"Winemaking is key to the success of our region's primary sector and it's important to stop, take stock, reflect and recognise excellence within this industry each year."
Jo Ashworth of Junction Wines paid tribute to their winery's red metals, altitude and the amount of work that goes into the winery.
"We also have an amazing winemaker," she said.
Jo and John Ashworth's son Leith is that winemaker, and has been collecting gold and silver awards consistently for the wineries he works for, for the last 10 years.
"Leith lab tests, but we also go a lot on flavour," Jo says. "A lot of things add up to make our wines so good ... we keep things small, concentrating on quality rather than quantity, we have our red metal soils which are softer than the popular limestone soils, we have a windy spot, less humid so less disease and less need to spray, and we have passion ... and a very, very good winemaker."
