EN
English
French
- Chris Boiling
- 2023-07-05
The International Wine Challenge, the world’s most impartial and rigorously judged global wine competition, has named its five Winemakers of the Year. They cover the categories of red, white, sparkling, sweet and fortified – and span the globe.
Rare Champagne’s Émilien Boutillat was named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year, an accolade he also claimed in 2021 with his other job – chef de caves at Piper-Heidsieck. And to cap a wonderful night for the young French winemaker, the Rare Millésime 2008 – made by his predecessor and mentor Régis Camus (who retired in March 2022) – was named Champion Sparkling Wine.
The IWC judges loved its “intoxicating and alluring nose, featuring aromas of fresh baked pastry, apple crumble and Sorrento lemons”. They also said it was “compelling and richly flavoured with restrained intensity and superb balance”.
Émilien, 36, tells me he has been in charge of Rare Champagne blends “in the shadows” since he joined the group in 2018. Here’s what he also had to say about the pressure of taking over from Régis twice now – first at Piper-Heidsieck and then at Rare Champagne – and his aims for the premium Champagne brand going forward…
Émilien: “Taking over the reins from Régis Camus is a source of great pride for me. Rare Champagne is a jewel, known and recognised by wine connoisseurs around the world. Rare Champagne has an inimitable style and soul. I will continue to elaborate Rare Millésimes with heart, passion and joy to make them shine.”
How do you manage to juggle two distinct brands?
Émilien: “Rare Champagne has always been closely linked to its parent house, Piper-Heidsieck. As chief winemaker of both Houses, I have the chance and the privilege of being able to create in absolute freedom. Rare Champagne is the freedom to do or not to do. I decide the frequency and quantity of Rare Champagne Millésimes according to the quality of the grapes of the year. There is no compromise on quality.”
What do you hope to do with the Rare Champagne wines going forward?
Émilien: “The objective is to keep the same attention to detail with a perpetual quest for excellence and quality. We also have to adapt to climate change to preserve the style of Rare Champagne and the high ageing potential of its exceptional millésimes. The House was recently certified B Corp (as well as its sister Houses Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck), which testifies our commitment to limit our environmental footprint as much as possible and preserve our precious Champagne terroir which will make the great wines of tomorrow!”
The 2008 was obviously a phenomenal vintage – are there any vintage reserve wines that will equal or better it?
Émilien: “A wine critic and great connoisseur of Champagne, whom I will not mention here, recently confided to me that the last Rare Champagne millésime, Rare Millésime 2013, was surely the finest he or she had tasted, ahead of 2008 or even 2002, another iconic vintage of the House. We have a few other vintages in our cellars which are very promising… Some future vintages therefore have nothing to envy in 2008 and will certainly present a similar quality and potential. Exceptional champagnes follow one another at Rare Champagne!”
Read more about Émilien in this Canopy interview – when he had only been in the job for six months.
For the first time, a Chilean winemaker took the title of Red Winemaker of the Year. Rafael Urrejola, chief winemaker at Viña Undurraga, was responsible for three trophies, four gold medals and four silvers at this year’s IWC. He won the Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy with the T.H. Cabernet Sauvignon Alto Maipo 2021, the Chilean Pinot Noir Trophy with the Trama Pinot Noir 2021, and Chilean Carignan Trophy with the T.H. Carignan Maule 2021. This wine, which the IWC judges described as “fabulously fruity with plums, bramble fruit, forest and mulberries”, also took the Chilean Red Trophy.
In an interview with Canopy (here), he describes how he brings out the best from these very different grape varieties. The common link is a “search for identity and freshness in the wines, with no makeup or significant intervention”.
Rafael produced the top Chilean red last year, too. In this article, he describes how Viña Undurraga’s Vigno 2019 – Carignan co-fermented with a splash of overripe Cinsault – has been a decade in the making.
IWC co-chair Helen McGinn commented: “It’s wonderful to see the Red Winemaker of the Year go to a Chilean producer for the first time. Viña Undurraga had a spectacular year and beating all other nations to claim this prestigious title proves that Rafael’s exceptional talent can stand up to the expertise of Old-World producers.”
New Zealand’s Natalie Christensen, chief winemaker at Yealands Wine Group, was named IWC’s White Winemaker of the Year. Yealands Wine Group produced a spectacular set of results in this year’s Challenge, claiming 12 medals as well as the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Trophy for its Yealands Estate Single Block S1 Sauvignon Blanc 2022. You can read more about Natalie, who joined Yealands in 2015 and became chief winemaker three years later, and her experiments with Pinot Noir and Albariño here.
For the third year in a row, the Sweet Winemaker of the Year is Hans Tschida of Angerhof Tschida. This Burgenland legend has now won the title nine times since 2010.
