Bendigo Wine Region News

25 Medals For Harcourt Valley in 2007

23 November 2007

Following on from their success at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show, Harcourt Valley Vineyards has gone on to win over 25 medals this year for their wines.  The most recent awards being a Top Gold medal for their 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon at the Australian Small Winemakers Show and the Julian West Memorial Trophy for best small producer under 50 tonnes at the Daylesford Wine Show.

Harcourt Valley Vineyards produces big and highly-flavoured wines.  You can taste these hand-crafted wines from their mature estate vines (planted 1976) in a cosy granite cellar door that has a special rustic charm.  It is conveniently located near Castlemaine and next door to another favourite in the Bendigo region, BlackJack Vineyards.

Early in the year at the Royal Melbourne Wine Show, Harcourt Valley Vineyard entered four and took home a medal for each wine.  This result demonstrates the high level of consistency in their range of wines and is impressive for the winery and Bendigo region alike.

The four successful Harcourt Valley wines include the 2005 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon which scored a silver medal.  The 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon finished only 2 points below in equal 11th resulting in a bronze medal. This was from a field of over 150 wines.  The 2005 Reserve Barbara's Shiraz scored a bronze medal and the 2005 Barbara's Shiraz finished just two points below, also with a bronze medal and in this case from a field of 273 wines.

The successful 2005 vintage was the first vintage that Quinn and Kye Livingstone produced, since the passing of their father John Livingstone in 2004.  The loss of John to cancer has led to an inspirational story of determination to keep Harcourt Valley Vineyards producing excellent boutique wines. It is a story of friends, family and a close-knit community coming together to make it happen. Quinn and Kye’s mother Barbara has always been passionate about the vineyard, with 17 years of hand-tending the vines to keep the quality of the fruit at a premium.

“How proud my late husband would have been of his two sons for winning in particular the Julian West memorial trophy at the Daylesford Wine Show.   Julian West would often come to our winery to purchase our Shiraz which he enjoyed immensely and would love to yarn with John,” said Barbara Livingstone, Harcourt Valley Vineyards. “I often think of what a great loss to the wine industry – both John and Julian were hard-working men with a great passion for their wine.”  Julian West and John Livingstone were both taken at an early age by cancer.

“This region has been doing extremely well at wine shows of late and this whole Bendigo wine region is perfectly placed to produce wines of great substance,” said Barbara.

To try the award-winning wines visit the cellar door at Harcourt Valley Vineyard, 3339 Calder Highway, Harcourt or visit a boutique wine retailer near you.

ENDS………..

For media requests please contact Aileen Walsh on 0407 706769 or visit www.bendigowine.org.au