Printhie wines have today been awarded the Winewise Sauvignon Blanc Medallion (for individual varieties or styles) at the 2010 Winewise Championship for their 2009 Printhie Mountain Range Orange Region Sauvignon Blanc. “We’ve had some success with our Sauvignon Blanc,” commented Printhie co-owner, Ed Swift, “so to be judged the best Sauvignon Blanc at the Winewise Championship is a great accolade. Sauvignon Blanc is
the dominant white wine category in Australia at the moment and this proves that Printhie is one of the leading producers of the variety.”

Mr Jesberg explained the objective of the Winewise Championship; “In what amounts to a ‘best of the best competition’, the object was to acknowledge Australia’s finest wines, from producers large and small. The
Winewise Championship is an exciting new initiative designed to showcase the benchmark wines of Australia. And the results demonstrate this well with every State featuring in the awards.” The best wines from the 2009 National Wine Show of Australia (the premium national show which has become the province of large producers) and the 2009 Winewise Small Vigneron Awards (the premium small producers' wine show) were judged against the best from the major Australian regional wine shows during the 2009 show circuit. To add balance, some “wildcard” entries were invited from producers who don't normally enter wine shows but whose wines were previously judged under show conditions.

Mr Jesberg added, “This is a competition amongst peers and gives us an accurate snapshot of the quality of the Australian wine industry at this point in time.” The Orange region is building a very solid reputation for Sauvignon Blanc and is arguably one of only two or three regions in Australia capable of mounting a challenge to the dominance of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. “We have worked very hard to source high quality, high altitude fruit to produce a wine that reflects the unique characteristics of the Orange region. With a range of vineyards from 800m to 1,000m in elevation, we are able to get some terrific fruit complexity and wonderful natural acid structure,” said Printhie winemaker Drew Tuckwell.

The winemaking process was intentionally uncomplicated. The juice required little fining or acidification prior to fermentation. Selected commercial yeasts were used for fermentation to highlight fruit purity and maintain a clean aromatic profile. Fermented was conducted exclusively in stainless steel tanks to retain aromatic intensity and complexity. The wine was stabilised and filtered immediately after fermentation and bottled early to capture the wine in its freshest state.

Sauvignon Blanc Medallion, Winewise Championship 2010
Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc at the Winewise Small Vigneron Awards, Canberra 2009
Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc & NSW Top 40, NSW Wine Awards 2009
Gold Medal, Orange Region Wine Show 2009