Inniskillin wins "wine industry's world cup" at Vinitaly 2009

The special prize for top producer at the show is considered to be the wine industry's "world cup". Vinitaly, held in Verona, is the largest and one of the most prestigious annual wine competitions, attracting the global wine elite. Inniskillin qualifies based on its performance of scores. For Inniskillin to take the top award of the show highlights Inniskillin's international reputation as a quality producer, and also has the wine world shifting its attention to Canada.

Bruce Nicholson, director of Inniskillin winemaking announces the exciting news that Inniskillin, the producer of the most famous Icewine in the world, has captured the top award at Vinitaly's 17th International Wine

Competition: "The Premio Speciale Gran Vinitaly 2009". Donald Ziraldo, Inniskillin co-founder, will attend the Vinitaly Awards Ceremony April 2 to accept the award. "This is a huge win, on par with when Inniskillin's Vidal Icewine won a Grand Prix d'Honneur at Vinexpo in Bordeaux in 1991," says Ziraldo. "This award is receiving lots of attention in Europe, which really helps put Niagara and the Canadian wine industry on the world map."

To qualify for the "The Premio Speciale Gran Vinitaly 2009" award the winery must have received the highest score based upon two gold medals obtained in two different categories. The two categories were Sparkling Wines and Sweet Wines, and the gold-winning wines are the Inniskillin 2006 Sparkling Vidal Icewine and the Inniskillin 2006 Vidal Gold Oak Aged Icewine. "I am very happy to see that our wines have been recognized on the international stage with the highest honour at Vinitaly 2009," Nicholson comments. "My pride grows when I see how few of the wines receive medals. It reinforces my belief in the quality of wines we are able to consistently produce in Niagara," he continues. "As we have for decades, we will strive to keep our wines at this high level."

Three additional Inniskillin wines received a "Gran Menzione" award: the Inniskillin 2007 Riesling Icewine, the Inniskillin 2007 Vidal Icewine and the Inniskillin 2007 Montague Vineyard Chardonnay.

Known as the "world cup" among global wine competitions, the Vinitaly wine competition has become a landmark for such competitions on an international scale, in part because it has always been extremely selective.

Each year, medals are awarded to only 3% of the wines entered in the challenge. Out of 3,539 entries, only 113 medals will be handed out this year.

This includes 34 countries participating, judged by an international panel of 105 judges. The win of "The Premio Speciale Gran Vinitaly 2009" places Inniskillin among past winners including Banfi of Italy, Divino Nordheim of Germany, and Wyndham Estate of Australia.

Inniskillin Icewine is harvested at the pinnacle of Canada's crisp winter; the grapes are left to freeze on the vine and picked when the temperature drops to -10 degrees C. The finished wine is intense, sweet and luscious, yet balanced with brilliant acidity, creating a unique sensation on the palate. Renowned for fruit flavours that range from mango and peach to lychee, Icewine is truly a natural wonder, representing extreme winemaking at its best.

Inniskillin Wines, established in 1975 by co-founders Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser, is Canada's premier estate winery producing truly distinctive and elegant wines from premium grape varieties grown in Canada. Inniskillin has vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Inniskillin has gained international recognition for its award winning Icewines, which, as the number one selling wine by distribution in duty free stores, can be found in over 68 countries around the world.

Inniskillin is proud of the role it has played and continues to be one of the rising stars in bringing recognition to Canada as part of the international success of Canadian wines. For more information, visit www.inniskillin.com.

2006 Sparkling Vidal Icewine VQA: Winery Boutique

2006 Gold Oak Aged Vidal VQA: Winery Boutique, Wine Rack

2007 Riesling Icewine: VQA Winery Boutique, LCBO

2007 Vidal Icewine: VQA Winery Boutique, Wine Rack, LCBO, SAQ, BCLDB,LCC, NSLC, NLC, NB Liquor, liquor stores in Alberta

Upcoming release: 2007 Montague Vineyard Chardonnay VQA.

Source: CNW Group