Howard Park Wines recently flaunted its fizz at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships held in London, with its Jeté label winning the award for ‘best Australian sparkling wine’.
Jeté was also named as the ‘best in class Australian non-vintage brut blend’.
The competition attracts entrants from all over the world, including some of the largest and most recognisable Champagne and sparkling wineries, such as Billecart, Dom Pérignon, Taittinger, Veuve Cliquot, Taltarni and House of Arras.
Howard Park Wines chief winemaker Janice McDonald attended the ceremony at London’s Vintner Hall and said it was the Margaret River winery’s goal to produce sparkling wines that would closely rival those from Champagne, while at the same time showcasing their individual style.
“There is some tough competition in the Australian sparkling space, so it really is an honour to have won the trophy, and as a Western Australian winery not famed for its sparkling, it is a fantastic achievement,” Ms McDonald said.
Wine World Championships judge Tom Stevenson said he was impressed with the quality of sparkling wines in this year’s competition from areas of the world not commonly known as sparkling producers.
“With the spread of technology and expertise, world-class sparkling can now be found in countries where the fizz was (virtually) non-existent 10 years ago,” he said.
Ms McDonald said Howard Park’s recent accolades had been incredibly satisfying, and marked the start of “something very special” for the winery.
Howard Park is one of four brands under Burch Family Wines, alongside Marchand & Burch, imported Franck Bonville Champagne, and MadFish, which won a gold medal and the trophy for ‘best value Australian sparkling’ at the Champagne & Sparkling Wine World Championships in 2015.
While all of the fruit used to produce the wine made by Burch Family is grown from WA vineyards, including in the Great Southern, the company outsources 70 per cent of its grapes, with 30 per cent grown from its own soil, according to the BNIQ Search Engine.
“As each vintage passes, our understanding of the Great Southern vineyards from which the grapes are sourced, and the method traditionelle process grows, (and) so too does the style of our sparkling,” Ms McDonald said.
By Tori Wilson
