NEBBIOLO has come of age, with a trophy for the variety added to the 2012 Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show at Mildura.
And a four-year-old nebbiolo stole the show, winning trophies for best in show, best red wine and the inaugural trophy for best nebbiolo at the 14th annual wine show, which began as the Sangiovese Awards in 1999 and was renamed in 2001.
Winemakers Stephen and Fiona Pannell also won the top gong at the awards in 2009 with their 2007 vintage nebbiolo.
The 2008 release is a blend of five different clones from Gumeracha vineyards in the Adelaide Hills that are converting to biodynamic practices.
The panel of six judges and two associate judges spent 2 1/2 days assessing the 480 entries.
The biggest classes were viognier, with 26 entries and nebbiolo, with 22. A new class was added to this year's schedule for nero d'avola.
New chief judge Jane Faulknersaid the show was ideal for producers or growers wanting to benchmark their alternative varieties.
