Sparkling Wine of the Year: Pemberton grapes shine in prestigious wine awards

The Southern Forest wine region has found itself in the limelight after a prestigious Perth-based winemaker was given an exclusive award for their 12-year aged sparkling using Pemberton grapes. Made from 100 per cent hand-picked Pemberton chardonnay, Sittella Wines grand prestige late disgorged 2010 Pemberton scored 97 points to win the Sparkling Wine of the Year 2024 Halliday Wine Companion Awards. The awards recognise the nation’s top wines, winemakers, viticulturists, and wineries. Senior winemaker Yuri Berns said a combination of factors makes the Southern Forest region a fantastic area to source grapes for “not just good but great sparkling wine”, including the climate, soil conditions, and the local growers themselves. “This is not the first time we’ve been in the top 10 for the Southern Forests . . . it might be the third or fourth,” he said. “We’ve had a long sparkling wine-making program at Sitella and we’ve basically pioneered the region into being recognised into making great sparkling wine not just in Western Australia but in Australia. “Our aim is be recognised as the best sparkling wine producer in the southern hemisphere.” Mr Berns said great sparkling wine has long been made in the Southern Forest region but it has taken time to establish a real understanding of the region and how best to use it to a winemaker’s advantage. “It’s been a long process — it’s probably been a decade to 20-year-long process — to work this out,” he said. “It’s been important to understand the benchmark of other great sparkling wine regions . . . Champagne included.” Mr Berns said he’s grateful to the “beautiful region”. “We love the people there, their culture, their demeanor — they’re the backbone of what we’ve produced, plus their climate, plus their soil types,” he said. The sparkling was one of four West Australian wines to be recognised by Halliday, alongside Margaret River’s Domaine Naturaliste sauvage sauvignon blanc 2021, Swan Valley’s John Kosovich Wines bottle-aged reserve chenin blanc 2018, and Frankland River’s Houghton C.W. Ferguson cabernet malbec 2020.