The 10th International Chardonnay Challenge was judged in Gisborne New Zealand last week with the Trophy winners being honoured at a gala awards dinner on Friday night last.

At the presentation Mistletoe Winery from the Hunter Valley NSW was awarded a gold medal for its Reserve Chardonnay 2009.

This was one of only 14 Gold medals awarded in a field of over 400 Chardonnays.

The Mistletoe Chardonnay was then also awarded the Trophy for the Reserve Wine of Show as the second highest scoring gold medal wine judged across all classes.

This win is a significant one for the Hunter Valley which, as a region over recent years, has been producing better and better Chardonnays.

Mistletoe Reserve Chardonnay is a single vineyard wine that commenced production in 2003.

Every vintage of the Mistletoe Reserve Chardonnay produced since 2003 has won numerous awards and accolades and in total to date they have collectively amassed:
4 Championships, 20 Trophies and more than 30 Gold medals.

The 2009 Mistletoe Reserve Chardonnay will be released in July 2010 and interested parties should contact Mistletoe directly to register their interest.

Download Mistletoe Media Release - May 31 2010

Win an instant cellar of fantastic Mistletoe Wines!

For each 6 bottles of wine purchased from the Mistletoe Wines Autumn newsletter 2010, you will be allocated one ticket in a prize draw for a cellar of wines selected from Mistletoe’s current and past releases.

Total value of the prize is over $2000!

The winner of the draw will receive a wonderful selection of 60 bottles of wine including limited release magnums, Trophy and Gold medal winners, and wines that have received much acclaim.

Included in the selection are:

One magnum (1500ml bottle) each of:

• Mistletoe New England Merlot 2003
  
• Reserve Shiraz 2005
  
• Shiraz 1999

Three bottles each of:

• Grand Reserve Shiraz 2007
  Simple the best Shiraz we have ever made!
  
• Reserve Shiraz 2005
  Great Hunter Shiraz from a great year!
  
• Reserve Shiraz 2004
  Still many more years ahead for this wine.
  
• Reserve Chardonnay 2009
  James Halliday - Weekend Australian April 3rd 2010
  
• Reserve Chardonnay 2006
  Top 40 Wines NSW 2008 - Trophy - Best Chardonnay NSW Wine Awards 2008
  
• Reserve Chardonnay 2005
  Top 40 Wines NSW 2009
  
• Reserve Semillon 2004
  Gold Medal Winner, 94 points James Halliday
  
• Reserve Semillon 2006
  95 points James Halliday - Top 15 Australian Semillons 2007 - James Halliday AWC 2007
  
• Reserve Semillon 2009
  
• Home Vineyard Semillon 2009
  Top 100 Australian Wines of 2009 - 95 points - James Halliday
  
• Shiraz Viognier 2008
  Top 100 Australian Wines of 2009 - 95 points - James Halliday
  
• Verdelho 2008
  Trophy winner - Top 40 Wines NSW 2008

4 bottles each of:

• Chardonnay 2008
  Trophy - 3 Gold medals
  
• Hilltops Viognier 2008
  3 Silver medals
  
• Shiraz Cabernet 2008

2 bottles each of:

• Cabernet Merlot 2008
  
• The Rose 2009
  
• Silvereye Semillon 2009
  
• Sparkling Mozcato 2009
  
• Sparkling Petillant Rose 2009
  
• Sparkling Petillant Blanc Cuvee

Prize includes free delivery to your door (Australia only).

Your order must be received by May 31 2010 to be included in the prize draw.

It was a very short and hectic vintage for Mistletoe this year. Although we experienced some very hot weather in November, we had a milder December with the weather turning decidedly cooler between Christmas and New Year, with about 10 days of drizzling rain.

Unusually, the grapes kept ripening quickly throughout that cooler spell, with Mistletoe commencing harvest on January 23rd.

We then just kept harvesting every day with all the Hunter grapes in the winery by the end of January.

It then started to rain in early February with disastrous results for some poor growers who have now not harvested a crop for 3 years in a row.

Our winemaker, Nick Paterson, could not be more happy with the quality of the Hunter grapes we have harvested this year. He believes the Semillons and Chardonnays are as good as the best we have previously made, if not better!

