Big win for Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon

Margaret River star Xanadu has taken out the top wine show award in Australia – the Prime Minister’s Trophy for Champion Wine of Show at the 2026 National Wine Show of Australia – for its outstanding 2023 Xanadu Cabernet Sauvignon. This is Xanadu’s 11th Cabernet Trophy at the National Wine Show in just 16 years – re-inforncing this wine’s position as both one of the most important wines in Australia and, given its $45 pricetag, one of Australian wine lover’s best friends.

Xanadu Senior Winemaker Glenn Goodall (pictured above*) said of the win, “I’m stoked, and at the same time astounded! To win an eleventh Cabernet trophy at the National Wine Show is quite hard to fathom. This achievement alone is incredibly rewarding given the pride we take in our Cabernets, but also receiving the Prime Minister’s Trophy for Champion Wine of Show is the icing on the cake, especially given the importance of the National Wine Show.”

Goodall also acknowledged the collective effort behind the wine. “A massive thanks to all of our growers, particularly those who have been growing incredibly good Cabernet for Xanadu for many years. This result is another great achievement for the Margaret River region and is amazing recognition for the entire Xanadu team.”

* Photo credit: Supplied/Rachel Claire.

Campbell Mattinson

This article was written by Campbell Mattinson, former chief editor of the Halliday Wine Companion book, former editor of Halliday magazine, former editor of Australian Sommelier Magazine and founder of both The Winefront site (the home of Australia’s best wine reviews) and of Mattinson Photography.

Mattinson has been an independent journalist, wine critic and photographer since 1987. He’s the only Australian to have won the Australian Wine Communicator of the Year Award more than once. He’s a past winner of a Louis Roederer International Wine Media Award; is the author of the award-winning book The Wine Hunter; and is the author of the best-selling novel We Were Not Men. He’s also a winner of a St Kilda Film Festival Award (as writer-director) and is a former winner of the national Best Australian Sports Writing Award. In 2026 three of his photographs were short-listed for the World Food Photography Awards.

Campbell Mattinson is a storyteller. He is a journalist, a photographer, a filmmaker and a wine critic, and in all of these mediums his prime motive is to tell people's stories.

https://www.campbellmattinson.com
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