Located in the Orange region of NSW, Printhie Wines has just been crowned Best Australian Sparkling at the 2022 Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships. The National Champion Trophy for Best Australian Sparkling Wine was awarded to the Swift 2011 Blanc de Blancs.
Owned by the Swift family, Printhie Wines was established in 1996 by converting their grazing and cropping property into vineyards. The winery was added in 2004 with a new cellar door and restaurant completed in March of this year.
The Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships are deemed to be the world's most respected, comprehensive and rigorous sparkling wine competition. Nearly 1000 sparkling wines were judged over 11 days with 147 Gold & 249 Silver medals awarded to 21 countries in this year's competition. The awards dinner for the World Championships were held in London and announced on Friday 4 November.
High elevation and fertile volcanic soils around Mt Canobolas/Gaahna Bulla in the Orange Wine Region provide premium growing conditions for sparkling varieties and the Swift family could see its potential.
"It's incredible to think that our family-owned winery has been recognised on the international stage. We started creating our traditional method Swift Sparkling range in 2010 and we're thrilled that twelve years later we have received such a prestigious award" said Ed Swift, owner of Printhie Wines.
The Swift 2011 Blanc de Blancs was also awarded Best in Class for Australian Blanc de Blancs with all five Swift Sparkling wines entered receiving a medal. The Swift 2017 Blanc de Noirs, Swift NV Cuvée, Swift NV Rosé and Swift 2014 Vintage were all awarded silver medals.
For the first time Australia took third place on the medal leader board behind France and Italy. "This year saw the highest number and most medals ever awarded to Australian sparklings so to be crowned Best Australian Sparkling in such good and large company is great acknowledgement" commented Drew Tuckwell, Printhie Wines winemaker responsible for crafting the Swift sparkling range.
The Swift 2011 Blanc de Blancs was also recently crowned Best Sparkling in NSW at the NSW Wine awards. It's the fifth consecutive year that a Swift Sparkling has received this accolade - a first in the history of the wine show.
