A popular and budget friendly Coonawarra wine has been named Winestate’s Wine of the Year.

The Musician, by Majella Wines, claimed the prestigious award announced by Winestate, which each year evaluates around 10,000 wines in 16 categories from all regions in Australia and New Zealand using an audited and independent judging process.

The 2018 Cabernet Shiraz – with a RRP of $19 – beat out its competitors, some of which were priced over $200 per bottle and also claimed the Hamburg Süd Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy.

Family-owned business Majella Wines grows all its grapes on the property surrounding the winery, situated on the eastern edge of the famous Coonawarra “red strip”.

Majella Director Tony Lynn was thrilled to win the awards. “The Musician is a classic example of the Australian blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz with mint, eucalyptus and spice aromas and a soft, well balanced palate with blackberries and cassis flavours,” he said.

“The Musician has been a fantastic wine since its release in 2005 and we are proud to be the recipients of these prestigious trophies.”

Winestate publisher Peter Simic was full of praise for the top drop.

“As a finalist from over 10,000 wines judged this year, where less than 5% of wines entered reached the finalist stage and with the toughest peer reviewed blind judging in Australia or NZ, a Winestate Medal is truly deserved,” he said.

“To be the overall winner the wine has to be head and shoulders above its peers in that category compared with the winning wines in all other categories.

In this case The Musician by Majella, Coonawarra, Cabernet Shiraz 2018 stood above all others. “This year was a challenge to maintain our complex judging process when many other wine shows could not continue with the trauma of the pandemic.”

Rymill Coonawarra MC2, Coonawarra Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2019 (RRP $20) received the Northline Freight Trophy for Merlot of the Year.