The International Wine Challenge (IWC) has named the 2021 Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir from Tasmania’s Coal River Valley as Best Australian Red Wine.

The wine picked up the Australian Red Trophy and Australian Pinot Noir Trophy, along with a gold medal, scoring 96 points.

The IWC is one of the world’s most rigorous, impartial, and influential wine competitions, based out of the United Kingdom.

Last year, the 2020 Tolpuddle Vineyard Chardonnay was awarded Best Australian White Wine at the IWC. This follows previous wins at the show where Tolpuddle Vineyard picked up five trophies, including the award for Champion White Wine of the Show in 2020.

Winemaker Adam Wadewitz said: “After the achievements of the Chardonnay at IWC last year, it’s phenomenal to see the 2021 Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir now awarded the best Red Wine in Australia Trophy, which is a real testament to just how special this vineyard is.”

The judges described 2021 Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir as, “youthful, crunchy, and intense with a lovely cool climate focus and zip. Stylish, with plums, pomegranate, and black cherry fruit. Finely balanced with lots of zip and vim.”

The Tolpuddle Vineyard, located in the Coal River Valley, is recognised as one of the finest vineyards in Australia and is planted solely to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It was first established in 1988.

Since acquiring the 20-hectare vineyard in 2011 after a road-trip to Tasmania, Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW have invested heavily in improving all aspects of the vineyard and are fully committed to seeing it recognised as one of Australia’s greatest single vineyard sites.

The vineyard is named after the Tolpuddle Martyrs whose ‘reward’ for starting England’s first agrarian union was to
be transported to Tasmania as convicts.

2021 Tolpuddle Vineyard Pinot Noir ($96 RRP) is currently available on fine wine lists in Australia and in selected markets overseas.