BREAKING RECORDS WITH THE BEST NSW WINES: 2015 Pier One Sydney Harbour NSW Wine Awards

Today saw the best wines in New South Wales announced at the 2015 Pier One Sydney Harbour NSW Wine Awards.

According to 2015 Chair of Judges PJ Charteris, “This show has highlighted a large number of exceptional wines, with a much higher percentage of entrants getting medals than is the industry standard. This is a huge thumbs up to the strength of NSW wine and the NSW Wine Awards.”

 

The sold-out Presentation Lunch was held at Pier One Sydney Harbour, with winemakers from all over NSW in attendance, including the 12 wineries who won Trophies (please see full list at end), alongside quests of honour The Lieutenant Governor of NSW, His Excellency The Honourable TF Bathurst AC, Rick Colless MLC, Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Resources and Regional Planning, Michael Bullen from NSW Department of Trade and Industry, and other valued supporters Clear Image, Collotype, Longfellow’s Insurance, Orora Stelvin, Riedel, Star Track and CiSRA Canon.

 

During the presentations, President of the NSW Wine Industry Association Tom Ward thanked the record 137 wineries who entered a record 872 wines into this year’s Awards. He confirmed that these were not the only records as more Gold Medals than ever before were awarded, reflecting the ever increasing quality of our local wines.

 

Tom also commented that not only were today’s winners worth celebrating but also NSW wines were doing great things all over the country and world; notably the Silkman 2014 Chardonnay (winner of the James Halliday Chardonnay Challenge), Moppity Vineyard’s 2013 Reserve Shiraz (winner of the 2014 Great Australian Shiraz Challenge) and the McGuigan Bin Semillon team just winning the International Semillon Trophy again, marking 5 years in a row at the IWSC in London. In Tom’s words, “shining a light on all other NSW wines that have continued to push the boundaries and have achieved great results.”

 

Today, 7 of the State’s exciting wine regions will be taking home Trophies, with Orange, the Hunter Valley, Hilltops, Tumbarumba, the Canberra District, Mudgee and New England all claiming well deserved accolades. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events Stuart Ayres commented that NSW is home to some of Australia’s best wine destinations and the NSW Wine Awards are a testament to the quality and diversity produced by winemakers across the State. “Our State’s award-winning wines combined with fresh, local produce continue to draw visitors from across the globe and it’s wonderful that we have this opportunity to recognise and acknowledge the NSW wine industry on their achievements,” Mr Ayres said.

 

The big winner of the Awards was Nick O’Leary Wines from the Canberra District who were awarded the ultimate title of‘Pier One Sydney Harbour 2015 NSW Wine of the Year’ for their 2014 Nick O'Leary Shiraz. This is the second time this winery has won the title of ‘NSW Wine of the Year’, an additional first for the NSW Wine Awards.

 

Another great achievement recognised today was the work of Bill Calabria, Calabria Family Wines Managing Director. Bill was presented with the Graham Gregory Award for services to the NSW wine industry. The Hon Rick Colless MLC, Parliamentary Secretary for Natural Resources and Regional Planning, who presented the award said, “Bill has dedicated his whole life to the Riverina … he has been a leader in transforming the image of the region and committed to educating people how to increase wine quality.”

 

When asked about the future of the NSW wine industry Tom Ward remarked, “Never have I been more optimistic about the future. It is not easy, but I believe the connections and pathways that we are making have sustainability at their core. We are not just after the sale of wine today, we are after the relationships that will enable us to continue putting our energy into making even more exciting and greater wines tomorrow.”

 

List of 2015 NSW Wine Awards Trophies:

 

Best Young Riesling ~ 2015 Colmar Estate Riesling (Orange)

Best Young Semillon ~ 2013 McGuigan Bin 9000 Semillon (Hunter Valley)

Best Young Sauvignon Blanc ~ 2015 Cooks Lot Allotment 689 Sauvignon Blanc (Orange)

Best Young Chardonnay ~ 2014 First Creek Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay (Hunter Valley)

Best Young White Other Varieties ~ 2014 Topper's Mountain Gewürztraminer (New England)

Best Mature Dry White ~ 2009 Brokenwood Wines ILR Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley)

Best Young Pinot Noir ~ 2014 Colmar Estate Pinot Noir (Orange)

Best Young Shiraz ~ 2014 Nick O'Leary Shiraz (Canberra District)

Best Young Cabernet Sauvignon ~ 2014 Moppity Vineyards Lock & Key Reserve Cabernet (Hilltops)

Best Young Other Red Varieties ~ 2014 Tamburlaine Wines Reserve Malbec (Orange)

Best Young Red Blend ~ 2014 De Iuliis Shiraz Touriga LDR Vineyard (Hunter Valley)

Best Mature Red ~ 2011 De Iuliis Shiraz Limited Release (Hunter Valley)

Best Organic Wine ~ 2014 Tamburlaine Wines Reserve Malbec (Orange)

Best Sparkling Wine~ 2002Courabyra "805" (Tumbarumba)

Best Sweet Wine ~ 2013 Bunnamagoo Estate Autumn Semillon (Mudgee)

Best Dry White     ~ 2014 First Creek Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay (Hunter Valley)

Best Dry Red~ 2014 Nick O'Leary Shiraz (Canberra District)

Pier One Sydney Harbour 2015 NSW Wine of the Year ~ 2014 Nick O'Leary Wines Shiraz

Media Contacts:

Manda Duffy, Head of Promotions NSW Wine P: 0432 750 489  E: MDuffy@australianvintage.com.au

Alex Burgener, Palate PR     P: 0404 900 961         E: alexburgener@palatepr.com.au