Inside the 53rd annual McLaren Vale Bushing Lunch

The McLaren Vale Wine Show is one of the most highly regarded and significant regional wine shows in the country… with the quirkiest trophy presentation ceremony. 

The Bushing Lunch, as it’s known, has gone through many formats since it became an official annual event in 1973, including Elizabethan-themed feasts and week-long festivals and parades. It’s a simpler affair these days, although with emcee Katie Spain kicking off this year’s formalities with a lap on a mer-king-driven e-tuk tuk, alongside Elliott Brown (from local event planner MASE), wearing a canary-yellow polyester suit, just as ridiculous.

Over 500 local industry members attended the 2026 Bushing Lunch, held on Friday October 30 at Chalk Hill. And while the surrounding vineyards, rolling green hills, and crisp glasses of picpoul initially made the link between the event and its origins (the term “bushing” refers to a medieval European custom that saw the pubs that sold wine indicate so by hanging an ivy bush over their doors) feel a little tenuous, once the lunch started in earnest, the raucous alehouse vibes were strong. 

Katie Spain and Elliott Brown kicked off the formalities with a lap on an e-tuk tuk. Photo credit: Ben Macmahon.

From 652 entries, the judging panel – comprising chair Toby Barlow (Wine SX), Richard Hemming MW (JancisRobinson.com), Glenn Barry (Tonic Wines), Steven Paul (Oakdene), Stuart Hordern (Brokenwood), Ashleigh Seymour (BHF Technologies & Vino Salvatico), Ben Marx (Jim Barry Wines), Jackson Farrow (Lodestone Wines), Meira Harel (GROW Assembly), Sam Milne (The Lane Vineyard) and a further six associate judges – awarded 28 trophies.

Among the many highlights was Aphelion collecting the Chair of Judges’ Wine of Show trophy for its Wait Single Site Grenache 2025, Thistledown winning the International Judge’s Wine of Show for its Walking with Kings 2025, Hardys’ Eileen Hardy Shiraz picking up the Wine of Provenance award, and Bondar taking home Best Small Producer of Show.

As well as the Best Single Vineyard Wine and Best Shiraz Blend for its Springs Hill Vineyard 2025 Shiraz Mataro, Paralian’s Skye Salter was also named Best Single Vineyard Viticulturist. The S.C.Pannell Little Branch 2024 was recognised as the Best Two Year or Older Grenache, and, in particularly encouraging news for Guillaume Camougrand and Shelley Torresan, Yangarra’s Circle Rosé 2026 and Circle Piquepoul 2026 both won their respective categories.

Dr Bianca Price and Matt Head from Big Easy Radio were crowned the 2026 Bushing Monarchs. Photo credit: Ben Macmahon.

Serafino also cleaned up, as did Cooter & Cooter, Chapel Hill, Battle of Bosworth, Vigna Bottin, Scarpantoni and Vinarchy.

In addition to the trophies, Karena Armstrong and Alex Marchetti from legendary McLaren Vale restaurant The Salopian Inn were presented with the Trott Family Award, and Pete Fraser was posthumously given the d’Arry Osborn Award for services to grenache.

There can only be one Bushing Monarch, though, and this year the Best Wine of Show trophy was presented to Big Easy Radio for its ’25 Perpetual Holidaze Grenache. After the royal robes were donned and winemaker Matt Head delivered a few emotional words, the ceremony finished with a rousing and enthusiastic rendition of the ‘Wassail’ – an ancient toast to good health and to a bountiful harvest – that finished with the line: “All hail, McLaren Vale – Wassail!”

The full list of results can be viewed on the McLaren Vale Wine website; and a selection of trophy-winners are listed below.

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