Leading winemaker Australian Vintage has taken home the Lighter Alcohol Trophy for 2023 at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) Awards.
The 2022 Tempus Two Lighten Up Pinot Noir, re-launched earlier this year with a new label, was awarded top prize in its category at the prestigious awards, being the only Australian trophy winner in its category.
With the introduction of two new trophys to the Alternative Drinks Awards category, Australian Vintage were awarded the inaugural Lighter Alcohol Trophy. The category comprises low, no and lighter alcohol, as well as RTD, vermouth and huangjiu.
The IWSC, founded in 1969, is a global wine and spirits community recognising the standout performers across a range of categories. IWSC Judging Committee members awarded the coveted trophy medals after retasting the gold-medal winners from each category.
Australian Vintage Chief Winemaker, Jamie Saint, spoke of the achievement: “For decades our team has worked to perfect our NoLo alcohol programme and we’re thrilled to see the expertise recognised on the biggest global stage for this category.”
“NoLo has been a growing trend we’ve seen accelerate over the past two years, which we will continue to invest in. Our Tempus Two, McGuigan Zero and recently launched Not Guilty are the perfect drop for consumers looking to cut back their alcohol intake, without compromising on taste – as the reviews testify.”
The winning Pinot Noir was described as “an excellent food wine that is bright with red Pinot fruit. Black cherry and strewed fruit notes on the palate with liquorice tannins and a good texture and density. Very light considering the ABV, this is a great example of low ABV Pinot Noir.”
In addition to the Alternative Drinks Trophy category win, Australian Vintage received high scores of 90+ points for nine of its wines at the 2023 IWSC.