When the McLaren Vale wine community converges on a marquee for the annual Wine Show awards, it is a rambunctious affair.
The luncheon is full of quirky traditions harking back to medieval times, among them the crowning of the Bushing King or Queen, awarded to the winemaker behind the Best Wine of Show.
On 25 October 2024, that monarchical honour went to Alexia Roberts for Penny’s Hill 2023 Single Vineyard Grenache.
When Alexia stepped up to the microphone, she paid tribute to her family’s support.
“I wrote the speech at the last minute,” Alexia says. “In hindsight, I’m quite glad I did because it’s been 20 years of hard work and when you get on stage you forget all the good things you want to say.”
Alexia’s personal side project Larnook Wines, launched in late 2022, won two trophies at the same show: Best New and Emerging White Wine for the 2024 Grenache Gris and Best Small Producer.
It’s been a big few years for the 42-year-old.
Alexia was recently appointed The Randall Wine Group’s chief operating officer, a role focused on delivering operational efficiency and excellence across the portfolio of wine brands.
A few weeks after the Wine Show, we catch up to unpack it all. There’s no place more fitting than the home Alexia, her husband Damon and their two children Mila and Tate, aged nine and 12, share on top of a Blewitt Springs hill.
• To read the full article subscribe to WBM – Australia’s Wine Business Magazine.
Photographs: Mike Smith.
Recent Comments