Winners are grinners

We have had a bit to say about the recent Hobart International Wine Show but, in the interests of completeness and to help all you punters who simply must drink award winning wine, we have compiled the complete list of Tasmanian winners from the 2008 Show.

Trophy Winners

Just so you know how special it is to win a trophy, to be eligible for, let alone win, a 2008 trophy your wine must also have won a gold medal in the 2008 show.  We will be endeavouring to interview all the winners in the new year.  We have already managed to chat to Fred Peacock. So keep an eye on Winepunters. Anyway enough blah ba blah, the following people won trophies that we are sure are headed straight for the pool room.  

The Tasmanian Wine Centre Trophy for Best Riesling went to Moores Hill for their 2008 Estate Riesling;

The Abel Labels Trophy for the best Tasmanian White Wine went to Moores Hill for their 2008 Estate Riesling;

The Blunstone Australia Trophy for best Sauvignon Blanc went to Bream Creek for their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc;

The Wine Industry Tasmania Trophy for the Best Tasmanian Red Wine went to Kelvedon Estate for their 2006 Pinot Noir;

The Bartercard Trophy for most successful Tasmanian exhibitor went to Bream Creek.  Yes, the Winepunters' own Fred Peacock won again. To win this trophy you have to accumulate the most points from the judges for the wines you enter in the show.  It's like winning the minor premiership in the AFL; 

The Moorilla Claudio Alcorso Trophy for the Best Tasmanian Wine went to Moores Hill for their 2008 Estate Riesling. This trophy goes to the wine judged the best of all the gold medal winning Tasmanian wines.  That's three trophies to a northern Tasmanian vineyard and only two to a southern vineyard.  We fear there is a riot a-brewin' south of Ross; and

We should also congratulate Dr Andrew Pirie for winning the Australia Post Award for outstanding service to the Tasmanian Wine Industry.  We must confess we know next to nothing about Dr Pirie but since he is helping an industry we love we have bestowed on him the Winepunters Bow of Approval.  We will attempt to have a chat to him in 2009 to correct this appalling ignorance.

It's ok if you don't want to plow through the list you can read our thoughts instead

Medal Winners

unless otherwise specified all wines are the 08 Vintage

Class 1 - Dry White - Riesling

Gold

Moores Hill 

Pressing Matters 

Silver

Bay of Fires 

Bronze

Pressing Matters 

Brook Eden Vineyard 

Goaty Hill Wines 

Glenayr Wines

Three Wishes Vineyard

Observatory Hill (Reserve Riesling)

Freycinet Vineyard

Morilla (Muse Riesling)

Class 3 - Dry White - Sauvignon Blanc

Gold

Bream Creek 

Derwent Estate 

Silver

Roslyn Estate

Frogmore Creek Wines (40 degree south Sauvignon Blanc)

Campania Hills  Vineyard

Bronze

Dalrymple Vineyard 

Chartley Estate

Tamar Ridge Estates (Pirie Tasmania South Sauvignon Blanc)

Clemens Hill Wines

Tamar Ridge Estates (Kayena Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc)

Goaty Hill Wines

Unavale Vineyard

Class 5 - Dry White - Wooded Chardonnay

Silver

Bundaleera Vineyard

Class 6 - Dry White - Unwooded Chardonnay (2008)

Silver

Roslyn Estate

Class 9 - Sweet White Table Wines - Riesling or Traminer - 2008

Silver

Meadowbank Wines (FGR Riesling)

Bronze

Pressing Matters (R59) 

Frogmore Creek Wines (FGR Riesling)

Class 11 - Dry White - Riesling - 2007 and older

Gold

Pressing Matters (07 Riesling)

Chartley Estate (06 Riesling)

Silver

Pressing Matters (07 Riesling)

Moorilla Wines (07 Muse Riesling)

Bronze

Frogmore Creek Wines (06 forty degree south Riesling)

