Oakridge Chief Winemaker David Bicknell
Oakridge Chief Winemaker David Bicknell

Award for Oakridge Chief Winemaker

David Bicknell, Chief Winemaker at Oakridge in the Yarra Valley, has received one of the Australian wine industry’s most prestigious awards.

Mr Bicknell was awarded the Gourmet Traveller WINE Winemaker of the Year 2017 at Adelaide’s National Wine Centre on September 23.

The independent and distinguished judging panel, led by Chairman of Judges Peter Forrestal, comprised Huon Hooke, Peter Bourne, Nick Bulleid MW, Andrew Caillard MW, Mike Bennie and Toni Paterson MW.

In accepting the award, David said he was “honoured and humbled to receive this unexpected recognition.”

He thanked and shared the award with his family and the team at Oakridge.

He also congratulated the other seven category finalists for the award.

In nominating David as a finalist, judge Huon Hooke wrote in last month’s GTW: “Any discussion of the exalted state of Australian chardonnay today will include Dave Bicknell.”

“Oakridge 864 chardonnays are among the best in the land as well as being at the stylistic cutting edge, but its pinot noirs, cabernet sauvignon, occasional botrytis wines, syrah, pinot gris and sparkling blanc de blancs are also better than ever.”

The award caps off a great year for Oakridge. It was included in Halliday’s roundup as one of the ‘Ten Best Value Wineries’ in Australia for 2017/2018.

The 2018 Halliday Wine Companion notes: “If any or all of these wines by these wineries were blind-tasted against similarly priced wines from France, elsewhere in Europe and the US, the Australian wines would win hands down”.

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