A $7 wine made exclusively for Coles has taken out a top price for the second time in three years.
The wine sold exclusively at Liquorland, First Choice Liquor and Vintage Cellars has been named as the best under $20 from Australia at the Winestate Wine of the Year Awards in Adelaide.
A panel of expert judges made up of winemakers, wine scientists and Masters of Wine chose the Story Bay Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2017 from a field of 2,500 wines over 12 months of blind tastings.
Winestate publisher and head of the judging panel Peter Simic said the wine, from Western Australia’s famed Margaret River region, stood out for delivering on both quality and value.
READ: Wine Australia: China is Australia’s most valuable wine export market
“It was pretty close but this wine had the highest rating out of all the tastings at the lowest price, it really deserved the trophy,” he said.
“For the amazing value price of $7, plus high blind judging score, this should be everybody’s everyday drinking wine,” said Simic.
Coles acting chief executive for liquor and hotels, Cathi Scarce, said the accolade was testament to the hard work of winemaker Alana Langworthy from WA winery Nocturne Wines, who has made exclusive wines for Coles Liquor since 2012.
“To have this recognition from some of the industry’s top wine tasters is further evidence that we’re getting it right by working with the best winemakers in Australia to deliver amazing quality wines at a great price,” she said.
The Story Bay Semillon Sauvignon Blanc is described by the tasting panel as having vibrant tropical fruit aromas including passionfruit, with notes of lime and blossom, hints of herbal tea and fresh cut grass, and a zesty and refreshing acid backbone that provides structure and length.
Winemaker, Langworthy, said Margaret River is famous for style, but it’s not a region that people associate with value, so it’s an absolute delight to be recognised for a wine that everybody in Australia can enjoy.
“The strength of the region is that it is so diverse, which allows us to work with fruit from a range of microclimates which provide different flavours.
“The result is a multi-dimensional wine which has textural crunch and depth of flavour that can stand toe-to-toe with wines selling for three times the price,” she said.
“Making great value wine that is also recognised as being among the best in the country makes us really proud of the partnership with Coles, which has allowed us to evolve and grow our business,” said Langworthy.