Mystery Adelaide mega-punter Ray Gatt’s Eden Springs winery has picked up an international trophy overnight at the world’s largest wine competition, the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Gatt is one of two Adelaide professional punters linked to the secretive gambling club which bets billions of dollars a year and at one stage was responsible for more than 20 per cent of all TAB turnover.

David Steicke is the other local member of the group, although he spends most of his time in Hong Kong as a professional poker player.

Steicke has been involved in the Australia’s most expensive divorce case.

Gatt and Steicke met at the University of Adelaide.

InDaily understands the pair made money playing Two-card Manila at Adelaide Casino before turning their attention to racing and setting up a high stakes syndicate in an upstairs room at the Whitmore Hotel on Morphett St in Adelaide.

The pair then joined up with  Tasmanian-born Zeljko Ranogajec  who had formed a similar group.

The mathematical geniuses accumulated tens of millions of dollars that funded lavish lifestyles and are believed to have recently settled a tax dispute with the Australian Taxation Office.

They still, however, appear to have money to burn.

One of the Tasmanian syndicate members has become a cultural entrepreneur; David Walsh is the man behind the country’s celebrated art gallery, the Museum of New and Old Art in Hobart known as MONA.

Ray Gatt bought Eden Springs winery in 2006.

“After a complete evaluation, Ray Gatt and his team of vineyard specialists mapped out a comprehensive works program and got down to it,” the winery’s website boasts.

“Iirrigation has been upgraded and replaced, soils regenerated and vines carefully tended back to optimum health.

“The initial results have been pleasing – and will no doubt show in each future bottle of Eden Springs wine.”

Last night in London, Gatt’s lucky run continued.

Eden Spring’s High Eden Riesling 2008, picked up its second International Trophy in a year.

Penfolds added to its trophy cabinet with a trophy win for its Bin 389 red.

Australian wines beat the rest of the world in six categories at this year’s Awards, winning the most International Trophies out of any country.

The winners were announced last night in London, at the DWWA’s 10th anniversary dinner at the Royal Opera House.

“Australia’s wine industry is blessed with many talented individuals, and here we see that hard work on both small family-owned vineyards and at larger wineries has kept the country at the top internationally,” DWWA’s chairman Steven Spurrier, said.

The other international trophies awarded to Australian wines were: Chardonnay over GBP15, White Single-Varietal under GBP15, Red Blend overGBP15, Red Rhône Varietal over GBP15 and Sweet Fortified under GBP15.

32 International Trophies were awarded in total, competed for by over 14,000 wines at this year’s DWWA.

Australia’s six DWWA 2013 International Trophy winners are :

•     Riesling over GBP15 – Eden Springs, High Eden Riesling, Eden Valley, South     Australia 2008
•     Chardonnay over GBP15 – Josef Chromy, Chardonnay, Tasmania 2011
•     White Single-Varietal under GBP15 – McGuigan, Bin 9000 Semillon, Hunter     Valley, New South Wales 2007
•     Red Rhone Varietal over GBP15 – Credaro Family Estate, Beach Head Shiraz,     Margaret River, Western Australia 2011
•     Red Blend over GBP15 – Penfolds, Bin 389 Cabernet-Shiraz, South Australia     2010
•     Sweet Fortified under GBP15 – Campbells, Topaque, Rutherglen, Victoria,     Australia NV

The DWWA 2013 was judged by a panel of over 200 wine merchants, sommeliers, journalists and authors from 27 countries, including 75 Masters of Wine and 13 Master Sommeliers.

The DWWA 2013 results are available online

While Gatt’s celebrates, his old Uni mate is still counting the cost of a still unresolved family law case that is Australia’s most expensive.

In the seven years since the first application was made in the Adelaide office of the Family Court of Australia, the court and its full court have handed down 36 decisions.

While the divorce has been bitter, Adelaide legal and accounting firms have shared work generated by the case costing an estimated $36 million as at 2010 and running at an estimated $23,000 per sitting day since.