An Adelaide Hills vineyard has beaten New Zealand winemakers to the trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc of Show at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition 2017.
The winning wine was Australian Vintage’s Nepenthe 2016 Pinnacle Petraea Sauvignon Blanc.
Nepenthe Winemaker James Evers said: “This is fantastic recognition, not only for Nepenthe but also for the Adelaide Hills region. We have always believed in the diversity of site and the region’s cool climate and high altitudes to produce world class Sauvignon Blanc.”
“What’s also pleasing is the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world is Australian. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a global phenomenon, however, in my view Australian – and in particular Adelaide Hills – Sauvignon Blanc is more textural with real palate length and worthy of acclaim in its own right.”
“The win is a fantastic boost for premium Australian Sauvignon Blanc”.
Debra Meiburg MV, Founding Director of Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition said: “Huge congratulations to Nepenthe on winning the trophy for “Best Sauvignon Blanc. Always a hotly contested award category, it is wonderful to see this gorgeous Adelaide Hills winery achieve top honors in 2017.
“It was picked almost unanimously as the top wine in this category by judges during the trophy judging, facing tough competition by a top New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
“Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand have consistently taken out this award in the past few years so it is wonderful to see the Adelaide Hills shining in 2017.”
This result is backed by recent IRi* figures, which find premium Australian Sauvignon Blanc now outsells New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in both volume +29% and value +16%. Additionally, Australian Sauvignon Blanc is in strong volume growth of +15% while New Zealand has grown only +4% in the last 5 years. With Sauvignon Blanc still holding the position of Australia’s most popular wine varietal by value, the figures demonstrate a positive story for Australian wine.
The 2016 Petraea Sauvignon Blanc is pale straw in colour with intense notes of gooseberry, grapefruit and lemon curd and the palate offers wonderful texture, fresh mineral acidity and a long, pure finish. This wine is currently available through Nepenthe’s cellar door and website for $35.
Pictured: Nepenthe General Manager Cameron Ferguson celebrating with the Nepenthe Asia team in Hong Kong.
