THE Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) has claimed top gong in the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show (RQFWS) branded beef and lamb competition - with Darling Downs Wagyu.
Beating 41 other entries across grassfed, grainfed and Wagyu categories, the AACo steak impressed judges to win the John Kilroy Cha Cha Char branded beef grand championship.
"The grand champion AACo Darling Downs Wagyu ticked all the boxes due to its lasting juiciness, silky buttery texture and stunning sweet and delicate caramel flavours," chief judge Elaine Millar said.
"Both the commentary and the incredibly close scoring indicated that our Australian beef is not only escalating in quality each year but also a leader in the global beef market."
It's the first time in two years that a grassfed entry has not won the coveted title.
AACo's winning steak was produced through the company's F1 Wagyu program from a crossbred cow and sired by a full-blood Wagyu bull.
The beast was born on the Barkly Tableland and finished in the Aronui feedlot at Dalby for about 300 days.
AACo's Sabina Kindler said the award showed the moderate marbling score of three was perfect for Australian palates.
"Targeting that middle marble score range, it provides a really good balance of flavour and texture," she said.
"Darling Downs Wagyu is our longest Wagyu brand at AACo.
"We've been supplying some customers with that for over 10 years and it's really popular because it provides that rich Wagyu flavour and texture without being too heavy, getting that unique eating experience without the high-end Wagyu price tag."
The prize follows a successful 2014 for the Darling Downs Wagyu brand, which wo gold in three royal fine food awards - in Queensland, NSW and Victoria.
"It takes about four years from the time you join a bull to a cow and go through the conception and gestation period for the growing and finishing off the animal," Ms Kindler said. "It is a lengthy process and there are a lot of people involved along the way, so winning an award like that is good recognition of that effort."
The branded lamb awards were also announced on Friday at the RNA Showgrounds. Australia's best lamb award went for the second year in a row to Tasmanian Royal for its product, sold by Melrose Wholesale Meats, based in Morningside.
The RQFWS is recognised as one of the nation's premier food and wine competitions.
