Australian boutique organic vineyard and winery, Thistle Hill, today released its 2008 Riesling, which took out a coveted silver medal at the 2008 Australia / New Zealand Organic Wine Show just last week.
Thistle Hill was one of only a small handful of organic wineries awarded for their outstanding quality and was the only label in the central ranges to win dual silver medals.
The two medals were awarded for Thistle Hill’s current white wine releases, the 2008 Riesling and 2006 Chardonnay. Only four gold medals were awarded, with just seven other silver medals being presented throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Thistle Hill Vineyard’s owner, Lesley Robertson, said she was delighted with the result considering the tough competition.
“This really goes to show that growing grapes organically is not only good for the environment, it is good for the wines as well,” she said.
“It is sometimes considered unusual to grow Riesling grapes in the Mudgee region, however this wine shows great intensity of fruit with clean apple and lime flavours balanced with fresh acidity. It’s one of our best ever.”
The 2008 Riesling was made by Phillip van Gent, a renowned Mudgee winemaker and close friend of the Robertson family.
Thistle Hill wines can be tasted at the Organic Expo and Green Show next weekend, held at the Sydney Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour from Friday 25 July to Sunday 27 July, between 10am and 6pm.
Thistle Hill owes its heritage to its original vigneron, David Robertson, who pioneered organic viticulture in the early 1970s. After David’s untimely death in 2001, his wife Lesley and two daughters continued his dream of maintaining a balance between award-winning wine production and sustainable agriculture.
Thistle Hill has been an ecologically sustainable vineyard since its establishment and was certified ‘Grade A’ organic by NASAA (National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia) in 1993. This means no insecticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilisers are used in the vineyard.
Thistle Hill Vineyard also produces extra virgin organic olive oil, made from Corregiolo olives grown on the property.