The International Wine Challenge (IWC) has named Tolpuddle Vineyard’s 2023 Chardonnay as Champion White Wine in its 2025 competition, marking the winery’s return to the title after previously winning the award in 2020.
Earlier this year, the same wine won four trophies including the International Chardonnay Trophy and Australian White Trophy, with judges praising the winning wine as “confident”, “complex”, and “alluring”. IWC judges also praised the wine for its “ethereal yet confident character, with beautifully integrated spice notes and cool fruit”.
The award caps a very impressive competition for Australia, coming third to France and Spain in its haul of medals this year.
Australia impressed judges with a wide range of wines, from elegant Bordeaux-style blends from Margaret River to vibrant cool-climate Pinot Noirs from Tasmania. Strong entries were also recorded in fortified and sparkling categories. The country secured 51 Gold, 220 Silver and 122 Bronze medals, reinforcing its position as the leading new world wine producer.
IWC Co-chair Peter McCombie MW said: “Not so long ago, the words ‘cool climate Australia’ would have been an oxymoron, but some of our favourite Australian wines in this year’s competition came from cool-climate regions.
“Stylish, mineral Chardonnays from maritime zones and fresh, succulent Pinot Noirs, notably from Tasmania, were among the highlights.”
Tolpuddle Vineyard also won the Australian Pinot Noir Trophy for its Pinot Noir 2023 with judges praising its “balance of bright red fruit and elegant structure”.
Other Australian highlights from this year’s IWC included several trophies for Morris Wines, as Its Old Premium Rare Muscat won the Australian Fortified Trophy and the Muscat Trophy, impressing judges with its ‘highly complex nose’ and ‘impressive length and complexity’. Its Old Premium Rare Tawny also won the Rutherglen Fortified Trophy.
Ponting Wines, a collaboration between one of Australia’s most celebrated cricketers, Ricky Ponting, and award-winning winemaker Ben Riggs, won the Australian Shiraz Trophy for its 127 Milestone 2022, which was praised as “immediately appealing and inviting”.