The first ever national assessment of certified Australian organic wines by a Winestate managed professional tasting panel took place on Monday with Windowrie Estate taking out the top accolade.
Windowrie Estate, which is located in the NSW Central Ranges was awarded ‘Wine of the Year’ Australia 2014, for its ‘Pig in The House’ 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon.
“It was our belief that converting to organic production was the right thing to do for us, the environment, those who consume our produce, and future generations. All decisions are now made with sustainable practices in mind. This includes everything from business practices to waste reduction,” Jason O’Dea co-owner of Windowrie Estate said.
The tasting was open only to wines grown and produced in Australia that are certified by a Department of Agriculture Accredited Certification Body.
96 wines from five States and the ACT were reviewed over the two days of tasting and in excess of 80 percent of entries were awarded with either Winestate gold or silver medals, or recommended status from the professional judges.
Winestate Publisher Peter Simic said: “Overall the panel and myself as chairman were very surprised and pleased at the very high quality of the entries showing that organic wines have now moved beyond the amateur field and are now being supported by professional commercial wine makers.
“This is a major step forward. In fact the quality overall was as good if not better standard than the average tasting that Winestate would do for general non organic wines”.
The event was sponsored by The National Association for Sustainable Agriculture (NASSA).