The World Association of Wine Writers and Journalists' (WAWWJ) has named family-owned Wakefield Wines (known as Taylors Wines in its native Australia) as the most awarded winery in the world for 2017 in a ranking of more than 50,000 producers.
Three other Australian producers also made it into the top 20 in 2017 World Ranking of Wines & Spirits (WRW&S) report and for the first year ever, the United Kingdom made it onto the list in 19th place.
Wakefield's Jaraman Shiraz 2014 also takes the top spot for most awarded wine in the world.
Out of more than 700,000 wines evaluated, 12 Wakefield Wines appear in the top 100 for Wines of the Year, including special mentions as most awarded wines in the Chardonnay, Merlot and Shiraz varietal categories.
Now in its 21st year, the 2017 World Ranking of Wines & Spirits (WRW&S) report is an internationally recognised ranking system for global wine competitions and is the only ranking system of its kind in the world to combines the results of the most recognised international wine shows to place the world's most successful wineries.
President of WAWWJ, Leonardo Castellan said, "The broader Australian presence is significant this year, with 21 Australian wines on the list of the top 100 wines in the world and a ranking of 5th on the list of most awarded countries."
Mitchell Taylor, third-generation family member and Managing Director of Wakefield Wines is honoured by the accomplishment. He says: "We have always sought to make wines that can take on the best in the world and wine competitions are an important way to benchmark. Australia produces some of the world's most incredible and exciting wines. It's a fantastic result for our family, our winemaking team, the Clare Valley wine region and the Australian wine industry."