A local winery has confirmed their status as one of the best producers of Moscato in the nation after claiming a third successive trophy in a national competition.
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Dee Vine Estate has taken out the 2019 National Moscato Challenge with their 2019 2 Monkeys Moscato, handing the winery their third straight trophy at the awards.
Dee Vine had previously claimed the Best Still Moscato trophy in 2017 and 2018 for their respective year's vintage.
However, the elimination of the Best Still Moscato and Best Sparkling Moscato trophies from this year's competition meant only the main title was awarded this year, which Dee Vine was able to claim for the first time.
Winemaker Danny Toaldo said consistency between the winery and local growers has been a strong reason for the wine's continued success.
"It's a consistent blend every year," Mr Toaldo said.
"It's 100 per cent Riverina, 100 per cent local fruit... the same growers every year we use.
"If we haven't got the growers, we haven't got the fruit."
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Winemaker Moreno Chiappin said this year's accolade was also particularly pleasing due to the hot weather which occurred during this year's vintage period.
"This year was quite a difficult vintage in regards to the weather," Mr Chiappin said.
"We were very lucky to be able to do it again... especially after the vintage we had."
Mr Chiappin said in times of high heat, the grapes will often become 'cooked' and as a result lose a lot of the flavor due to oxidisation.
Dee Vine was one of three gold medal winners during the event, with fellow Riverina winery Warburn Estate also claiming a gold medal for their 2019 Gossips Pink Moscato.
The National Moscato Challenge is an event run in conjunction with the Australian Inland Wine Show, which saw a number of local wineries take out trophies at the awards ceremony on October 25.
Calabria Family Wines claimed four trophies, including Best Wine of Show, Best Riverina Wine and Most Successful Exhibitor, while Berton Vineyards, De Bortoli Wines and McWilliam's all claimed a trophy each.
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