A windswept vineyard in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley has reached the pinnacle of Australian winemaking, with Meadowbank Wines taking out two of the nation’s most prestigious honours at the 2025 Melbourne Royal Wine Awards.
The family-run estate’s 2024 Pinot Noir was awarded both the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for Best Young Red and the James Halliday Trophy for Best Pinot Noir, cementing Meadowbank’s place among Australia’s most celebrated producers.
Nearly fifty years after the region was dismissed as too cold and remote for serious viticulture, Meadowbank’s triumph stands as a symbol of vision, persistence, and deep respect for the land. What began as a bold experiment to transform a rugged sheep paddock on the banks of the Derwent River has now become a beacon of cool-climate excellence, producing wines that capture the essence of southern Tasmania.
Pioneer Gerald Ellis planted the first vines at Meadowbank in 1976
Guided by an unwavering belief that the site’s elevation, soils, and long growing season could yield wines of exceptional character. Today, his daughter Mardi, along with her husband Alex Deane, carry that legacy forward. The estate has partnered with acclaimed winemaker Peter Dredge, who has been crafting wines from this historic vineyard since 2015.
The Melbourne Royal Wine Awards, judged by some of Australia’s leading wine experts, attracted more than 3,500 entries from across the country. With this latest accolade, Meadowbank joins a select group of Tasmanian producers whose wines continue to redefine Australian excellence on the world stage.
Tasmania Dominates at Melbourne Royal
Tasmania’s cool-climate prowess was further demonstrated when Tolpuddle Vineyard’s 2024 Chardonnay claimed the François De Castella Trophy for Best Young White, adding to the vineyard’s previous wins for its 2023, 2022, and 2017 vintages. The 2024 Chardonnay also won the Douglas Seabrook Trophy for Best Single Vineyard, Best Chardonnay, and Best Tasmanian Chardonnay.
Located in the Coal River Valley near Richmond, Tolpuddle Vineyard was established in 1988 and has become a benchmark for Australian Chardonnay. The vineyard is owned by Michael Hill Smith MW and Martin Shaw of Shaw + Smith.