'Agent of the Year' tops record IWC success for Liberty Wines

Liberty Wines has won the Agent of the Year at the 2008 International Wine Challenge, as well as collecting the Italian Specialist Merchant of the Year award for the eighth time in the last 10 years.

Commenting on why Liberty Wines was awarded 'Agent of the Year', the IWC judges said: "Liberty Wines have proven they are as good at supplying to the trade with commercial wines as they are their top end wines. Obviously it helps to have an amazing portfolio, covering all price points, but it’s their high level of support as a supplier that sets them apart from their competitors".

David Gleave MW, managing director of Liberty Wines, says: "We are delighted to receive these two accolades from the IWC. While the Italian Specialist award recognises our continued strength in Italy, the Agent of the Year award underlines the depth and breadth of the rest of our portfolio, and confirms the quality not only of our wines, but also that of our team and our service".

Liberty Wines was also highly commended in the On Trade Supplier of the Year and Australian Specialist Merchant of the Year awards, and was short listed for the overall Merchant of the Year award.

White Winemaker of the Year was awarded to Matt Thomson. Matt co-owns Marlborough-based Delta Vineyard with David Gleave, and is consultant winemaker for Liberty Wines in Italy, where he works on the Alpha Zeta range from the Veneto.

The IWC judges said: "Matt Thomson has shot to prominence as one of New Zealand’s star winemakers in only 15 years. He and his consulting winemaking team, Kiwi-Oeno, are now responsible for many of New Zealand’s best wines...Matt is a no-nonsense winemaker, who believes that wine quality follows directly from good fruit and tries to let the fruit quality shine through in the finished wines with as little technical interference as possible".

Eleven IWC trophies were won by wines from the Liberty portfolio, spread across five countries: Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand and Spain. The outstanding achievement was by Wild Earth’s Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 from New Zealand, which won the Champion Red Trophy, having already scooped the International Pinot Noir Trophy, the New Zealand Red Trophy, the New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy and the Central Otago Pinot Noir Trophy. This followed the wine’s success in the 2008 Decanter World Wine Awards, where it was awarded the New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy over £10.

A full list of IWC and Decanter World Wine Awards trophies follows:

Liberty Wines
IWC
Agent of the Year
Italian Specialist Merchant of the Year

Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006
IWC
Champion Red Trophy
International Pinot Noir Trophy
New Zealand Red Trophy
New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy
Central Otago Pinot Noir Trophy
DWWA
New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy (over £10)

Isole e Olena Cepparello 2004
IWC
International Sangiovese Trophy

Capezzana Vin Santo Riserva 2002
IWC
Italian Sweet Trophy

Vina Chocalan Carmenere Seleccion 2007
DWWA
Chilean Red Single Varietal Trophy (under £10)

Bodega Mustiguillo Finca Terrerazo 2005
DWWA
Red Southern Regional Spain Trophy (over £10)

Da Vinci Chianti Classico 2006
DWWA
Tuscany Red Trophy (over £10)

Jean-Claude Boisset Chambolle Musigny 2006
IWC
Red Burgundy Trophy

Jean-Claude Boisset Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes 2006
IWC
Meursault Trophy

John Duval Entity Shiraz 2006
IWC
Barossa Valley Red Trophy

Abadia Retuerta Pago Garduna 2005
IWC
Castilla Y Leon Red Trophy