Swan Valley winemaker receives gold medal in London’s International Wine and Spirit Competition

Earlier this month, international judges agreed, declaring their drop among the best in the world.

Talijancich’s Julian James 1980 Solero Liqueur Shiraz won a gold medal in the red fortified wine category of the competition of the 2014 International Wine and Spirit Competition.

The wine that has taken winemaker James Talijancich 25 years to mature is now officially one of the world’s greatest.

Made from fruit at their 82-year-old Swan Valley vineyard, the base wine goes back to 1980, with other blends having an average age of 20 years.

Judges at the London event noted that it was difficult to get better than the Talijancich’s Julian James 1980 Solero Liqueur Shiraz.

‘Gloriously succulent and very serious, the texture is almost oily but certainly mouth-coating and intense,’ they wrote.

Hilda and James Talijancich’s son, Julian, now lives in London and accepted the award on the winery’s behalf.

The IWSC is the only competition that conducts full blind tasting (pre-poured glasses) by more than 300 fully qualified industry judges.

It is then followed by an extensive chemical analysis.