This article is brought to you in part by McGuigan Wines.

Though wine shoppers in Malaysia will likely recognise the familiar Black Label range of McGuigan wines, this award-winning Australian winery boasts an impressive number of other ranges in its acclaimed portfolio, too.

We enjoyed a relaxed afternoon wine tasting session with McGuigan’s senior winemaker, James Evers, who shared with us not only the background of each of the wines we enjoyed, but the history of the winery itself.

For four generations, the McGuigan family have followed their passion for Australian wine. The story began with Owen McGuigan, who was born in Australia’s Hunter Valley in 1869.

He was the first McGuigan to venture into this exciting new endeavour, and working in the vines not only became his life blood, but also the enduring passion of the McGuigan family.

Owen’s son Percy became a legendary figure in the area in his own right.

He was lured into following in his father’s footsteps and became one of the key winemakers of his time, helping to shape the region’s prominence and popularity.

Brian McGuigan, inspired by the winemaking heritage of both his father, Percy and grandfather, Owen, has long been at the forefront of the Australian wine industry.

“Brian is one of Australia’s most versatile and well-known figures,” James shared. “His skills, as well as his rather larrikin personality, have made their own impression on the McGuigan wines tradition.” (I scrambled to look up the word “larrikin” and we continued on)

Today,  Brian’s brother Neil McGuigan is at the helm, and is the driving force behind a winery that has racked up a near unprecedented number of accolades and achievements.

James also spoke glowingly about the vineyards of McGuigan. Clearly a man who loves his work, he told us about tending vines and harvesting grapes in two of Australia’s best winemaking regions – the Barossa Valley in South Australia and the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

Nestled in a private valley, sitting atop a hill overlooking the North Para River in the famous Barossa Valley is Chateau Yaldara, the South Australian home of McGuigan Wines. It has long been recognised as one of the most picturesque and attractive wineries in the country and has a reputation for nurturing some of Australia’s oldest vines.

The awards and honours which have been heaped on McGuigan in recent years are a testament to the quality and character of their wines. The list is almost beyond belief, but here it is:

In addition to three International Winemaker of the Year trophies in the last four years, awarded at the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, McGuigan Wines has been named Australian Producer of the Year by the IWSC in 2009, 2011 and 2012, as well the “World’s Best White Winemaker” by the International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London in 2009 and 2012.

The key to winning the latest International Winemaker of the Year trophy was stellar performance across the competition, with an unrivalled and rarely achieved 100% success rate– 39 wines entered, 39 medals received.

McGuigan Wines was awarded the International Semillon Trophy in addition to nine Gold, 22 Silver, and eight bronze medals, including eight ‘Best in Class’ awards.

Other successes in just the past 12 months have included McGuigan Black Label Red continuing to be the Number One selling red wine in Australia, the McGuigan Brand becoming the Number One largest selling wine brand in Ireland, Number Eight in the UK, and having the fastest growth rate of any wine brand in Australia.

Wildly popular with both consumers and critics, it’s clear McGuigan is doing something right.

Beyond the well-known Black Label range of wines, McGuigan also produces several others, including the BIN Series, Expressions, Farms, HandMade, Founder’s Series, and The Shortlist, the latter a range (all in individually numbered bottles) from which we sampled a few lovely wines.

We were particularly smitten by the Riesling under The Shortlist series, a dry, lean Riesling from South Australia’s Eden Valley, part of the famous Barossa Valley.

The wine was exceptional, probably our favourite of the tasting, and a week later, we found out why, as The Shortlist Riesling was awarded both the Best Riesling trophy and also bagged the Best New World Riesling, as well, at the 2015 Hong Kong International Wine and Spirit Competition.

Another terrific effort from this range is The Shortlist Barossa Valley GSM, a classic blend of Grenache, Shiraz, and Mourvédre, a trio of grape varieties made famous in France’s Rhone Valley, and which have found a natural home in the splendid soils of Australia’s Barossa Valley.

This interview was originally published in the January 2016 edition of The Expat Magazine, which is available in print or online via a free subscription.