CBR Wine Hunter — News https://cbrwines.com/news News and updates from the Canberra wine region, plus what's new on CBR Wine Hunter. en-AU Fri, 26 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT Filter By Wine Type https://cbrwines.com/news/filter-by-wine-type https://cbrwines.com/news/filter-by-wine-type Fri, 26 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT Site Update The Wines page now has a filter by wine type. Choose Red, White, Rosé, Sparkling or Fortified to narrow the list. A feature that I had on my to-do list that never got done before launch was a filter by wine type. I've now put that together, and it's available in the filter section of the Wines page. You can select Red, White, Rosé, Sparkling and Fortified. Handy!

Selecting a wine type filters the list to match.

As always, if you've got ideas for features, or if you spot something that's broken, feel free to let me know at contact@cbrwines.com.

]]> Fin: Canberra International Riesling Challenge https://cbrwines.com/news/canberra-international-riesling-challenge-ends https://cbrwines.com/news/canberra-international-riesling-challenge-ends Thu, 25 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT Region News After 25 years, Ken Helm's Canberra International Riesling Challenge is wrapping up. A note on the end of an era, and where its legacy lives on. After 25 years, Ken Helm's Canberra International Riesling Challenge is wrapping up. Citing economic headwinds and a reduced number of entries year-on-year, unfortunately it's the end of an era. Still, their work leaves behind a significant legacy and was certainly a feather in the CBR wine region's cap.

I'll leave all the historical award-winner entries in the Awards section of this site for reference. You may still come across some of the winning bottles in the wild.

You can read the committee's full media release.

]]> A National Trophy, Sixteen Medals, and Three Winter Packs https://cbrwines.com/news/national-wine-show-2026-and-winter-warmers https://cbrwines.com/news/national-wine-show-2026-and-winter-warmers Mon, 22 Jun 2026 23:00:00 GMT Region News Canberra District wines took sixteen medals and a national trophy at the 2026 National Wine Show, led by Sapling Yard's Fiori from a Bungendore shed. Plus three winter packs worth chasing, and a word on mulled wine. First, a quick thanks to Erin and the crew at HerCanberra. Their kind writeup about the site has sent a good number of new faces our way, and a warm welcome if you are one of them. Thanks, chums.

Winter has settled in across the district, and it's arrived on the back of some good news. The National Wine Show of Australia has been judged and CBR Region producers more than held their own. Sixteen wines medalled, three took gold, and one came home with a national trophy. Meanwhile wineries are rolling out their winter packs and mulled wine season is now in full swing.

National Wine Show of Australia 2026

Sixteen of the district's wines were judged among the best in the nation at Australia's premier wine show. Three earned gold. One of them brought home a national trophy.

From a backyard shed to the national stage

The Blended White Trophy went to Sapling Yard's 2025 Fiori. Fiori is Italian for flowers, and the wine earns the name: an aromatic blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc.

Winemaker Carla Rodeghiero made her first vintage in a Bungendore backyard shed in 2012. A little over a decade later, that same hands-on, small-batch approach has produced a wine named the best of its kind in Australia, and it retails for about thirty dollars. Sapling Yard's 2024 Shiraz Viognier took gold at the same show.

The region's honour roll

Sixteen Canberra Region wines medalled at the 2026 show:

Gold

Silver

Bronze

Browse every winner in the Trophy Room.

New in: winter packs

Some wineries are rolling out their winter mixed packs. Three worth highlighting are:

Best value: Murrumbateman Winery, Winter Special 6 Pack, $150 (RRP $215)

The broadest taste of a single winery, six bottles spanning Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc through Nebbiolo, Malbec and a GSM.

See the pack at Murrumbateman Winery.

For the fire: Vineyard 1207, Winter Warmer Pack, $190

Six reds built for cold nights, two Shiraz through Cabernet and Tempranillo, finishing on a fortified Maxie's Gold. Online only, so the pack comes to you.

See the pack at Vineyard 1207.

For the cellar: Barton Estate, Winter Warmers, $220

A rare set of back vintages for the patient drinker, Georgia Shiraz to 2018, Petit Verdot as far back as 2012, and a fortified Sangiovese.

See the pack at Barton Estate.

A word on mulled wine

A glass mug of mulled wine with an orange slice, beside a Herbert's at Evatt coaster on a wooden table.
Mulled wine at Herbert's at Evatt.

Winter is synonymous with mulled wine, or it is for me at least, and I am going to assume for you too. It is technically simple, but the batches that stand out tend to have recipes wrapped in lore, myth and a few secrets. I keep an eye out at pubs and bars this time of year for anything noteworthy. Last year, and this year as well it seems, I find it hard to go past the mulled wine at Herbert's at Evatt. Dino knows what he's doing.

Are you still using the Women's Weekly recipe from the 1980s, or do you have your own approach? If you would like to share, reach out at: contact@cbrwines.com.

When you would rather taste than read

Almost every winery listed here is a short drive from the city, most open on weekends, all small enough that the person pouring often made the wine. When you are ready for a day out, the trip planner maps you a route across the district, cellar door to cellar door.

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