Tamar Ridge Estates (06 Kayena Vineyard Riesling)

Bream Creek Vineyard

Velo Wines (06 Riesling)

Velo Wines (07 Riesling)

Bass Fine Wine P/L (Bass Fine Wine Strait Riesling)

Class 12 - Dry White - Traminer - 2007 and older

Gold

Craigow (05 Gewurtztraminer)

Bronze

Tamar Ridge Estates (07 Kayena Vineyard Gewurtztraminer)

Bay of Fires (07 Gewurtztraminer)

Class 13 - Dry White - Sauvignon Blanc - 2007 and older

Gold

Roslyn Estate (07 Sauvignon Blanc)

Class 15 - Dry White - Chardonnay (2007 vintage - wooded)

Gold

Bay of Fires  

Pressing Matters 

Bronze

Tamar Ridge Estates (07 Kayena Vineyard Chardonnay)

Moores Hill Estate 

Class 17 - Dry White - Chardonnay (2008 vintage)

Bronze

Nocton Park  

Class 48 - Dry Red - Cabernet Sauvignon (2005 and older vintages)

Bronze Tiltarni Vineyards (05 Pyrenees)

Josef Chromy Wines

Richmond Park Vineyard 

Class 18 - Dry White - Chardonnay (2005 vintage and older)

Bronze

Meadowbank Wines (05 Grace Elizabeth Chardonnay)  

Stefano Lubiana Wines

Class 21 - Sweet White Table Wines - Riesling or Traminer or blends - 2007 and older

Gold

Tamar Ridge Estates (06 Kayena Vineyard Botrytis Riesling)

Bronze

Josef Chromy Wines (07 Botrytis Riesling)

Craigow (06 Desert Gwertztraminer) 

Class 31 - Pinot Gris - any vintage

Silver

Morilla Wines (08 Muse)

Bay of Fires

Bronze

Barringwood Park

Tamar Ridge Estates (08 Kayena Vineyard)

Taltarni Vineyards (08 Lalla Gully Pinot Gris)

Pierre Roone

Class 33 - Single White Varieties - any vintage 

Bronze

Kilbowie Wines (07 Heron Rise Muller Thurgau)

Class 34 - Riesling - any vintage

Bronze

Morningside (08 Riesling)

Craigow (06 Riesling)

Pressing Matters (06 Riesling R9)

Bundaleera Vineyard

Frogmore Creek Wines (07 Riesling)

Class 35 - Chardonnay - any vintage

Silver

Frogmore Creek Wines (06 Chardonnay)

Bronze

Glenayr (06 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay)

Nocton Park (07 Chardonnay)

Freycinet Vineyard (07 Chardonnay)

Brook Eden Vineyard (06 Chardonnay)

Home Hill Wines (06 Kelly's Reserve Chardonnay)

Class 36 - Sauvignon Blanc - any vintage

Bronze

Panorama Vineyard (06 Sauvignon Blanc)

Frogmore Creek Wines (08 Sauvignon Blanc)

Holm Oak (08 Sauvignon Blanc)

Class 39 - Rose - Ready to drink

Gold

Brook Eden Vineyard (08 Pinot Rose)

Silver

Bundaleera Vineyard (08 Rose)

Nocton Park (07 Chardonnay)

Class 42 - Dry Red - Pinot Noir - 2007

Gold

Bass Fine Wine P/L (07 Strait Pinot Noir) 

Silver

Bay of Fires

Kelvedon Estate

Bronze

Tamar Ridge Estates (07 Kayena Vineyard)

Josef Chromy

Bass Fine Wine P/L (07 Riverview Pinot Noir)

Campania Hills

Bream Creek Vineyard

Goaty Hill Wines

Dalrymple Vineyards (07 Reserve Pinot Noir)

Dalrymple Vineyards (07 Pinot Noir)

Roslyn Estate

Clemens Hill Wines

Tamar Ridge Estates (07 Pirie Tasmania Estate )

