CEO Update: December 2025

09 Dec 2025 / Melbourne Royal News

2025 has been another stellar year for our Melbourne Royal Food and Beverage Awards, and the festive season is a great time of year to celebrate with Melbourne Royal medal-winning products and produce.

Melbourne Royal’s Food and Beverage Awards Program is globally recognised for celebrating excellence and inspiring innovation across four industry sectors - beer, wine, distilled spirits and food. This year, we received more than 6,300 entries across the four awards programs, with over 4,300 products and produce receiving either a Gold, Silver or Bronze Melbourne Royal medal.

Medal-winning products and produce displaying the Melbourne Royal seal of excellence medal sticker make great gifts or to enjoy with family and friends during the festive season. Here are a couple of suggestions:

Food

Beverages

  • Pinot Noir – Meadowbank Wines (The Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy for Best Young Red, The James Halliday Trophy for Best Pinot Noir)
  • Sexton Vineyard Chardonnay – Giant Steps (Best Victorian Chardonnay)
  • Juniperus Gin – Prohibition Liquor Co (Champion Australian Distiller, Champion Australian Gin, Gold Medal)
  • St Agnes XO – St Agnes Distillery (Best Brandy, Consistency of Excellence Award, Gold Medal)
  • Dark Lager – Wedgetail Brewing (Champion Australian Beer, Best Amber / Dark Lager, Gold Medal)
  • Hanging Rauch – Stomping Ground Brewing Co (Champion Victorian Brewery, Best European Style Lager, Gold Medal)

For the full list of 2025 Melbourne Royal Food and Beverage Award winners, visit this Melbourne Royal Christmas Gift Guide.

We thank all the producers and businesses that entered our Melbourne Royal awards during 2025. We trust that those who entered enjoyed great value and benefit from having their products and produce benchmarked against peers, and that the judges' feedback inspires further innovation.

 

Thank you!

As we fast approach the end of the 2025 calendar year, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who has contributed to the success of Melbourne Royal this year. Thank you to Board Directors, Competitive Sections Committees, Industry Advisory Groups, along with members, exhibitors, volunteers, sponsors, suppliers and service providers, and the wider Victorian community who attend our events. In particular, I thank the fabulous team that I am fortunate to lead at Melbourne Royal. I am most grateful for their enthusiasm, passion and commitment to deliver successful events, awards and venues during the year and together we look forward to achieving further success next year.

 

Merry Christmas!

The festive season is a valuable opportunity for all of us to reflect, relax, celebrate and refresh in readiness for an exciting and successful 2026.

The Melbourne Royal team are planning to enjoy a break over the Christmas and New Year period. The administration office will be closed from 12 noon Thursday 18 December 2025 and reopen from Monday 12 January 2026.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope that you enjoy the summer holidays with family and friends and the new year is full of joy and happiness.


Brad Jenkins

Chief Executive