Organic Wine Duo Lead Way with Champion Trophy Win

Pioneering Organic Wine Duo Lead Way with Champion Trophy Win

The Darling Wines has been awarded the “Champion Sauvignon Blanc Trophy” at the recent 2017 Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show held in Sydney.

In its 22nd year, the Australian & New Zealand Boutique Wine Show allows entries from Australian and New Zealand wineries that produce up to 250 tonnes of grapes.

Head judge and leading Australian wine writer Huon Hooke along with the expert tasting panel including two Masters of Wine awarded the Champion Sauvignon Blanc Trophy to The Darling Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016. Huon’s notes on the wine were “Subtle passionfruit, a concentrated palate with a long finish”.

Being the only New Zealand Wine to win a trophy, the Darling Wines co-owner Chris Darling said “We are proud to receive the champion Sauvignon Blanc trophy, but also very happy to see organic wine showcased in this way. The fact that organic wines are being recognised for quality against other wines is a huge testament and a positive step forward for the organic movement”.

The pioneering organic duo, under The Darling label started with a humble 200 cases back in 2008 when there was only a handful of organic producers in Marlborough. Their vision was to produce premium organic wine known for quality first. Bart with his early experience in converting organic vineyards and Chris with his belief that organic wines can produce the best quality, have proven this with this accolade.

New Zealand has around 37,000 hectares of grapes planted, 2000 hectares are certified organic. This organic area has grown 450% in the last ten years, up from 356 hectares in 2007. Bart has been instrumental in this growth as New Zealand’s leading organic Viticultural expert. He is also an Organic Winegrowers founding member, executive committee member and joint organiser of the hugely successful Organic & Biodynamic Wine Conference, of which was held in Marlborough last month.

The worldwide organic industry turns over one hundred billion dollars with all sectors experiencing growth. According to BioGro, one of New Zealand’s organic certifiers, two out of three New Zealanders now buy organic products some of the time, with people saying they want to connect with food that is safe and can be traced to origin. Organic wine is part of that equation.

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