Two Wine Shows, Supermodels & the Vibrant Alternatives
Having attended two major wine show lunches last month, I was once again reminded just how different wines star in different spotlights.
The Sydney Royal Wine Show is one of the wine shows of the Australian show circuit with its medals & trophies being much sought after. A gong from this show will certainly sell bottles & can even seal fates.
This year, I found that the trophy winners were all tightly structured, somewhat stern but all perfect. And all were immediately drinkable. I really recommend The Idiot by Philip Shaw Wines 2009.
There were some well known wines amongst the trophy haul but there also were some less known wines that did incredibly well; such as The Idiot by Philip Shaw Wines 2009, Yabby Lake Pinot Noir 2009, Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard Pinot Noir 2009 & Chapman Grove Wines from the Margaret River had two wines: Sauvignon Blanc 2010 & Dreaming Dog Shiraz 2009 claim trophies.
Even in the Gold Medal line ups there were a number of the smaller producers being recognized for producing outstanding wines, with just a few wineries producing wines from newer varietals being rewarded. One in particular was the Warburn Estate winning a much deserved Gold Medal for their Limited Release Montepulciano.
Sydney International Wine Competition …
While the trophy winners from the Sydney Royal Wine Show 2011 were all very fine examples, do you want to go out with a super model every night? The Sydney International Wine Competition winners were wines that showed plenty of finesse & elegance across different price ranges. This show reminds us that some wines show their true beauty when enjoyed with food.
Taylors was one producer who proved that price point was no barrier to winning medals when they received Blue Gold Medals for each of their Shirazs from entry tier Promised Land Shiraz to their flagship St Andrews Shiraz.
There was one trophy winner at this competition, who caught my attention as someone who certainly deserves his success- particularly for bringing to life a very intriguing varietal. The Serafino Wines Bellissimo Lagrein 2009 took home the trophy for the “Best Wine, Lesser Recognised Grape Variety”. The Chief Winemaker for Serafino is Charles Whish who started with Serafino after leaving Rosemount.
Serafino are certainly worth watching as Charles is a rarity: a winemaker with a consistent high standard year in year out and across many varieties. He cut his teeth in Rosemount with Philip Shaw before moving to McLaren Vale to go on to produce top end Rosemount wines including a Jimmy Watson trophy winner. According to Charles, this is just one of the exciting Italian varietals Serafino, the label for the Maglieri family, are developing- others are Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Vermentino & Primitivo (the 2010 Primitivo is apparently looking very good). Incidentally, Charles was also part of the team producing the Sydney Royal Wine Show 2011 trophy winner Rosemount Regional Showcase Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 before he left in December 2009.
Congratulations to all the award winners in both shows. |
produce through a number of wine-and-food focussed events across Sydney and regional NSW.
Taste Great Southern 2011 showcases the regions outstanding wines, produce and people.
