Two Tasmanian cool climate wines have wowed the judges at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2017 (DWWA).
Devil’s Corner 2015 Riesling claimed Platinum Best in Show for Best Dry Riesling, while Pirie Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut Cuvée NV was awarded the Platinum Best in Category medal for Best Australian Sparkling wine for the second year in a row.
Both vineyards are owned by Brown Brothers, with the wines made with fruit predominately sourced from the Tamar Valley.
“This is an outstanding result,” said winemaker Tom Wallace (pictured above). “It has put Tasmania on the map as one of the world’s leading cool climate viticultural regions. We are extremely proud to say we have produced two exceptional wines for elegance, purity and finesse. For the Devil’s Corner Riesling to be named best in the world confirms we are holding our own on the world stage. We will continue to strive to produce wines deserving of the title ‘world-class’.”
The wins were two of three Platinum Best in Show awards Australia scooped at the DWWAs.
The result put our wines among the most highly awarded in the competition. France took out top spot with eight Best in Show trophies, followed by Argentina, Italy, Spain and Australia, all with three.
The DWWAs are now the world’s largest wine competition, with more than 17,200 entries in 2017.
According to Decanter: “Australia’s three Platinum Best in Show winners showed a mix of classic and new-wave. Berton’s Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2015 won ‘best value red Rhône varietals’, claiming a victory for the New World.
“Then, Devil’s Corner Riesling from Tasmania swooped in to take the top award for ‘best dry Riesling’; underlining the progress being made on Australia’s cooler-climate sites.”
The third Best in Show trophy went to De Bortoli for its Show Liqueur Muscat 2015, which topped the Aussie points score at 96.
The Platinum Aussie winners were:
Brokenwood ILR Reserve Semillon 2015
Claymore London Calling Cabernet-Malbec 2011
De Bortoli Melba Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Devil’s Lair Chardonnay 2013
Geoff Hardy Pertaringa The Yeoman 2015
Hardys Eileen Hardy Pinot Noir 2015
Hardys Rare Muscat 2014
Mr. Riggs Montepulciano 2015
Pirie Brut 2015
Tapanappa Tiers Vineyard Chardonnay NV
Wolf Blass Grey Label Cabernet-Shiraz 2015
Yalumba Viognier 2014
Click here to see the full results
Tassie scores three international trophies at London’s 34th International Wine Challenge
Meanwhile, at the 2017 IWC, the 2011 Jansz Premium Vintage Cuvée won the Australian Sparkling Trophy, additionally the 2014 Dalrymple Cave Block Chardonnay was awarded both the Australian White Wine Trophy and the Australian Chardonnay Trophy.
Recognised as one of the world’s most meticulously judged wine competition the IWC uses blind assessments of every wine, judging for its faithfulness to style, region and vintage.
Throughout the judging processes, each medal-winning wine is tasted on three separate occasions by at least 10 different judges.
Gold medals were awarded to the Bay of Fires 2015 Chardonnay, ’15 Tolpuddle Chardonnay, ’15 Devil’s Corner Riesling, the ’15 pinot noirs from Josef Chromy and Tolpuddle and the ’13 Stefano Lubiana Sasso Pinot Noir.
