Helm Wines was asked to supply the Premium Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, a wine that has recently won a silver medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London, gained five stars and 94/100 points in Halliday’s Wine Companion and helped gain four and a half star rating for the winery.

Ken Helm said the selection of his wine is a tribute both to his neighbour Al Lustenberger, a perfectionist who grows the grapes used in the production of the wine, and the new wine technology Ken is using. Ken believes it is also a great compliment that a wine from our area has been selected when there are so many great wine areas in Australia.

The outstanding quality of the Helm Premium Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Ken attributes to a trip he made to Bordeaux in 1999. Travelling with Al Lustenberger and Ken’s son Matthew, Ken visited some famous vineyards, learning techniques which helped him develop his cabernets. Ken says it has taken from 2005 to March 08 to develop the Premium Cabernet Sauvignon, but now he believes the recipe for the wine both in the vineyard and in the winery is right.

Ken is also enthusiastic about his trip to Germany in July this year, following an invitation from the German government to judge the biggest collection of Rieslings in the world. Ken said the judging was a learning exercise, and the experience will contribute to the continued production of Australia’s great Rieslings. Germany, he says, produces many styles of Riesling, with Australia limiting itself to only a couple of styles, and that we should experiment to emulate Germany in increasing the styles we produce.