THE gold medal wines of the 2019 ICC Sydney NSW Wine Awards have been revealed, raising the anticipation of who will be awarded one of the top trophies at the 24th annual NSW Wine Awards presentation luncheon next month.
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The three-day, rigorous judging process, which took place at the ICC from September 17 to 19 and saw 16 expert judges from across Australia taste nearly 900 different wines, has unveiled 520 medal-winning wines from NSW - 72 of which are gold medal winners.
Leading the local representation is Denman's Two Rivers 2018 Yarrawa Road Chardonnay.
"The meticulous system used, combined with the quality, dedication and professionalism of the panel chairs, judges and associate judges at this year's NSW Wine Awards ensured some fantastic results," chair of judges Dave Brookes said.
"Current release Rieslings from Orange and Mudgee showed these regions can deliver just as much balance and finesse as the fine examples from Canberra, and the Semillon category again proved that no one does this variety better than NSW.
"Shiraz was our biggest division this year with 193 entrants.
"A number of different regions and producers did a great job making the judging process a lot more interesting.
"As with last year, the 'alternative red varieties' category was a real highlight, with some stunning examples of Malbec, Barbera, Durif, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Nero D'Avola and Touriga.
"It was great to see in 2019 that the 'alternative white varieties' category also joined the reds in showcasing the state's diversity of wine styles and the quality of a pleasing run of excellent vintages.
"Albarino, Arneis, Fiano, Verdelho, Gruner Veltliner and Vermentino all made an impact.
"The medals these wines collected shine a light on varieties that probably need to be retitled 'appropriate' varieties rather than 'alternative', as they are well suited to our climate and are very much the future of Australian wine."
The 72 gold medal finalists, including 36 from the Hunter Valley, will now move on to the next stage, the exclusive 2019 ICC Sydney NSW Wine Awards presentation luncheon, where the top 2019 trophy winners will be announced at the International Convention Centre Sydney on Friday, October 18.
List of gold medal-winning finalists (in alphabetical order by region)
Collector 2018 Marked Tree Red Shiraz, Canberra District
Four Winds Vineyard 2018 Shiraz, Canberra District
Lerida Estate 2018 Cullerin Syrah, Canberra District
Nick O'Leary Wines 2018 Heywood Shiraz, Canberra District
Renzaglia Wines 2018 Mount Panorama Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Ranges
Windowrie 2018 Pig in the House Shiraz, Cowra
Ballinaclash 2018 Ned Touriga, Hilltops
McWilliam's Wines 2018 660 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Hilltops
Audrey Wilkinson 2019 Winemakers Selection Semillon, Hunter Valley
Bimbadgen 2014 Signature Hunter Valley Semillon, Hunter Valley
Brokenwood Wines 2018 Verona Vineyard Shiraz, Hunter Valley
De Iuliis Wines 2014 Limited Release Shiraz, Hunter Valley
De Iuliis Wines 2017 LDR Vineyard Shiraz Touriga, Hunter Valley
De Iuliis Wines 2018 LDR Vineyard Shiraz, Touriga Nacional, Hunter Valley
De Iuliis Wines 2018 Limited Release Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
De Iuliis Wines 2018 Limited Release Shiraz, Hunter Valley
First Creek Wines 2017 Single Vineyard Murphys Semillon, Hunter Valley
First Creek Wines 2018 Winemaker's Reserve Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
Horner Wines 2018 Ash Organic Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Horner Wines 2018 Family Reserve Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Kelman 2017 Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
Margan 2018 Fordwich Hill White Label Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Margan 2019 Rose and Bramble, Hunter Valley
McGuigan 2018 Shortlist Semillon, Hunter Valley
Mount Pleasant 2018 Mountain A Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Mount Pleasant 2018 Mountain D Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Mount Pleasant 2018 Old Paddock and Old Hill Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Mount Pleasant 2018 Rosehill Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Mount Pleasant 2019 1946 Vines Lovedale Semillon, Hunter Valley
Pepper Tree 2017 Claude Limited Release Hunter Valley Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Pepper Tree 2018 Coquun Hunter Valley Shiraz, Hunter Valley
RidgeView Wines 2017 "Impressions" Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Silkman Wines 2013 Estate Semillon, Hunter Valley
Silkman Wines 2017 SILK Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
Silkman Wines 2018 Single Vineyard Blackberry Semillon, Hunter Valley
Thomas Wines 2013 Cellar Reserve Braemore Semillon, Hunter Valley
Thomas Wines 2017 Dam Block Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Tulloch 2018 Limited Release E.M. Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
Two Rivers 2018 Yarrawa Road Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
Tyrrell's Vineyards 2013 Vat 1 Semillon, Hunter Valley
Tyrrell's Vineyards 2017 Vat 47 Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
Tyrrell's Vineyards 2018 Vat 47 Chardonnay, Hunter Valley
Tyrrell's Vineyards 2018 Vat 8 Shiraz, Hunter Valley
Tamburlaine 2018 Hunter Valley Reserve Syrah, Hunter Valley / Orange
Robert Stein 2017 Reserve Single Vineyard Riesling, Mudgee
Robert Stein 2019 Dry Riesling, Mudgee
Vinifera 2017 Organically Grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Mudgee
Trentham Estate 2018 The Family Nero D'Avola, Murray Darling
Angullong 2019 Pinot Grigio, Orange
Gilbert 2012 Riesling, Orange
Gilbert 2019 Pet Nat Riesling, Orange
Philip Shaw Wines 2018 No08 Pinot Noir, Orange
Printhie Wines Swift NV Rose No.3 Chardonnay / Pinot Noir, Orange
Printhie Wines Swift 2012 Vintage Chardonnay / Pinot Noir, Orange
Ross Hill Wines 2015 Pinnacle Shiraz, Orange
Ross Hill Wines 2017 Tom & Harry Cabernet Sauvignon, Orange
See Saw Organic 2019 Samm Sauvignon Blanc / Marsanne, Orange
Tamburlaine 2018 Marlowe Act One Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon, Orange
Tamburlaine 2018 Orange Reserve Malbec, Orange
Tamburlaine 2018 Wine Lovers GSM, Orange
Tamburlaine 2019 Riesling, Orange
Tulloch 2019 Cellar Door Release Vermentino, Orange
Calabria 2018 Private Bin Montepulciano, Riverina
Cookoothama 2016 Limited Release Darlington Point Botrytis Semillon, Riverina
De Bortoli 2019 La Bossa Pinot Grigio, Riverina
Dee Vine Estate 2017 Nericon Durif, Riverina
Dee Vine Estate 2019 2 Monkeys Merlot, Riverina
Deen DeBortoli 2017 Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon, Riverina
Nugan Estate 2016 Manuka Grove Durif, Riverina
Hungerford Hill 2016 Chardonnay, Tumbarumba
Hungerford Hill 2018 Revee Vineyard Pinot Noir, Tumbarumba
McWilliam's Wines 2018 Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, Tumbarumba
