Australian winery Wolf Blass named ‘Red Winemaker of the Year’ at global wine competition
Leading Australian winery, Wolf Blass, was named ‘Red Winemaker of the Year’ at last night’s prestigious International Wine Challenge in London.
It’s a triple treat for Wolf Blass, being awarded this accolade for the third time following wins in 2008 and 2013.
In its 33rd year, the International Wine Challenge (IWC) is recognised as one of the world’s finest, most meticulously judged and influential wine competitions.
Wolf Blass came out on top ahead of 15,000 entries from more than 50 countries, demonstrating their strength and consistency of winemaking across wine styles.
Wolf Blass Chief Winemaker, Chris Hatcher, is humbled to receive this award for the third time on behalf of the winery.
'Being named Red Winemaker of the Year for the third time is humbling. It is a great triumph for Wolf Blass, reinforcing our reputation as one of Australia's truly iconic winemakers with a strong history of major global award wins.
'Wolf Blass is renowned for making wines of ‘Quality, Character and Consistency’ and this accolade cements this; given wines across our entire range contributed to this outstanding win.'
Wine Australia CEO, Andreas Clark said Wolf Blass’ win reflects the high regard that the international wine community has for Australian fine wine.
'I offer my congratulations to Chris, Steven and the entire Wolf Blass team on this exceptional win, made even more impressive by the fact that it’s the third time Wolf Blass has earned the title.
'In this year’s International Wine Challenge, Australian wine took home 815 medals, a testament to the high quality of Australian wine and the talent of our grapegrowers and winemakers. The world is taking notice of Australia and appreciates the great diversity of our wines and regions.'
The IWC assesses every wine blind and judges each for its faithfulness to style, region and vintage. Throughout the rigorous judging processes, each medal-winning wine is tasted on three separate occasions by at least 10 different judges and awards including medals (Trophy, Gold, Silver, Bronze) and Commended and Great Value awards.
About Wolf Blass
Wolf Blass was established in the Barossa Valley in 1966 and has grown from a humble tin shed to become one of the world’s most successful and awarded wine brands. A recipient of more than 3,000 medals and trophies at national and international wine shows, the essence of Wolf Blass wines is exemplified through the passion of its custodians past and present as they continuously strive to produce wines of quality, character and consistency.
About Chris Hatcher
Chris Hatcher is widely considered one of Australia’s leading winemakers and respected wine show judges. His attention to detail in the winery and the tasting room has helped to produce the quality, consistency and character that built the reputation of Wolf Blass Wines. In 1996, when Wolf Blass Wines had grown into Mildara Blass and a new chief winemaker was needed, it was a given that ‘Hatch’ would be the best person for the job. After all, he’d already set the standard and shown the leadership qualities that would continue to push the winemaking boundaries at Wolf Blass. Following his appointment as Chief Winemaker, he quickly set about improving the overall quality of the Wolf Blass wines. Known for his attention to detail, Chris’ impact on Wolf Blass is evident in every winemaker working for him today.