David Baverstock voted winemaker of the year for the second time
- Created on Thursday, 07 March 2013 19:29
David Baverstock has been named winemaker of the year by Wine magazine which also highlighted the Torre 2007 in the "Best Wine Scores' list. Baverstock last won the award in 1999.
The Luso-Australian winemaker, responsible for the estate wines of Herdade do Esporão and Quinta dos Murças and no stranger to the Algarve was attracted to Portugal 25 years ago and was considered by the magazine to be a "rare winemaker, serious and respected by all his peers, unobtrusive but responsible for many of the great wines in Portugal, both in the Alentejo and the Douro regions."
The awards also highlighted Torre 2007 in the "Best Wines Score' with 18 points, considering it a wine with a "wealth of aromas, power and complexity" and said it was the "work of a great winemaker."
Also the Esporão Private Selection Tinto 2009 was acclaimed by the judges as "in relation to the Private Selection expectations are always high and this 2009 fully corresponded to what was expected, namely a sophisticated and modern red with grapes from a hot climate, but also emphasising the more complex side where the fruit and barrel combine, not fighting each other."
The Esporão Private Selection 2011 white was selected as being among the best in its class.
Born in Adeleide in 1955 and trained at Roseworthy College in the late 1970's, David Baverstock was part of the pioneering first wave of antipodean flying winemakers that now influence nearly every wine on the market. Along with Peter Bright, he was one of the first Australians to settle in Portugal and really get to grips with making Portuguese wine.
Beginning in 1982, David has left his winemaking mark on both Port and light wines in the Douro, principally with the Symington group and with Quinta de la Rosa, Quinta do Fojo and Quinta do Crasto. Then south to the Alentejo where he has developed the extensive and critically acclaimed wine range at Herdade de Esporão before coming as far south as possible to the Algarve.
Along the way he has won the Portuguese Red Wine Trophy at both the 1999 and 2002 International Wine Challenge, as well as Winemaker of the year (Portugal) 1999, the first non Portuguese winemaker to do so, and now for a second time in 2013.
