NZ Wine Claims Trophy at 2013 Sweet Wine Challenge

Media Release: Wednesday 11th September 2013

NEW ZEALAND WINE CLAIMS TROPHY AT 2013 INTERNATIONAL SWEET WINE CHALLENGE

The line up of wines at this year’s 2013 International Sweet Wine Challenge was anything but short - but very sweet - with entries up on last year, proving that this show is fast becoming one of the leading global wine shows dedicated to the delights of non-fortified sweet wines. And a Marlborough wine was victorious in claiming one of the 5 highly contested Trophies - the 2012 Forrest Wines Botrytised Riesling.

A panel of expert judges, including Chief of Judges Ben Edwards and International Guest Judge Madeleine Stenwreth MW from Sweden, judged the entries in the Riverina wine region of Australia, with the results announced at the Awards Presentation luncheon on Saturday 7 September.

Amongst the bronze, silver and gold medals, five wineries from three countries experienced the ultimate sweet taste of success, taking home a Trophy.

2013 ISWC TROPHY WINNERS:

Best Young Sweet, Other Varieties & Blends ~
2012 Nederberg Noble Late Harvest (Paarl, South Africa)
Best Young Sweet, Floral styles ~
2012 Forrest Wines Botrytised Riesling (Marlborough, New Zealand)
Best Mature Sweet, Semillon predominant ~
2011 Gramps Botrytis Semillon (Riverina, Australia)
Best Mature Sweet, Floral styles ~
2010 Blue Pyrenees Cellar Door Botrytis Riesling (Pyrenees, Australia)
Best Sweet Wine from the Museum Class ~
2002 Lillypilly Noble Blend Family Reserve (Riverina, Australia)

And the wine that has claimed the ultimate title of 2013 International Sweet Wine of the Year is the 2010 Blue Pyrenees Cellar Door Botrytis Riesling.

Judge Madeleine Strenwreth MW said, “I was very pleased with the high overall quality of the entries across such a wide spectrum of sweet wine styles.

The best examples and Trophy winners were bursting with personality, intensity and class while bright and lively acidity balanced the sweetness in a delightfully refreshing way. Once again it reminded me that these wines deserve so much more attention.

As the global consumer undoubtedly feels lost among this complex and diverse category, a medal on the bottle can give the guidance needed to inspire to enter the world of natural and beautiful sweetness. This international challenge is also an excellent benchmarking exercise for sweet wine producers of the world and entries should rightfully grow even further in the years to come”.

The Riverina Winemakers Association created the International Sweet Wine Challenge nine years ago to showcase the quality of sweet wines around the world and allow Australian sweet wines to be judged alongside their international counterparts.

ENDS

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