Bill Calabria and Nick O’Leary Steal the Show at NSW Wine Awards

A first in the history of the NSW Wine Awards, Canberra’s Nick O’Leary has won the coveted Wine of the Year Trophy again. Taking out the show with his 2013 Bolaro Shiraz last year, this year O’Leary stole the show with his 2014 Shiraz.

O’Leary’s popular shiraz also picked up the trophies for Best Young Shiraz and Best Dry Red. Each produced from small individual parcels of fruit, Nick O’Leary Wines are becoming more and more well-recognised on the show circuit and were recently highly rated in James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion.

O’Leary said on his win: “Its a great honour to win again this year, for the second year in a row and for the Canberra District as well. We’re a very small wine community, but we’re certainly punching above our weight.”

Six other regions across the state also picked up trophies this afternoon, with 11 of the 17 awarded to the Hunter Valley and Orange.

De Luliis Wines won two trophies for the Hunter, including the Trophy for Best Young Red Blend and Best Mature Red, while McGuigan Wines won Best Young Semillon for the region; a varietal the Hunter has long been associated as doing well with.

For Orange, Colmar Estate won Best Young Riesling and Best Young Pinot Noir, while Cooks Lot received the Trophy for Best Young Sauvignon Blanc and Tamburlaine Wines won Best Young Other Red Varieties, as well as the NSW DPI Award for Best Organic Wine.

In addition and a highlight of the awards, the Graham Gregory Trophy for Significant Contribution to the NSW Wine Industry went to Bill Calabria for his life dedication to the Riverina region and NSW at large. In particular, the award recognised Bill Calabria’s work towards developing the image of the Riverina as well as aiding in the education of NSW wine.

This year the awards received a record number of entries, with judging led by PJ Charteris.

Commenting on the awards, Charteris said 2015 results proved that NSW wines are continuously improving.

“Of the entries, 52 per cent received a medal this year, which is higher than the industry standard (46/47 per cent).”

Specifically, Charteris said shiraz and semillon were the dominating varietals this year, while chardonnay made a reemergence.

“With continued quality improvements, NSW chardonnay is challenging chardonnay across Australia”, Charteris added.

As the NSW Wine Awards continue to grow year on year, Ward added that the same can be said of the NSW wine industry, “which is making great wines, with some noticeable wins in the past year”, he said.

“I have never been more optimistic about the future”, Ward concluded.

2015 NSW Wine Awards Winners

Collotype Trophy for Best Young Riesling ~ 2015 Colmar Estate Riesling (Orange)

NSW DPI Trophy for Best Young Semillon ~ 2013 McGuigan Bin 9000 Semillon (Hunter Valley)

Trophy for Best Young Sauvignon Blanc ~ 2015 Cooks Lot Allotment 689 Sauvignon Blanc (Orange)

Longfellow’s Trophy for Best Young Chardonnay ~ 2014 First Creek Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay (Hunter Valley)

Trophy for Best Young White Other Varieties ~ 2014 Topper’s Mountain Gewürztraminer (New England)

Trophy for Best Mature Dry White ~ 2009 Brokenwood Wines ILR Reserve Semillon (Hunter Valley)

Trophy for Best Young Pinot Noir ~ 2014 Colmar Estate Pinot Noir (Orange)

Orora Stelvin Trophy for Best Young Shiraz ~ 2014 Nick O’Leary Shiraz (Canberra District)

Riedel Trophy for Best Young Cabernet Sauvignon ~ 2014 Moppity Vineyards Lock & Key Reserve Cabernet (Hilltops)

Trophy for Best Young Other Red Varieties ~ 2014 Tamburlaine Wines Reserve Malbec (Orange)

Trophy for Best Young Red Blend ~ 2014 De Iuliis Shiraz Touriga LDR Vineyard (Hunter Valley)

StarTrack Trophy for Best Mature Red ~ 2011 De Iuliis Shiraz Limited Release (Hunter Valley)

NSW DPI Award for Best Organic Wine ~ 2014 Tamburlaine Wines Reserve Malbec (Orange)

CiSRA Canon Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine ~ 2002 Courabyra “805” (Tumbarumba)

Trophy for Best Sweet Wine ~ 2013 Bunnamagoo Estate Autumn Semillon (Mudgee)

Trophy Best Dry White ~ 2014 First Creek Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay (Hunter Valley)

Clear Image Trophy for Best Dry Red ~ 2014 Nick O’Leary Shiraz (Canberra District)

Print PDF