Australia/NZ Champion Pinot Noir of the Year Award

PRESS RELEASE: 11 NOVEMBER 2011 - for immediate publication

Australia/NZ Champion Pinot Noir of the Year Award
to Lowburn Ferry

Lowburn Ferry Wines in Central Otago has added another major international award to its tally this week, bringing home the trophy for Champion Pinot Noir 2011 for Australia and New Zealand - from leading Australian publication, Winestate.

Coming from one of the smallest but brightest stars in the Central Otago wine industry, Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2010 was the top wine of more than 1500 pinot noirs from throughout Australasia tasted by the Winestate magazine panels over the past year.

Trophies were presented to category winners in Auckland and Adelaide this week

Owners Jean and Roger Gibson are ecstatic with the accolade, especially as Winestate is particularly influential across Australia and Asia which are key export markets for Lowburn Ferry wines.

Being released in the New Zealand market this week to cap off an award-winning week for Lowburn Ferry, Lowburn Ferry Home Block Pinot Noir 2010 was also awarded a Blue-Gold Medal at the Sydney International Wine Show where gold medal winning wines are judged again as to how well they compliment foods to receive a blue-gold award. It recently also won a Gold Medal at the NZ International Wine Show (where the previous vintage was Champion Pinot Noir in 2010).

“We've always felt our block in the Lowburn Valley is a little special. Deep loess silt soils unusually high in organic matter give us the essential ingredients to start working from to produce great grapes,” says co-owner and viticulturalist Roger Gibson. The couple also attributed the success to a good working relationship with the winemaking team at Vinpro under the direction of Pete Bartle.

Lowburn Ferry is the area surrounding an historic ferry crossing over the mighty Clutha River in Central Otago. The former punt and distinctive "Sugarloaf" terraces are embraced in the winery's branding.

The vineyard was established in 2000, nestled on a sheltered north facing terrace in the Lowburn Valley beneath the Pisa Range. Owners Roger and Jean Gibson have academic backgrounds in soil science and horticulture, and are totally focused on producing the best pinot noir wine from their special site in the Lowburn Valley. Most of the production from their 3.5ha site is exported throughout Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. The award winning pinot noirs are also sold direct from the winery, fine wine stores and selected fine dining restaurants throughout New Zealand..

ENDS

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