Champion Wines 2007

Champion Wines 2007

Ultimate accolades announced by International Wine Challenge.

Excellence spans the globe with a champion red wine hailing from New Zealand and a champion white from France.

Earlier this year, the 9,358 samples entered for the world’s largest blind wine tasting were painstakingly whittled down to just nine champions. From amongst the crowd, 260 wines picked up gold medals and 84 wines won regional trophies (of which 19 were awarded international trophies). From these the co-chairmen selected the best of the very best.

Four of the champion awards were bestowed for the first time: the champion sake and the three trophies which make up the IWC Planet Earth awards (champion sustainable, champion organic and champion biodynamic). The IWC Planet Earth awards have been introduced to reflect an important trend in consumer demand, as well as rewarding those who not only excel but also put the planet at the heart of their wine making activity.

The 2007 International Wine Challenge champions are:

Champion Red and Champion Sustainable: Bald Hills Pinot Noir 2005, Bald Hills Vineyard, New Zealand.

Champion White: Beaune Clos des Mouches Premier Cru 2005, Chanson Père et Fils, France.

Champion Sparkling (Daniel Thibault Trophy): Charles Heidsieck, Champagne Charlie 1981, Champagnes P & C Heidsieck, France.

Champion Sweet: Vin Santo di Capezzana 2000, Capezzana, Italy.

Champion Fortified: Lustau Almacenista Fino del Puerto Cuesta, Emilio Lustau, Spain.

Champion Sake: Tsurunosato 2005, Kikuhime & Co Ltd, Japan.

Champion Organic: Hans Tschida, Sämling Trockenbeerenauslese 2005, Austria.

Champion Biodynamic: Champagne Fleury Millésime 1996, France.

Other major awards presented on the night included the Len Evans trophy for consistency in winemaking which went to Francisco Albuquerque, the James Rogers trophy for best wine in its first year of production (Barolo Essenze 2001, Terre da Vino), Personality of the Year (Alvaro Espinoza) and Lifetime Achievement (Jean-Marie Chadronnier). Supermarket of the Year was awarded to Tesco whilst Majestic Wine seized both the High Street Chain trophy and the top accolade, Merchant of the Year.

Four Winemaker of the Year awards were announced this year:

Fortified Winemaker: Francisco Albuquerque from Madeira Wine Company

Sparkling Winemaker of the Year: Régis Camus from Champagnes P & C Heidsieck

White Winemaker of the Year: Alastair Maling MW from Villa Maria

Red Winemaker of the Year: Samantha Connew from Wirra Wirra Vineyards

Further comment on the champion wines follows. Separate releases on the IWC Planet Earth awards, Lifetime Achievement and Personality of the Year awards have also been issued.

Full details of all the awards presented by the IWC on 12 September can be found on their website from 10 am on 13 September 2007: www.internationalwinechallenge.com

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Editors’ Notes

The International Wine Challenge 2007 Champions

Champion Red & Champion Sustainable: Bald Hills Pinot Noir 2005, Bald Hills Vineyard, New Zealand.

This year it was Bald Hills Pinot Noir’s ripe redcurrant nose, summer fruit palate and impeccable balance that set the wine apart from the 4,761 other red wines judged in the competition, an incredible effort for an incredible wine which also picked up the first ever champion sustainable award.

Champion White: Beaune Clos des Mouches Premier Cru 2005, Chanson Père et Fils, France.

The vineyard of Clos des Mouches is ideally located on a hill at the southern end of the vineyards of Beaune, on a spur pointing toward Pommard. With a limestone subsoil covered with sand the vineyards are ideally set up for bearing fruit of champion winning quality.

Champion Sparkling (Daniel Thibault Trophy): Charles Heidsieck, Champagne Charlie 1981, Champagnes P & C Heidsieck, France.

After a brief respite Champagne P. & C. Heidsieck were back on the podium to collect the trophy named after their once legendary winemaker, Daniel Thibault, the man that brought so much success to Champagnes P. & C. Heidsieck in the past. Champagne Charlie has a lovely rounded, biscuit, brioche and mineral fruit flavour.

Champion Sweet: Vin Santo di Capezzana 2000, Capezzana, Italy.

Complexity on the nose with hints of vibrantly sweet and nutty almonds leads to a pleasant peach and apricot-like finish. This aged beauty still has plenty of life left in it and will continue to reward the most patient of wine collectors.

Champion Fortified: Lustau Almacenista Fino del Puerto Cuesta, Emilio Lustau, Spain.

Fresh and zesty with hints of green apple. This authentic, classic wine has a truly elegant style and typifies the complexity and value that Sherry offers. The Champion Fortified accolade is one of a whole host of awards and medals that Lustau has achieved in 2007: 2 trophies, 5 gold, 6 silver and 9 bronze medals.

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Champion Sake: Tsurunosato 2005, Kikuhime & Co Ltd, Japan.

This year the IWC played host to the biggest Sake blind tasting outside of Japan with well over 200 entries. The Sake judges were incredibly spoilt with the quality selection on offer, making the award of a Champion Sake a tough decision. In the end it was Tsurunosato’s delightful nose of honey, with hints of cardamom and cinnamon and vibrancy of flavour that won them over.

Champion Organic: Hans Tschida, Sämling Trockenbeerenauslese 2005, Austria.

This wine also won the Austrian Botrytis trophy and the Botrytis trophy for its golden yellow tones with grapefruit and orange marmalade nose, abundant sweetness on the palate, lovely freshness and long mouth-watering length.

Champion Biodynamic: Champagne Fleury Millésime 1996, France.

The winner of the Young Vintage Champagne trophy was also declared the champion biodynamic wine. Rounded, baked bread hues, with good supportive and elegant fruit, there is a creamy element to the texture with a very nicely structured finish.

The James Rogers Trophy: Barolo Essenze 2001, Terre de Vino

This trophy recognises the best wine in its first year of production. Smoky, jammy fruit with a great mouth feel this wine is lush on the palate with just a hint of warm spice, whilst the drying tannins finish on a ripe fruit crunch. Winemakers can spend a lifetime attempting to produce wines of this quality, so to achieve this in just its first year of production is a great testament to the team at Terre da Vino according to the judges of the IWC.

The Len Evans Trophy: Francisco Albuquerque

Consistency is a key skill in any wine maker’s kit bag and the Len Evans trophy recognises just that over a period of five years. Since 2003 no-one has come close to the haul of medals that Albuquerque has achieved at the IWC. Of 71 wines entered in that time, he has walked away with 4 trophies, 11 golds, 17 silvers, 22 bronzes and 15 commended. Only 2 wines were unsuccessful…an achievement that speaks for itself. Albuquerque also picked up the award for fortified winemaker of the year 2007.

ENDS

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