August 13 2007

Country News

For most winemakers, making a good drop is a matter of trial and error.

But for Guido Vazzoler, chief winemaker at Murchison Wines at Longleat, it seems he got it right from the beginning. The first wine Mr Vazzoler made after he and his wife Sandra purchased the winery at the end of 2003, was a 2004 vintage riesling.

Three years later, their inaugural wine was awarded the Best Riesling in Show trophy at the Cowra Wine Show, which was held earlier this month.

Mr Vazzoler admitted he was surprised to win the trophy as the riesling category was typically dominated by bigger wineries.

"When I was told we won a trophy I automatically thought it would have been a red," he said. "White trophies are hard to win.

"It was a real treat and a good way to see how far we've come," Mr Vazzoler said.

The Cowra Wine Show is one of the largest national wine shows in Australia, and this year attracted more than 2700 entries.

Mr Vazzoler said it was difficult to keep up with wine trends as they changed so quickly so it was important to keep the consumer in mind.

"In that respect we have an advantage over the big companies because we can talk to the consumers when they visit the cellar door," he said.

The winery enters about two or three wine shows a year, which Mr Vazzoler said not only provided a benchmark for their wines, but if successful, the awards had good promotional value.

But while Mr Vazzoler acknowledged that industry accolades were a great endorsement for the winery, the best feedback was from the consumer.

"When someone comes out to the cellar door and says `I love your wine' and buys a bottle . . . that's the best compliment you can get."

Murchison Wines at Longleat is open for tasting and cellar door sales from Friday to Monday, 10 am to 5 pm.