Australia is celebrating a major win at the first tranche of the International Wine Challenge 2015, taking home the same number of gold medals as France and netting 203 medals in total so far.
This marks the first time in the competition's history that another country took home as many gold medals as France, but France still took home the greatest number of medals, including bronze and silver, in Tranche One IWC 2015.
Charles Metcalfe, co-chairman of the IWC said: "Australian wines had a great year at Tranche One of the competition. For the first time Australia looks like a genuine contender for the top spot. Never before has any country matched France's record for gold medal wins, so it is a particularly exciting result. This really opens up the competition. We've discovered some excellent Australian wines during this round, and I can't wait to see if they can match this performance in Tranche Two of the competition in April."
Australia was also award 71 silver medals and 106 bronze medals in the first tranche bring the country's awards to 203 medals.
De Bortoli Wines, which operates three wineries, was one of the most-awarded wine producers, bringing home three gold medals. De Bortoli is also recognised as a 'sustainability advantage gold partner' by the New South Wales Government Office of Environment and Heritage for its sustainable agricultural approach.
Australia is also making a name for itself as a top fortified wine producing country and Morris Wines, which won IWC Champion Fortified Wine Trophy for 2014, also took home three gold medals in the 2015 competition.
It is only the second year that International Wine Challenge has split the competition into two tranches allowing for more flexibility for producers, sales and marketing teams across the globe. Participating in Tranche One means winners can showcase their medals in time for the festive trading period.
"IWC medal stickers are there to help shoppers navigate the sometimes confusing world of wine. If they spot a medal sticker on the bottle, they can buy with confidence, knowing it has been tasted by the best wine judges in the world," said Metcalfe.
Important dates for Tranche Two include the following:
All medal winners will be judged together in a final tasting that will be held in late April 2015.
To receive an entry kit visit the International Wine Challenge homepage.