LANGTONS Classification 8 National Events Roadshow
LANGTONS set to host a great, national wine event
See all the wines of the Classification 8
Australia’s greatest wine tasting events are back in 2024. LANGTONS Classification of Australian Wine is going on tour around the country.
Leading fine wine retailer and auction house LANGTONS has published the 8th Edition of its definitive list of Australia’s most in-demand fine wines. To celebrate the latest edition of the Classification, LANGTONS is hosting a series of state capital wine tastings of all 100 of Australia’s finest. These are simply the greatest wine events in Australia.
Established in 1988, LANGTONS published its first edition of the Classification in 1990. Since then, it has been the premier guide to collecting fine Australian wine.
Inspired by the 1855 Bordeaux classification, the Classification is a list of the most traded Australian fine wines in the secondary market Every five (or so) years, the Classification is updated to reflect the tastes and trends in Australian fine wine. LANGTONS Classification is a true reflection of the state of the fine wine market. In the Classification, demand is currency and the key criterion for entry into this exclusive and prestigious club.
Within the Classification, there is a small group of blue chip wines that stand apart. These wines are designated 1st Classified, and they drive the greatest demand and returns for collectors over time. 1st Classified wines include Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace, Mount Mary Quintet, Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay, Wendouree Shiraz and more. All elite wines and Australia’s best foot forward on the world stage.
To celebrate the publication of the 8th Edition, LANGTONS is embarking on a national tour of Classification tasting events. At each event, all 100 wines will be on pour, with the 1st Classified wines limited to a small number of VIP tickets.
2018 was the last time LANGTONS hosted the Classification event series. Much has changed in the world, and so has the trajectory of the Classification and, by inference, the Australian fine wine scene. We are seeing a greater share of the fine wine market looking to single vineyards like Giaconda Chardonnay, cooler climates like Tolpuddle in Tasmania and more elegant styles like Tyrrell’s 4 Acres Shiraz.
While there is change (this is a good thing), South Australia is still king (this is also a good thing). Almost half of the wines in the Classification come from South Australia. From Henschke, the family-run winery and custodians of Hill of Grace, Australia’s most hallowed single vineyard, to Penfolds, one of Australia’s great global brands. Stalwarts of tradition Wendouree and Rockford rub shoulders with the new guard in The Standish Wine Company and Sami-Odi.
There is no other fine wine-tasting event anywhere in the world where punters can get to taste Australian fine wine of this calibre and, with this choice, meet many of the winemakers themselves.
The 8th Edition of the LANGTONS Classification of Australian Wine lists 100 of the finest. The challenge is picking which wines to taste. Looking back at the 2018 launch event, the ICC in Sydney’s Darling Harbour saw various approaches. As the door opened and the guests collected their Riedel glasses, some went straight to their must-try wines. Think Lake’s Folly or Rockford Sparkling Shiraz, those wines with long waitlists for allocations. Others, possessed of a rare ambition, started at table No. 1 to taste every single wine (then 136 in total). Then, the tacticians took time to survey the room, study the floor plan and tick off their targets one by one.
The pros, the top wine critics and the most seasonal collectors know their limits, and that palate fatigue is a real thing. The most committed collectors attended multiple events with a few dedicated ultras and followed the tour around the country to each state capital.
The 2024 events series promises to take these tastings to the next level. LANGTONS General Manager Tamara Grischy was the veteran Head of Auctions for the previous events series. Now at the helm, Tamara has handed the Auction House reins to Michael Anderson.
“I have followed the Classification since I began my adventure in fine wine. If I weren’t working for LANGTONS, I’d be first in the queue when the event doors open. These events are unmatched for Australian fine wine lovers; no other event comes close.”
The LANGTONS Classification tasting events will return in 2024 after six years. It will be another half-decade, at least, before these events return. Taste the top wines from Penfolds, Henschke, Wendouree, Rockford, Mount Mary, Bass Philip, Oakridge, Tyrrell’s, Leeuwin Estate, Moss Wood, Tolpuddle and many more.
In September and October 2024, the Classification event series will visit Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Sydney and finish in Melbourne.