Best of ICCWS 2025 — Trophy Winners (Part 1)
- ebony290
- Apr 22
- 5 min read
Four wines. Four regions. One benchmark for cool climate excellence.
Each year, the International Cool Climate Wine Show celebrates the very best in cool climate winemaking, where precision, balance and site expression take centre stage.
The 2025 trophy winners are a powerful reflection of this.
PIRIE Tasmania — Sparkling 2020
Best Wine in Show
Best Sparkling Wine in Show
Best Australian Wine
Crafted with uncompromising precision, PIRIE represents the pinnacle of Australian sparkling, an expression of Tasmania’s cool maritime climate and the quiet power of patience.
Sourced from pristine vineyards in the Tamar Valley, the 2020 vintage is a classic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, produced using the traditional method and shaped by time. Extended ageing on lees has built layer upon layer of texture and complexity, while the region’s naturally high acidity delivers a signature “diamond-cut” precision.
The result is a wine defined by finesse: a fine, persistent mousse, remarkable balance, and a tension that carries through every sip.
What makes this wine particularly compelling is the season behind it.The 2020 vintage presented challenges, with damp harvest conditions threatening fruit quality. But for sparkling, timing is everything. An earlier pick preserved the fruit’s natural drive and energy, ultimately enhancing the wine’s vibrancy and structure.
At its core, PIRIE’S philosophy is simple: embrace what nature gives you. Minimal intervention, no fining, and a deep respect for fruit purity allow the vineyard to speak with clarity.
For the team, this award is more than recognition, it’s validation of years of effort. From vineyard to bottle, and through four years of development, every stage has contributed to a wine that now stands as a benchmark for Australian sparkling.
Taste it for yourself: https://www.pirietasmania.com.au/
Sidewood Estate — Mappinga Chardonnay
Best White Wine in Show 2025
In the Adelaide Hills, where elevation and cool air shape wines of precision and poise, Sidewood Estate continues to define modern Australian Chardonnay.
The Mappinga Chardonnay represents the pinnacle of their single-site, small-batch winemaking. Sourced from their coolest vineyard in Oakbank, this wine is a study in balance, where purity of fruit meets thoughtful complexity.
Citrus and white peach lead the palate, layered with subtle struck match characters, fine acidity and seamlessly integrated oak. It’s a wine that evolves with time in the glass, revealing nuance and depth with every moment.
The Adelaide Hills plays a defining role in this expression. Long, slow ripening allows flavours to build gradually while preserving natural acidity, resulting in wines that are structured, fresh and deeply expressive of place.
Sidewood’s approach is grounded in restraint. Minimal intervention in the winery ensures the fruit remains the hero, while careful oak and lees work add texture without overshadowing site expression.
What stands out in this vintage is its balance—achieving both freshness and complexity in a region where conditions can shift year to year. It’s a testament to precision in both vineyard and winery.
For the Sidewood team, this recognition reflects a whole-of-process commitment—from sustainable vineyard practices to meticulous winemaking. It also reinforces their place within a global conversation around cool climate excellence.
Check it out: https://sidewood.com.au/
Tamburlaine Organic Wines — Point 65 Malbec
Best Alternate Variety Red
Tamburlaine Organic Wines — Pinot Gris
Organic White Wine of Show
From the high-altitude vineyards of Orange, Tamburlaine’s Point 65 Malbec is a compelling reminder that alternate varieties are not just emerging, they are thriving.
Grown at 860 metres above sea level in the Borenore vineyard, this organic, single-vineyard Malbec is shaped by altitude and clarity. The result is a wine driven by freshness, length and vibrant fruit expression.
Crafted in an earlier-drinking style, it leans into plush, approachable textures while maintaining structure and lift. Bright fruit, supple tannins and an effortless drinkability make it both accessible and quietly sophisticated.
In Orange, altitude defines everything. Cooler temperatures slow ripening, preserving acidity and extending flavour development.
As the team puts it: “Cool climate wines might not shout, but they linger, with quiet power and elegance.”
That philosophy carries through their winemaking approach, intimate knowledge of the vineyard, careful timing of harvest, and a commitment to capturing fruit at its peak brightness.
The 2024 vintage provided near-ideal conditions: balanced soil moisture, warm days and low disease pressure. It’s a year that allowed both vineyard and variety to shine.
Beyond the glass, Tamburlaine’s commitment to sustainability is deeply embedded. With over two decades of certified organic and biodynamic practices, their vineyards are a living system, minimally irrigated, carefully managed, and continually evolving. Their winery follows suit, prioritising energy efficiency and organic inputs throughout production.
This award stands as recognition not just of a single wine, but of a long-standing philosophy, one that places vineyard, environment and quality at its core.
Try it now: https://tamburlaine.com.au/
Marisco Vineyards — The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Best New Zealand Wine Best International Wine Most Successful Exhibitor
Expanding the global lens of the International Cool Climate Wine Show, Marisco Vineyards’ The Ned Sauvignon Blanc 2024 stood out as a defining international benchmark, taking home Best New Zealand Wine, Best International Wine, and Most Successful Exhibitor in Show.
From the Waihopai Valley in Marlborough, this wine captures the unmistakable signature of one of the world’s most recognised cool climate regions. Warm days, cool nights and mineral-rich soils create the ideal conditions for Sauvignon Blanc of intensity and precision.
The 2024 vintage is a vivid expression of place, bursting with aromatic lift, vibrant fruit and what the team describes as “electric texture.” It’s a wine that balances energy with clarity, delivering both immediacy and finesse.
At the heart of Marisco Vineyards is a family-led philosophy grounded in consistency, care and long-term stewardship. With vineyards positioned in some of Marlborough’s most prized sites, their focus remains simple: do the basics well and let the fruit shine.
The Waihopai Valley plays a crucial role in this expression. Sheltered yet elevated, the region experiences significant diurnal temperature variation, allowing grapes to ripen fully while retaining the freshness and acidity that define great cool climate wine.
The 2024 season delivered near-perfect conditions, with low disease pressure and moderate yields contributing to exceptional fruit quality.
For the Marisco team, this recognition is both a reward and a reinforcement, highlighting the strength of their flagship wine in an increasingly competitive global market.
And within the ICCWS framework, it underscores something bigger: cool climate excellence knows no borders.
Check it out: https://marisco.co.nz/
A Benchmark for Cool Climate Excellence
Across Australia and New Zealand, these wines reflect the defining characteristics of cool climate winemaking:
Precision and natural acidity
Slower ripening and flavour development
Clear expression of site and season
Balance, restraint and longevity
What the International Cool Climate Wine Show continues to champion is not just quality, but a shared philosophy.
Cool climate wines don’t shout. They resonate.
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