The results from the 2019 Australian Pinot Noir Challenge have been revealed, with a Tasmanian wine taking out the top title. In this third iteration of the competition, the 2018 Tertini Pinot Noir beat more than 200 entries from around the country to the trophy for best wine in show.
At an awards dinner in Melbourne, the winner and five regional trophies (listed below) were announced, with the cooler states of Victoria and Tasmania dominating the proceedings.
Chair of judges Philip Rich remarked that there was a truly outstanding suite of wines on offer this year. “The quality overall was high and there was a range of styles presented, showing how assured Australian winemakers have become with pinot noir,” he says.
Most of the wines entered were from 2018, which was a warmer vintage for many Australian regions. “To get the quality of wines we saw [despite the warm conditions] means viticulturists are getting it right in the vineyards too,” Philip says.
Tertini is based in the NSW Southern Highlands, but also makes wines from Tasmania, where the winery recently planted vines. “Tasmania is becoming one of Australia’s key pinot regions, so it’s fitting to have a Tasmanian wine win the challenge,” Phillip says.
The win came as a great surprise to the Tertini team. “[Founder] Julian is so passionate about pinot noir and Tasmania,” Tertini winemaker Jonathan Holgate says.
The regional trophy winners from the Australian Pinot Noir Challenge are as follows:
Mornington Peninsula Trophy: Handpicked - 2018 Collection Pinot NoirYarra Valley Trophy: Giant Steps - 2018 Primavera Vineyard Pinot Noir
Geelong Trophy: Clyde Park - 2018 Block F College Pinot Noir
Gippsland Trophy: Dirty Three - 2018 Dirty Three Holgates Road Pinot Noir
Tasmania Trophy: Tertini Wines - 2018 Tasmania Pinot Noir
See the full results.
