Helm Wines scooped the pool and won three trophies including Best of Show, Best White of Show and Best Riesling. The entries were among 560 from 82 wineries across Australia. 

The winning wine – a 2016 Helm Wines Central Ranges Riesling – was made from grapes sourced from the Central Ranges due to a devastating local frost in October of 2014 that wiped out 85 per cent of the Helm Wines Murrumbateman estate grapes.

Mr Helm AM said the Helm philosophy is to ‘never waste a crisis’ and the accolade was a fitting example of this.

“The frost damage meant we had to search for other cool climate fruit in a district unaffected. We found a vineyard between Canowindra and Orange that fitted our strict quality criteria,” Mr Helm said. “It is wonderful that these trophies justify our policy and recognise our skills with Riesling, not just from the Canberra District."