The medal winning wines of the 2021 ICC Sydney NSW Wine Awards have been revealed, raising the anticipation of who will be awarded the top trophies and named the best wine in NSW at the 26th annual NSW Wine Awards Presentation Luncheon on 10th December 2021.

Judging took place at International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) on 23rd to 25th November, when 16 expert wine judges tasting for three days, awarding 84 wines with prestigious gold medals. The gold medal tally was slightly up on last year.

“2021 marks my seventh year judging at the NSW wine Awards and my first year with the privilege of chairing the show,” chair of judges Nick Spencer said.

“Over the course of nearly a decade being involved in the show, what has stood out to me is the incredible quality and consistency of the wines, which has grown year on year – reflecting the tremendous investment and efforts of skilled winemakers and viticulturists in NSW.

“A testament to this quality and consistency was the number of times during the show this year that it was almost impossible to separate two or three exceptional wines to determine the ‘wine of class’.

“We know NSW produces wines that are up there with some of the best in the world, but this year really highlighted that exceptional quality across regions, varietals and style.”

When asked about which styles to look out for on the restaurant wine lists and bottle shop shelves this festive season, Spencer suggested a mix of classics and alternatives.

“Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz, have always been and were still strong classes in the show,” he said.

“The show’s ‘Other Whites’ and ‘Other Reds’ classes, featuring alternative varieties also really shone. In the white class, 34 wines were awarded a medal, 5 of which were gold. Trebbiano, Albarino, Vermentino, Fiano, Gewürztraminer and Verdelho all receiving high medals.

“The red class returned 29 Medals, 3 of which were gold. Durif, Malbec, Tempranillo, Barbera, Sangiovese and Nero D’Avola amongst others receiving praise.

“The standard of these wines reflects both the quality and skill invested in the regions as well as their relevance to the consumer.

“Responding to consumers’ insatiable appetite for Rosés in Australia, the ‘Light Reds’ class was another stand out this year.

“The quality of NSW Rosés has grown exponentially, and really demonstrates the skill of winemakers across the regions to craft produce that is responsive to consumer trends while maintaining quality and integrity.

The 84 gold medal finalists will now move on to the next stage of the Awards, the exclusive 2021 ICC Sydney NSW Wine Awards Presentation Luncheon, where the top 2021 trophy winners will be announced on Friday 10 December at ICC Sydney.

“We are so fortunate to have ICC Sydney as a partner for these Awards,” NSW Wine president Mark Bourne said.

“They are incredibly supportive and help us conduct this show in a very professional manner. We see ICC Sydney as a beacon for the NSW Wine Industry, highlighted by their commitment to a 100 per cent NSW Wine List.”

“We are delighted to host the 2021 ICC Sydney NSW Wine Awards for the third consecutive year as part of our ongoing commitment to promoting NSW wine on a global platform,” CEO ICC Sydney Geoff Donaghy added.

“By supporting the industry, we also provide our clients and event attendees’ access to the quality and variety of NSW wine which is recognised as some of the best in the world.”

2021 ICC Sydney NSW Wine Awards Presentation Luncheon tickets can be purchased here – https://nswwine.com.au/pages/buy-tickets

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