The hotly contested event attracted 1712 wines from 325 exhibitors, drawn from throughout Australia and New Zealand. Ridgemill Estate’s 2009 Pedigree Chardonnay was judged against 86 other entries in its class, scoring 55.5 points (out of a possible 60), to claim a Gold Medal and the trophy for Best Queensland White Wine.

The panel of judges described the Ridgemill Estate 2009 Pedigree Chardonnay as “retain(ing) fruit as well as having complex secondary characters”.

The win for the Ridgemill Estate 2009 Pedigree Chardonnay follows on from a Silver Medal at the 2010 International Chardonnay Challenge in Gisborne, New Zealand; the Best Queensland White Wine trophy at the RASQ Toowoomba Wine Show, and a Silver Medal at the Queensland Wine Awards.

But the Chardonnay was not the only 2009 varietal to collect awards for the Severnlea-based winery this year. Its 2009 “the Spaniard” Tempranillo claimed a trophy for the best Queensland red wine and a Gold medal at the Cairns Wine Show; a Bronze at the RASQ Toowoomba Wine Show; and a Bronze at the Queensland Wine Awards.

The label cemented its versatility and consistency by also scoring a trophy for best wine in its class and a Bronze for its 2009 and 2010 “ella” Verdelho in Toowoomba.

Martin Cooper, who purchased the 2.2 hectare vineyard in 2004, said the accolades were a testament to “good practices, a good vineyard and the real love and attention that goes into making a good quality wine”.

Ridgemill Estate winemaker and manager Peter McGlashan said the vineyard had eight varieties planted, but grew a mere four rows of Chardonnay grapes, producing just 1000 litres of the varietal each year.

“To win a trophy from such a small batch, that can’t be blended, is quite an achievement,” Mr McGlashan said. “In Stanthorpe, 2009 was a particularly good year for growing grapes and we got the Chardonnay to the ripeness level we wanted. It was placed into new French Oak and it finished with the texture and freshness that we hoped for.

“Winning the Best Queensland White Wine trophy was a proud moment; it’s a bit like raising your kids, you rear them and put them out into the world and hope that they’ll do well. As well as raising our profile, the win shows that what we are doing in the winery is working.”

Mr Cooper attributed the winery’s success to its commitment to continual improvement as well as hard effort and good management.

“Hopefully this win will reinforce to more and more people both here and interstate that Queensland makes some excellent wines,” he said.

Along with their gold medal win at the Australian Small Winemakers Show, Ridgemill also picked up a Silver for their 2009 Malbec Merlot blend; a silver for the 2008 Shiraz Mouvedre Grenache; a Bronze for the 2008 Cabernet Malbec Merlot; a Silver for the 2009 Tempranillo; and a Silver for the 2009 Tempranillo Monastrello.

Ridgemill Estate markets its wines through the cellar door and online at www.ridgemillestate.com. They are also on the wine lists of selected Stanthorpe eateries and at Danny’s Restaurant, Scarborough; Mariosarti, Toowong and the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane CBD.

To learn more about Queensland’s premier wine region visit www.granitebeltwinecountry.com.au

Media contact: Martin Cooper, 0403 462 200