WINE ... with David Bray
Some well-known names triumphed in the 2010 Sydney International Wine Competition, and so did some lesser-known ones. Regular and attentive readers will be aware of this reporter’s admiration for the competition, which is unique in that the final round of judging is run with appropriate food.
Competition director Warren Mason says this “offers a realistic consumer guide for matching appropriate wines to diverse food dishes”.
“The competition’s main aim is to encourage consumers to make up their own minds about which wines to choose. It’s built around helping consumers make considered choices, to take full advantage of the vast array of wine styles that are available and to choose what to drink with a given dish with a purpose in mind. We aim to help them become their own, informed sommelier.”
We don’t usually give much mention to show results, but reckon this one is different enough to give space to.
Some of the highlights of this year’s results: First, a couple of trophies of special significance to me and no doubt many among you, the best value: d’Arenberg The Dry Dam riesling 2008 was judged best value dry white and Fox Creek Red Baron shiraz 2008 (pictured above) best value dry red.
The trophy for most successful winery or brand went to Westend Estate Wines, Griffith. Westend took out nine awards from 20 wines entered. Considering only 15 per cent of all entries receive any award, this was a remarkable achievement.
Three red wine trophies went to the Young area in the Hilltops region, Central NSW. Considering Hilltops has only three boutique wineries plus about another five growers, this was a remarkable achievement.
Look for Grove Estate and Moppity Vineyards. Peter and Margaret Lehmann’s Margaret Barossa Semillon 2004 took out the Joy Lake Memorial championship trophy for best wine of competition for the second time in three years. A wood matured semillon from the Barossa! (Please note that your traditionally trained reporter does not use the exclamation mark, ever!)
The white wine winners: Delatite riesling 2008 was best aromatic wine (One judge’s comment: “Pale straw colour. Honeysuckle and tropical fruit salad on the nose. Spicy tropical fruit on the palate. A nice refined palate which was not overblown. It had good cleansing acidity. Those riper tropical notes seemed more obvious with the food.’) Continuing the winning list: Vavasour Awatere Valley sauvignon blanc 2009 best savvy, Saddlers Creek classic Hunter semillon 2005 best lighter bodied dry white, that Peter Lehmann Margaret Barossa semillon best medium bodied dry white, Sacred Hill Rifleman’s chardonnay 2007 and Serafino reserve chardonnay 2009 equal best fuller bodied dry white.
The red winners: Angove Nine Vines grenache shiraz rose 2009 was best still rose, Gibbston Valley reserve pinot noir 2008 best pinot noir, Grove Estate Cellar Block shiraz viognier 2008 best lighter bodied dry red, Moppity Vineyards reserve shiraz 2008 best medium bodied dry red, Sticks No 29 shiraz 2008 best fuller bodied red.(One judge’s comment: “Very deep cherry purple colour. Very clean fruit aromas. Some liquorice and vanilla oak. A warm, generous palate. Quite savoury. Balanced acid and very tight, ripe tannin. Good length. The food highlights the finesse, the length, the sleekness and the smoothness.”)
Sparkling and sweet: Konrad Sigrun Noble Two riesling 2007 best dessert wine, Morris Wines Old Premium liqueur tokay best fortified, Jacob’s Creek sparkling moscato nv best Australian sparkling wine aperitif style. All 2010 results have been published on the competition’s website – www.top100wines.com – with individual judges’ comments for each award winner and recipes of all the food dishes presented. Well worth a visit.
