By Andy Young
The Australian trophies at this year’s International Wine Challenge have been revealed.
The four major trophy winners have been named in the Australian Sparkling, Australian White, Australian Red and Australian Fortified categories.
The winners were:
- Australian Sparking Trophy – Jansz Tasmania 2011 Premium Vintage Cuvee
- Australian White Trophy – Dalrymple 2014 Cave Block Chardonnay
- Australian Red Trophy – Charles Melton Wines 2014 Nine Popes
- Australian Fortified – Hardys NV Rare Show Sweet White
The four trophies follow on from a successful IWC for Australia, with the country’s wine producers cementing their position as world-class producers picking up 122 Gold medals, 395 Silver medals and 358 Bronze medals.
Neil McGuigan has once again been named on the shortlist for IWC White Winemaker of the Year, having already been named as the International Winemaker of the Year a record four times.
Peter McCombie, Co-Chairman of the IWC acknowledged Australia's strong showing in the competition, saying: “Wine producers in Australia have had another fantastic year at the International Wine Challenge.
"The array of medals awarded are testament to what Australian winemakers are capable of. For years Australia has been at the forefront of the wine industry, producing good-value, high quality wines.
"In recent years, producers have begun to diversify outside of the Shiraz and Chardonnay wine styles the country is so well known for, and we’ve tasted some excellent examples on the judging table this year.”