Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mesdames and messieurs—oh la la! The Hunter Valley has done it again. At the 2025 World Tasting Championship in the heart of France, our Aussie team of wine-growers and wine-lovers went sip for sip with the best noses and palates on the planet. Forty countries lined up. There were 12 mysterious wines, and more swirling, sniffing and spitting than you could poke a stick at. France took home the gold of course. It was a homegrown advantage I reckon—I don't want to spark an international incident, but let's just say it smelt a little suspicious. China came second but Australia, with our own Hunter Valley hero Declan McCaffrey of McCaffrey's Estate, came third in the world.

That's right. Aussies stood shoulder to shoulder with French sommeliers who taste wine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The French might say: 'Ah, ze Australians. Zey make ze big wines. How could zey possibly know ze difference between a pinot and a shiraz?' Well, guess what? We do. And we can do it blindfolded, before smoko and without a beret in sight. This is more than a win for Declan and the Hunter Valley. It's proof the Australian wine industry is world-class, with craftsmanship and character that can stand proudly on any table or in any glass. So to Declan and the whole Hunter Valley: sante, or good health. You have done us proud. Cheers!