6 ANNUAL DIRECTORY 2020
SARAH JESSICA PARKER
HELPS KIWIS GET
SAUVIGNON BLANC
CLEAN SWEEP
New Zealand’s wine industry received an
unlikely ally in the form of vivacious American
actor, Sarah Jessica Parker, in the battle of the
Southern Hemisphere wine giants in the Sydney
International Wine Competition (SIWC).
Sarah Jessica Parker’s collaboration with New
Zealand’s Invivo Wines helped the Kiwis complete
a clean-sweep of trophies and medals in the
Competition’s Sauvignon Blanc category with
a BlueGold medal for her debut Invivo X, SJP
Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($25).
Parker – who has enjoyed considerable
acclaim for her perfume range – put her
skills to good effect with the blending of the
Sauvignon Blanc from five parcels of 2019
Marlborough fruit to produce an easydrinking,
but distinctive wine described
by SIWC judge, Andrea Pritzker MW, as
having: “Lively aromas of passionfruit
and fresh-cut grass. Crisp and fresh
displaying passionfruit intensity and
floral overtones.”
Sarah Jessica Parker also handpainted
the “X” design on the bottle’s
original label.
She says of her first foray into wine
production and the subsequent
reaction: “The whole marvellous
experience was a great and
unexpected opportunity and yes,
at last we get to introduce the fruits
of these last many months. We are
thrilled to pour our first glasses,
delight in imagining others do so
and hope very much that you love it
as much as we do.”
The medal continues a run of
success for Invivo’s celebrity
backed wines in the Sydney
International Wine Competition, with
Graham Norton’s Sauvignon Blanc
and Australian Shiraz blends tasting
success in previous competitions.
However, it wasn’t all one-way traffic
for the Kiwis.
Australian wineries won 166 trophies and medals
compared to 77 for New Zealand’s wineries. Other
trophy and medal winners came from Argentina,
France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
Australian wineries took out 11 of the 13 trophies
for the Style Categories and also best wine of
the competition – the Jacob’s Creek Lyndale
Chardonnay 2018 (A$50).
And while the Aussie winemakers couldn’t dent
the Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc ‘fortress’, an Australian
Pinot Noir did take out the trophy for best Pinor
Noir, with Coles Liquor’s Ballewindi Pinot Noir
2018 (A$30) from Balnarring in the Mornington
Peninsula ending a long run of dominance by New
Zealand wines in the class. However, while an
Australian Pinot Noir might have taken top spot,
the Kiwis still won 20 out of the 24 medals in the
category.
New Zealand’s Marlborough was once again the
most successful wine region, with 52 trophies and
medals, whilst Australia’s pre-eminence in the red
wine categories saw South Australia’s Barossa
Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Adelaide Hills
and the Clare Valley all perform strongly, along
with Western Australia’s Margaret River.
Three wineries shared the ‘most awarded’ honour,
with New Zealand’s Saint Clair Family Estate and
Yealands Wine Group, and Australia’s De Bortoli
Wines taking out nine medals each.
The Sydney International Wine Competition is
unique in being the only international wine show
that judges all its finalists in combination with
appropriate food – meaning that consumers can
select wines that are best suited to accompany
specific meals, from BBQs to formal dinners.
An international panel of 13 highly-credentialed
judges led by Warren Gibson, and including
six Masters of Wine, judged the 1600 wines
submitted, awarding 251 Top 100, Blue Gold and
Gold medals, along with 24 trophies.
Trophy Winners of the 40th Sydney International
Wine Competition can be found by visiting https://
sydneywinecomp.com/2020-trophy-winners/.
TOP EXPOSURE
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