Winemaker Adrian Rodda with the multi-award winning Oakridge 2006 Chardonnay.By Melissa Donchi
JUST a few weeks after launching their new creations, Oakridge Winery has picked up a swag of awards at the first wine show of the season.
Oakridge achieved a hat trick when they scooped up three awards at the 2007 Royal Queensland Wine Show last week.
The Oakridge 2006 Chardonnay won the Dinner at Eight Club Trophy for Best Gold Winning One Year Dry White Wine, the Wilson HTM Trophy for the Chief Judge’s Choice as the Best Chardonnay of the Show and finally the Courier Mail Trophy for Champion Wine from all trophy winning wines.
Senior winemaker David Bicknell and Adrian Rodda said they were thrilled with the awards particularly as they coincided with the recent relaunch of the Oakridge brand.
“It really is fantastic timing, we’ve just launched the wine and this is the first show of the season,” Mr Rodda said.
“We knew we were onto a good thing with this wine but didn’t expect it to perform so well so soon.”
Mr Bicknell said he was particularly pleased his premium cool climate Yarra Valley Chardonnay was getting the recognition it deserved.
“It is a wine that demonstrates what a wine should taste like when the winemaking has not interfered with the inherent quality of the primary product,” Mr Bicknell said.
“Correct variety ideally suited to its climate, balanced viticulture, harvested in its correct picking window – we think it’s a pretty handy wine.”
Oakridge is clearly on a winning streak with the winery picking up nine trophies and 28 gold medals in wine shows across Australia in the past three years.
“We’re very excited about these wines and are feeling very positive about the rest of the show season,” Mr Rodda said.
