Thursday, 05 August 2010 14:55
The awards were held on Wednesday night in the BMW Edge at Fed Square following the judging of forty-five finalists and more than seventy wines by some of Australia's leading wine experts including Ron Leslie, Roy Moorfield, Elizabeth Woods, Victoria Sharples and Ralph Kyte-Powell.
Ms Brennan congratulated all the winners for their outstanding achievements in making Victoria one of the best wine producing areas in the world. The Geelong region featured strongly in Awards, with Moorabool Ridge Winery at Lethbridge winning Best White Wine for a 2004 Semillon. Bellarine Estate was awarded the Best Red Wine for its 2008 "Phil's Fetish" Pinot Noir. Morris Wines from Rutherglen won the Fortified Wine of the Year for its N/V Old Premium Rare Liqueur Tokay, while Oakridge Vineyards in the Yarra Valley received the Judges' Award for their 2008 Pinot Noir. "The awards highlight the diversity of Victoria's wine regions and quality of the state's wine industry," said Ms Brennan. The award-winning wines and finalists will all be available for tasting at a public showcase in The Atrium, Federation Square on Thursday, 5 August. The Awards are the culmination of the Fed Square Wine Showcase series, which features a public wine tasting from a different Victorian wine region each month. These monthly showcases were established in 2004 as an initiative aimed at providing regional wineries with an opportunity to promote their wines in a central city location. In the last seven years, more than 70 Wine Showcases have been held, with in excess of 50,000 people attending and 1420 wineries exhibiting. Joanne Butterworth-Gray, Chief Executive of the Victorian Wine Industry Association, said the Victorian wine industry contributes $1.58 billion to the Victorian economy and is 18% of Australia's wine production. The Fed Square Wine Showcase series is supported by Regional Development Victoria.
Munari Wines 2006 The Beauregard Shiraz Judges' Choice Oakridge 2008 Pinot Noir Best White Wine Moorabool Ridge 2004 Semillon Best Red Wine Bellarine Estate 2008 'Phil's Fetish' Pinot Noir Best Fortified Wine Morris Wines N/V Old Premium Rare Liqueur Tokay Best Chardonnay Harcourt Valley 2008 Chardonnay Best Semillon Moorabool Ridge 2004 Semillon Best White Blend 2007 Tallis Dookie Hills Viognier Best Sparkling White or Rose 2008 Don Kinloch Sparkling White Best Pinot Noir Bellarine Estate 2008 'Phil's Fetish' Pinot Noir Best Shiraz Munari Wines 2006 The Beauregard Shiraz Best Merlot Long Gully Estate 2005 Reserve Merlot Best Cabernet Sauvignon Harcourt Valley 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Best Red Blend Psyche Wines Pty Ltd 2008 Petit Verdot Best Tokay Morris Wines N/V Old Premium Rare Liqueur Tokay
Ron Smith, Corporate Media Communications, Fed Square Mobile: 0417 329 201