inspiring."Young Gun of Wine – Vineyard of the Year Awards
In March 2021, Swinney was awarded Young Gun of Wine’s inaugural ‘Vineyard of the Year’ trophy, after a six-month search that included multiple rounds of judging and site inspections of vineyards around Australia.
The award is testament to the extraordinary amount of hard work put in every year by our vineyard and winemaking team. It reflects our goal is to grow the highest quality grapes and to make wines that sit comfortably amongst the best of the world, while clearly speaking of our home in Frankland River.
“Swinney’s Vineyard of the Year award has been earned not just for the small run of exceptional wines the family have produced under their own eponymous label, but for the long list of wines made by an equally long list of eager clients that runs from industry heavy- weights including Penfolds and Hardys to cutting-edge small producers such as Brave New Wine and La Violetta.” Nick Ryan, The Australian
The full judging panel consisted of journalist Max Allen, Dr Mary Cole, Dr Peter Dry AM, Dr Mardi Longbottom, Dr Irina Santiago-Brown and Mark Walpole. They were supported by vineyard inspectors: Chris Penfold (SA), Colin Bell (WA), John Whiting (VIC), Kellie Graham (TAS) and Liz Riley (NSW/ACT).