Chair of judges Phillip Rich said Tertini beat strong competition to win best Tasmanian wine and clearly shone among an outstanding suite of the best wines from other regions across Australia.

“The quality of wines overall was high and there was a range of styles presented, showing how assured Australian winemakers have become with Pinot Noir,” Mr Rich said.

“Most of the wines were from the 2018 vintage, which was relatively warm in most Australian Pinot Noir regions, so to get the quality of wines we saw, it means viticulturists are getting it right in the vineyards too.”

Based in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, where founder Julian Tertini planted a vineyard in 2000, Tertini also makes wines in Hilltops (NSW) and Tasmania, where it recently planted a vineyard in Coal River Valley, near Hobart.

“Tasmania is becoming one of Australia’s key Pinot Noir regions and there is a lot of buzz around Tasmania at the moment, so it’s fitting to have a Tasmanian wine win the Challenge this year,” said Phillip Rich.

“This is fantastic, Julian is so passionate about Pinot Noir and Tasmania, what a great surprise,” said Tertini winemaker Jonathan Holgate.