Kingston Estate has been awarded a coveted double gold medal for its Kingston 2002 Sauvignon Blanc at the 2003 San Francisco International Wine Competition.

“This is North America’s largest wine show — one that attracted 3865 entries from 21 different countries — and we’re obviously delighted to have our inaugural vintage of Kingston Sauvignon Blanc selected as being among the elite from such a huge field,” said Bill Moularadellis, Kingston Estate’s founder and chief winemaker.

Kingston 2002 Sauvignon Blanc was released on to the Australian market several months ago at a recommended retail price of $13 and has been embraced by consumers and critics for its fresh, racy flavours and satisfying length of palate.

The fruit for the wine was harvested from the Adelaide Hills, one of Australia’s premier areas for sauvignon blanc.

“The 2002 vintage was an exceptional one through most of Australia and its coolness produced wines of great intensity,” said Bill Moularadellis.

“The result in this case is a rare balance of varietal pungency and satisfying drinkability.”

Kingston Estate has also started the Australian wine-show season in great style, with a very solid all-round performance at the 2003 Royal Queensland Wine Show.

All up the family-owned winery scored four silver medals and 11 bronzes.

Two of the silvers went to the recently released Kingston 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon

Two of the silvers went to the recently released Kingston 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon [Class 51, Dry Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Commercial Class] and Kingston 2002 Shiraz [Class 53, Dry Red, Shiraz, Commercial Class].

“I think that’s a great result for two $13 wines in what has been generally accepted a toughly judged show,” said Bill Moularadellis.

“There were a hundred entries in Class 51 and only five of those scored better than our cabernet. Class 53 was even larger, with nearly 150 entries, and our shiraz finished in the top 10.

“It’s the sort of result that underlines the strength of our vineyard resources, both in the Riverland and elsewhere, and our commitment to winemaking excellence,” said Bill Moularadellis.

“Once again the colour of the medals didn’t always match the relative strength of the performance.

“The Kingston 2003 Sauvignon Blanc, for instance, gained a bronze yet was outright second-highest-pointed wine in a class of more than 50 [Class 5]; the Kingston 2003 Verdelho came outright fourth in a class of more than 70 [Class 6]; the Kingston 2002 Sauvignon Blanc was one of only five medal winners in a class of 33 [Class 15]; and the Kingston 2001 Empiric Selection Barrel-Fermented Viognier actually topped its class [Class 27] with a bronze.”