For the second year running the 2001 Cookoothama Botrytis Semillon has scooped the Trophy for Best Sweet White Wine at the 2003 NSW Wine Awards, presented at The InterContinental Sydney on Friday, September 26 2003.

The awards, now in their eighth year, are designed to showcase the state's best wines with more than 630 wines competing for a place in this year's NSW Top 40.

Judged by a prestigious panel led by Chairman Nick Bulleid MW and Senior Judges Karl Stockhausen, Keith Tulloch, Andrew Hardy, Philip Rich and Randall Pollard, the 2001 Cookoothama Botrytis Semillon beat off stiff competition to place in the Top 40 and subsequently collect the trophy for Best Sweet Wine in NSW.

The 2001 Cookoothama Shiraz and 2002 Cookoothama Shiraz have also been named among the prestigious Top 40 NSW wines.

Chief winemaker Daren Owers from the Nugan Estate Winery in Griffith was delighted with the results, particularly the recognition in successive years of the Cookoothama Botrytis Semillon over great sweet wines from De Bortoli, McWilliams and Miranda.

“There is a widespread consensus that the very best sweet wines in Australia come from the Riverina. So it seems fair to me that as our wine has been judged the best in the state for the second year running, we can claim the title of best sweet white wine in the country,” Owers said.

The 2001 Botrytis Semillon is an elegant dessert wine featuring a delicate, succulent palate with crisp fruit acid and lingering sweet botrytis fruit flavours. The wine will bring out flavours hitherto undiscovered in a crème brulee, and is also a decadent partner to many chocolate-based desserts.

Careful monitoring of the botrytis infection in the vineyard allowed the “super-ripe” fruit to be delivered in ideal condition for this style of wine. A brilliant mild straw colour with tinges of honey-like orange, the wine displays enticing aromas of orange, marmalade and orange peel.

Suggested retail price:

• 2001 Cookoothama Botrytis Semillon, 375mL $19.95 - $22.95
• 2001 Cookoothama Shiraz $ 14.95-$16.95
• 2002 Cookoothama Shiraz – contact Nugan Estate for distribution enquiries