Award-winning Bubbles

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Here's some exciting news to brighten up the cold and bleak of recent days - my 2011 Box Grove Vineyard Sparkling Roussanne has just been awarded the trophy for the Best Sparkling Wine in the 2015 Boutique Wine Awards.

I came up to Sydney last Friday to pick up the trophy.

The Boutique Wine Awards have been run for 20 years by the Association of Australian Boutique Winemakers. Small winemakers from Australia and New Zealand can enter their wines in the show. Only wineries producing 250 tonnes or under are eligible.

Noted wine writer Huon Hooke is the Chief Judge at the Show. He loves the Boutique Wine Awards and the way it encourages and celebrates small winemakers.

Small winemakers are the wellspring of creativity and pioneering in our industry." he said in his speech at the lunch. "They throw out the rule book in their desire to make their mark and produce something great.

"They pioneer a new variety or winemaking technique — whole bunch fermentation, or the use of amphorae and orange ferments, the use of less alcohol, less tannin and less additives."

After years of hard work and trial and error, when they start getting traction, that's when the big companies follow - witness Pinot Gris." Huon went on to say,"The best Pinot Noirs are still made by small dedicated winemakers. They are a not obsessed by sticking to a corporate style.

There's always something exciting, always something new at this show as small winemakers strive for deliciousness in their wines.

And that's what our 2011 Sparkling Roussanne is — delicious. Produced after the very, cool, wet summer of 2011, it had the naturally steely acid backbone that is perfect for a good sparkling wine. Four years resting quietly on lees in the bottle have given the wine complexity and elegance.

It is the perfect wine for drinking over the coming months or for that special celebration.

If you would like to explore the variety and different vintages of roussanne we produce at Box Grove Vineyard, including our award-winning 2011 Sparkling Roussanne, call Sarah on +61 438 699 330.