A SAUVIGNON Blanc wine from Orange has been pipped for the overall championship trophy at the 2008 National Cool Climate Wine Show in Bathurst.
Brangayne of Orange exhibited the only gold medal winning Sauvignon Blanc in the largest class of the show beating 85 entries drawn from the premium cool climate wine growing regions of Australia.
The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc was just beaten for the overall Champion Wine of the Show Trophy by an outstanding Paringa Estate, Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir, but secured the Bathurst Regional Council Trophy for Sauvignon Blanc and the Champion Central Ranges Wine Trophy.
The judges found Brangayne’s wine the only Blanc worthy of a gold medal award in a class in which six silver medals and 19 bronze medals were awarded. Significantly the same bottling of Sauvignon Blanc from Brangayne had recently been awarded a gold medal at the International Wine Show in Auckland, New Zealand.
The success of Brangayne on the show benches is not unusual. The winery exhibited the Champion Cabernet Sauvignon last year after having done the same with a gold medal Cabernet Sauvignon in 2005. But a 2006 Cabernet remains in the cellar and was not bottled in time for exhibition this year.
Brangayne won the Sauvignon Blanc Trophy in 2006 and collected a bronze for the wine in 2007, the vineyard and winery manager David Hoskins said yesterday.
Fourth generation orchardists Don and Pamela Hoskins uprooted fruit trees to plant grapes in 1994. The family now has 26 hectares of vines, Mr Hoskins said.
“Simon Gilbert, who made the wine, knew it was good from the moment he made it,” Mr Hoskins said.
“He is very good handling Sauvignon Blanc to produce this particular style of wine.
“We’re growing about 200 tonnes of fruit each year but only selecting enough fruit to bottle about 3,000 cases. We’re quite small in that regard. The rest of our grapes are sold to other winemakers.
“There are 600 dozen cases of the gold medal and trophy winning Sauvignon Blanc that went on sale in August in Orange and Bathurst and some restaurants retailing for $24 per bottle.”
Mr Hoskins said the 2008 vintage was an improvement on 2007 because it was not necessary to irrigate the vineyard. The fruit we machine picked at night was better quality than expected with good yields.
“The fruit was of good flavour and acid at picking in cool conditions with the temperature maintained naturally for the three hour trip to Mudgee for crushing.”
Central Ranges wineries in the Bathurst and Orange district were among the winners of medals, none more rewarding than the silver medal secured by Don and Ruth Anderson of the Three Views Vineyard and Winery with a 2008 vintage Riesling which secured 17 points, failing by only 1.5 points to win a gold medal.
Three Views also secured a bronze medal for a wooded Chardonnay from the 2007 vintage and 2007 blend of Merlot/Cabernet Franc.
Philip Shaw Wines of Orange received a bronze medal for 2007 Chardonnay and 2006 Pinot Noir and did better winning silver medals for 2006 Chardonnay and 2006 Shiraz.
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