Craigow

Class 48 - Dry Red - Cabernet Sauvignon (2005 and older vintages)

Bronze

Tiltarni Vineyards (05 Pyrenees)

Class 52 - Dry Red - Pinot Noir (2006 and older vintages)

Gold

Bream Creek Vineyard (06 Reserve)

Laurel Bank

Kelvedon Estate

Josef Chromy Wines

Pembroke Wine Company

Silver

Clemens Hill Wines

Bream Creek Vineyard (05 Reserve)

Pages Creek (05 Pinot Noir)

Milton Vineyard

Campania Hills Vineyard

Bream Creek Vineyard (06 Pinot Noir)

Bronze

Orani Wines Tasmania Pty Ltd 

Laurel Bank (05 Pinot Noir)

Sugerloaf Ridge 

Tinderbox P/L

Milton Vineyard (05 Pinot Noir)

Orani Wines Tasmania Pty Ltd (05 Pinot Noir)

Elmslie Wines Pty Ltd (3 Mountain View)

Yaxley Estate

Winestead Vineyard

Class 53 - Dry Red - Merlot (2006 and older vintages)

Bronze

Pages Creek 

Class 67 - Dry Red - Pinot Noir - any vintage

Gold

Stephano Lubiano (06 Pinot Noir)

Silver

Frogmore Creek Wines (07 Pinot Noir)

Barringwood Park (07 Mill Block Pinot Noir)

Barringwood Park (07 Forest Raven Pinot Noir)

Winstead Vineyard (05 Winstead Reserve)

Bundaleera Vineyard (07 Pinot Noir)

Bronze

Kilbowie Wines (07 Herons Rise Pinot Noir) 

Frogmore Creek Wines (05 Reserve Pinot Noir)

Home Hill Wines (06 Kelly Reserve Pinot Noir)

Craigow (05 Pinot Noir)

Cape Bernier Vineyard (06 Pinot Noir)

Home Hill Wines (06 Pinot Noir)

Ese Vineyards (06 Pinot Noir)

Cape Bernier Vineyard (07 Pinot Noir)

Nocton Park (07 Nocton Park)

Brook Eden Vineyard ((07 Brook Eden Friends Pinot Noir)

Winstead Vineyard (06 Winstead Reserve)

Frogmore Creek Wines (06 Pinot Noir)

Nocton Park (06 Nocton Park)

Clemens Hill Wines (06 Pinot Noir Reserve)

Class 77 - Sparkling Wines - Classic Varieties, bottle fermented

Gold

Janz Tasmania (04 Janz Vintage Cuvee)

Bronze

Ghost Rock Vineyard (03 Ghost Rock Catherine Sparkling)

Janz Tasmania (05 Janz Vintage Rose)

Class 78 - Sparkling Wines - Classic Varieties, bottle fermented

Bronze

Taltarni Vineyards (07 Taltarni Tache)

Janz Tasmania (NV Janz Non-Vintage)

Our thoughts

Since this was our first show we don't have any past years to use as a comparison but the results indicated to us that:

Tassie wines are still strong in all the areas you would expect.  Rieslings and Pinot Noir in particular were a happy hunting ground for Tassie producers. 

There were some interesting omissions from the exhibitors list. Given the quality of their wines and the fact that Matt is an associate judge we were surprised to not see any Pooley Wines entries.

The fact that there were some 'new' or little known producers (like Pressing Matters and Barringwood Park) as well as the 'usual suspects' winning medals bodes well for the future of the industry.

It was petty exciting to see some producers winning medals across vintages and varieties.  The emphasis the industry has placed on favouring quality over quantity is paying dividends.

Lastly, while the show was fun, this was the most time consuming and least interesting article we have written and we are glad we will only have to do this sort of piece a few times a year.  Our pain is your gain so get out and buy these wines.

What do you think?  Send us a comment