My co-chair of the Australian panel at this year’s Decanter awards, Michael Hill Smith MW, made three telling observations after the event. First that Australia puts its best foot forward while producers in Europe’s ‘classic’ regions are more cagey about entering. Secondly, that Australia is increasingly showing not just top quality but distinct regional personality. Finally, he supports the late, great Len Evans’ Theory of Capacity: given that a person’s wine consumption is finite, drinking an inferior bottle is like smashing a superior bottle against the wall.

In line with the first observation, Australia registered a tally of 55 gold and 228 silver medals from the 1110 Aussie wines tasted at the 15,000-strong wine competition held in May. Reds and whites took roughly equal honours with the 26 red golds dominated by shiraz and grenache / shiraz / mourvèdre blends based on Barossa and Clare Valleys, including a youthful, mint-flecked, richly blackcurranty 2012 Penfolds Bin 138 Shiraz Grenache Mourvèdre, £25.68, Spirited Wines, an intense, dark berry-fruity 2010 Skillogalee Shiraz, £16.98, Corking Wines and powerfully spicy 2012 Glaetzer Bishop Shiraz, £17.50 – 18.33, The Wine Society, Jeroboams.

Top of the white wine pops, Aussie chardonnay, has moved on from bottled sunshine to rival white Burgundy for the highest honours. Of the eight chardonnay golds, Margaret River dominated, with a brilliant example in the 2012 Heytesbury Margaret River Chardonnay, £22.50, Laithwaites, £129 / 6, Fine & Rare Wines, but the outstanding trophy winner, conforming perhaps to Len Evans’ Because You’re Worth It theory, was the 2011 Penfolds Bin 44 Yattarna Chardonnay, £120, Berry Bros, Spirited Wines, a stunner from Tasmania worthy of Burgundy grand cru status as the eyewatering price suggests.

Every bit as exciting, riesling, semillon and viognier performed to their regional credentials with some beauts in each category. Yalumba, with stablemates Heggies and Pewsey Vale, greedily garnered five golds, two for the superb Pewsey Vale Contours Museum Reserve Riesling, the smoky, lemon and lime-laden, minerally 2008, £15, slurp.co.uk, winning the international over £15 trophy, and two viognier golds for the terrific value 2013 Yalumba Y Viognier, £9.95, winedirect.co.uk, and even more opulently peachy 2012 Eden Valley Viognier, £12.99, Waitrose, £57 / 6, Tesco.

Meanwhile, semillon took five golds, four from Hunter Valley including the classic, toast-and-honey 2007 ILR Brokenwood Reserve, £26.50 - £28.50, Hennings, winedirect.co.uk. and the refreshingly citrusy 20017 McWilliams’ Mount Pleasant Lovedale, £24.95, slurp.co.uk. Many of the gold medal winners are not yet on the water, but I hope to report as and when the most exciting make their appearance on UK shelves. Worth noting is the best individual performances: along with Yalumba, Kilikanoon won five gold medals, Morris and Grant Burge three, with two apiece, for Penfolds, Bay of Fires, Saltram, Rosemount, McGuigan, Vasse Felix and Stella Bella.

Something for The Weekend

Night In

2013 Tesco finest* Slovenian Riesling

This florally aromatic riesling from Slovenia, a worthy new addition to the Tesco finest* range, is appetisingly juicy with a stonefruit ripeness supported by a mouthwateringly crisp, refreshingly citrusy zestiness for the perfect, thirstquenching summer’s day dry white. £7.99, Tesco.

Dinner Party

2012 Edna Valley Chardonnay, Central Coast, California

A good example of the new California elegance, this attractively juicy Central Coast chardonnay shows plenty of ripe, medium-bodied peachiness and subtle oak nicely offset by a refreshing tang on the finish. £11.99 buy 2 = £8.99, Majestic.

Splash Out

2012 Mount Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir, Central Otago

Still youthful, yet with the potential to get even better, this super-fragrant Kiwi red shows both the delicious mulberry flavours of pinot noir and a seductively silky-textured opulence balanced by a succulently savoury bite. £25.99, Waitrose.