Saint Clair Family Estate’s exciting 12-medal haul at the 2014 Sydney International Wine Competition is a reflection of the hard work put into each bottle of wine, says winemaker Kyle Thompson.
With an impressive six wines making it into the top 100 wines of the show, including a Grüner Veltliner, two Pinot Noirs and three Sauvignon Blancs, the accolades highlight the strength and skill of their winemaking team across multiple varieties, Kyle says.
“At Saint Clair our main focus is producing high quality wines regardless of grape variety – we set very high goals in the winery and in the vineyard and are always asking ourselves “how can we do it better?”.
The fruit quality was also a key factor contributing to the wines’ success, he says.
“I guess we’re pretty lucky to have vineyards in Marlborough that produce very consistent high quality fruit. “Our main criteria is to capture flavour in the vineyard by picking the fruit at optimum ripeness and carry that through to the bottle without losing any flavour along the journey.”
Now in its 33rd year, the Sydney International Wine Competition is a significant show, because awards were allocated to wines based on their individual merits, and how well they matched with food, Kyle says.
Competition director Warren Mason says he developed the wine show specifically to find the best food-friendly wines.
“Our primary electorate is the consumer so we’ve developed a system of judging wine in the final analysis for their compatibility with the food,” Warren says.
That system has been honed to help people choose a wine appropriate to their meal, whether they are going to a barbecue or indulging in a fine dining experience.
The trophy winners will be announced at the awards banquet in Sydney in March next year.
Award winning Saint Clair Family Estate wines:
TOP 100 BLUE-GOLD
Saint Clair Marlborough Premium Grüner Veltliner 2012
Saint Clair Omaka Reserve Pinot Noir 2012
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 23 Master Block Pinot Noir 2012
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 1 Foundation Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 3 43 Degrees Sauvignon Blanc 2013
BLUE-GOLD
Saint Clair Godfrey’s Creek Reserve Noble Riesling 2013
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 5 Bull Block Grüner Veltliner 2012
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 22 Barn Block Pinot Noir 2012
Saint Clair Marlborough Premium Sauvignon Blanc 2013
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 9 Big John Riesling 2012
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 24 Arthur Sauvignon Blanc 2013
