Not part of the in-crowd since 2005!

Sheraton Perth WA Wine Awards 2009

As it has over the years, this year’s Sheraton wine show unearthed a few new names to keep an eye on over the years with new label Koolama – a former supplier vineyard recently turned wine brand – the big winner in 09.

The judges’ feedback included much praise for whites and reds across the board including the first gold medal in the pinot class I can recall in a long time.

The sparkling and merlot classes however continue their inability to produce a gold medal winner, highlighting the problems the West Australian industry has traditionally had when it comes to these two wine styles. Of course, that’s just a generalization and excellent examples of each are at hand, particularly the sparkling: flutes of the Capel Vale Debut pinot chardonnay NV sparkling caught Marie and I by surprise at a function and until we saw the bottle, thought we might have been drinking French bubbles.

Similarly, Voyager Estate’s 2006 sparkling is fashioned out of early-picked chardonnay and as expected, is graced with elegance, freshness and length. An excellent blanc de blanc style.

But I digress. Without further ado, congratulations to all of this year’s winners.

Class 1 – Riesling
Silver: Castelli Estate Riesling 2009
Gold: 3 Drops Riesling 2009

Class 2 – Sauvignon Blanc
Silver: Knee Deep Wines Sauvignon Blanc 2009
Gold: Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Class 3 – Semillon
Silver: Sittella Wines Semillon 2007
Gold: Evans and Tate Semillon 2004

Class 4 – Verdelho
Silver: The Growers Verdelho 2004
Gold: Ashbrook Estate Verdelho 2009

Class 5 – Chardonnay
Silver: Ferngrove Vineyards Estate Chardonnay 2008
Gold: Koolama Chardonnay 2007

Class 6 – Dry White – Other Varieties or Blends of Varieties
Silver: MillBrook Winery Viognier 2008
Gold: Redgate Wines Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2009

Class 7 – Sweet white table wine
Silver: Xanadu Wines Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2008
Gold: not awarded

Class 8 – Rose
Silver: Woodgate Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Gold: Sandalford Wines Cabernets 2009

Class 9 – Pinot Noir
Silver: Abbey Creek Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008
Gold: Castle Rock Estate Pinot Noir 2008

Class 10 – Merlot
Silver: Rockfield Estate Merlot 2007
Gold: not awarded

Class 11 – Cabernet Sauvignon
Silver: Wine by Brad Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Gold: Capel Vale Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Class 12 – Shiraz
Silver: Mongrel Creek Vineyard Shiraz 2007
Gold: Knee Deep Wines Shiraz 2008

Class 13 – Dry Red – Other varieties or Blends of Varieties
Silver: Windance Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2007
Gold: Preveli Wines Cabernet Merlot 2007

Class 14 – Sparkling Red or White – Other varieties or Blends of varieties
Silver: Old Kent River Pinot Noir Chardonnay 2006
Gold: not awarded

Class 15 – Fortified – Any style
Silver: Sandalford Wines Pedro Ximenez NV
Gold: Jane Brook Estate Wines Liqueur Verdelho NV

The Chairman’s Award for the Wine of the 2009 Sheraton Perth WA Wine Awards:
Koolama Chardonnay 2007

The Most Successful Exhibitor in the 2009 Sheraton Perth WA Wine Awards:
Evans and Tate