We received our grapes from our contracted vineyards in Young (Hilltops) early March. The fruit arrived in excellent condition with the rain in Young commencing just after the truck with our grapes had left for the Hunter.

The Shiraz from both the Hunter and Hilltops looks exceptional again this year.

With Mistletoe’s constant aim to improve the quality of the wines we make, we have moved to much lower cropping levels in the vineyard.

One of the real positives of this approach is that the lighter cropping vineyards ripen better fruit earlier without stressing the vines.

We believe this is why we had already harvested prior to the rain in both the Hunter Valley and Hilltops.

The good rain following vintage has left the Hunter looking green and vibrant. It has also provided the vines with excellent post harvest growing conditions.

This post harvest growth sets the vines up for the following vintage restoring the depleted levels of minerals and nutrients consumed in producing the crop just harvested.

The current warm and dry spell is just wonderful.

Autumn in the Hunter is a great time of year!

We hope to see you here at Mistletoe soon.

Regards
Ken and Gwen Sloan.

Autumn Sunrise at Mistletoe

Pokolbin Gallery is proud to welcome the internationally renowned sculptor Larissa Smagarinsky as an exhibitor.

This Russian born sculptor emigrated to Australia in 1982 and has created many outstanding public and private sculptures in the ensuing years.

Larissa’s CV is just too comprehensive to include all of it, so here are a few highlights…

Commissions - Australia

• ‘Dance of Love’ 1.6m Bronze sculpture at Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre, Sydney
  
• ‘Together Through Time’ 2.5m Bronze at Macquarie University Sculpture Garden, Sydney
  
• ‘The Last Farewell’ (Horse and Man) life size bronze, Memorial to the Light Horse Regiment Remount Park, Holsworthy NSW - competition winner
  
• ‘Supporting Hands’ memorial to the Volunteers, abstract sculpture, cast stone 4.5m high, Paul Keating Park, Bankstown Sydney.
  
• ‘Two to Tango’ cast stone Sheraton Hotel, Sydney
  
• ‘Olympic Spirit’ Four life sized bronze sculptures at Quay West, Melbourne - competition winner
  
• ‘Harmony’, ‘ Diver’ life sized, cast stone at Darling Park, Sussex Street, Sydney
  
• Bronze bust of former Premier Neville Wran, Parliament House, Sydney
  
• Bronze bust of Franco Belgiorno Nettis, Art Centre Gunnery Building, Wooloomooloo, Sydney
  
• Bronze bust of former Premier Neville Wran, CSIRO, Canberrra
  
• Bronze bust of John Saunders, founder of Holocaust Museum, Sydney
  
• Bronze bust of Nicholas Shehaidie, SBS broadcast station, Sydney
  
• ‘Mother and Child’ Long and Acre the Tasmanian Sculpture Garden, Tasmania
  
• Sculpture based on Australian History, Brighton le Sands RSL Club, Sydney

Pokolbin Gallery now has a limited number of Larissa’s works available for viewing and purchase.

Like to know more?

Then please contact Ken Sloan direct on 0411 434 744

 

Join us for a weekend of fun at Mistletoe on the 28th and 29th August 2010, 11 am to 4 pm each day.

- Camp Oven Cookery
- Bush Poetry
- New Wine Releases
- Binnorie Cheeses
- Entertainment

Get out of the house, visit Mistletoe, and enjoy the Australian version of “Slow Food”.

Ben and Deb from My Kitchen Rules will be here cooking up a storm in the greatest outdoor cooking invention - the Camp Oven.

• Enjoy succulent “Drover’s Choice” Salt Bush Lamb from Ben’s family property at Narromine NSW, cooked to perfection the way old time drovers used to do it!
  
  
• Match the latest wine releases from Mistletoe with the lamb, Binnorie Cheese and other good things.
  
  
• Ben will have fresh packed Drover’s Choice lamb on hand for you to purchase and take home.
  
  
• Deb will also be giving tastings on the Best of Binnorie Cheeses and offering these for sale as well.

We are still fine-tuning the details and timetable for this weekend, but wanted to whet your appetite today.

If you would like to join us over the weekend of August 28/29 2010, please register your interest NOW!

By phone: 1800-055-080 or
By email: to Ken at office@mistletoewines.com
Cut off date: August 10th.

Once registered, you will receive updated details of the weekend as it draws nearer.