Asked last year about how his winemaking has changed since he first won the Sweet Winemaker of the Year title, Hans replied: “We have remained true to our style: producing wine from autochthonous grapes in the highest quality with variety typicity and a balance of sugar, alcohol and acidity. The only change is the closure of the bottles – since 12 years we use screwcap for 0.75L bottles and Vinolok for 0.375L. Before we used cork, but we are really very happy now. With this decision, all bottles have the same ageing process.”
Read the full interview here.
Sherry winemaker Marcos Alguacil, who has been at Bodegas Osborne since 1998, was named Fortified Winemaker of the Year, having received 12 medals as well as the Amontillado Trophy for his Amontillado en Rama La Honda, which judges described as having “beguiling aromas of grilled nuts, pistachios and chocolate-covered hazelnuts”. They continued by saying the palate “is well balanced with bitter orange, sourdough and spiced apple. Exceptional.”
Red Winemaker of the Year: Rafael Urrejola, Viña Undurraga, Chile
White Winemaker of the Year: Natalie Christensen, Yealands Wine Group, New Zealand
Sweet Winemaker of the Year: Hans Tschida, Angerhof Tschida, Austria
Fortified Winemaker of the Year: Marcos Alguacil, Bodegas Osborne, Spain
Sparkling Winemaker of the Year
Rare Champagne’s Émilien Boutillat was named Sparkling Winemaker of the Year, an accolade he also claimed in 2021 with his other job – chef de caves at Piper-Heidsieck. And to cap a wonderful night for the young French winemaker, the Rare Millésime 2008 – made by his predecessor and mentor Régis Camus (who retired in March 2022) – was named Champion Sparkling Wine.
The IWC judges loved its “intoxicating and alluring nose, featuring aromas of fresh baked pastry, apple crumble and Sorrento lemons”. They also said it was “compelling and richly flavoured with restrained intensity and superb balance”.
Émilien, 36, tells me he has been in charge of Rare Champagne blends “in the shadows” since he joined the group in 2018. Here’s what he also had to say about the pressure of taking over from Régis twice now – first at Piper-Heidsieck and then at Rare Champagne – and his aims for the premium Champagne brand going forward…
‘Rare Champagne is the freedom to do or not to do’Canopy: How do you feel about taking over Rare Champagne from Régis Camus?
Émilien: “Taking over the reins from Régis Camus is a source of great pride for me. Rare Champagne is a jewel, known and recognised by wine connoisseurs around the world. Rare Champagne has an inimitable style and soul. I will continue to elaborate Rare Millésimes with heart, passion and joy to make them shine.”
How do you manage to juggle two distinct brands?
Émilien: “Rare Champagne has always been closely linked to its parent house, Piper-Heidsieck. As chief winemaker of both Houses, I have the chance and the privilege of being able to create in absolute freedom. Rare Champagne is the freedom to do or not to do. I decide the frequency and quantity of Rare Champagne Millésimes according to the quality of the grapes of the year. There is no compromise on quality.”
What do you hope to do with the Rare Champagne wines going forward?
Émilien: “The objective is to keep the same attention to detail with a perpetual quest for excellence and quality. We also have to adapt to climate change to preserve the style of Rare Champagne and the high ageing potential of its exceptional millésimes. The House was recently certified B Corp (as well as its sister Houses Piper-Heidsieck and Charles Heidsieck), which testifies our commitment to limit our environmental footprint as much as possible and preserve our precious Champagne terroir which will make the great wines of tomorrow!”
The 2008 was obviously a phenomenal vintage – are there any vintage reserve wines that will equal or better it?
Émilien: “A wine critic and great connoisseur of Champagne, whom I will not mention here, recently confided to me that the last Rare Champagne millésime, Rare Millésime 2013, was surely the finest he or she had tasted, ahead of 2008 or even 2002, another iconic vintage of the House. We have a few other vintages in our cellars which are very promising… Some future vintages therefore have nothing to envy in 2008 and will certainly present a similar quality and potential. Exceptional champagnes follow one another at Rare Champagne!”
Read more about Émilien in this Canopy interview – when he had only been in the job for six months.
Red Winemaker of the Year
For the first time, a Chilean winemaker took the title of Red Winemaker of the Year. Rafael Urrejola, chief winemaker at Viña Undurraga, was responsible for three trophies, four gold medals and four silvers at this year’s IWC. He won the Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy with the T.H. Cabernet Sauvignon Alto Maipo 2021, the Chilean Pinot Noir Trophy with the Trama Pinot Noir 2021, and Chilean Carignan Trophy with the T.H. Carignan Maule 2021. This wine, which the IWC judges described as “fabulously fruity with plums, bramble fruit, forest and mulberries”, also took the Chilean Red Trophy.
In an interview with Canopy (here), he describes how he brings out the best from these very different grape varieties. The common link is a “search for identity and freshness in the wines, with no makeup or significant intervention”.
Rafael produced the top Chilean red last year, too. In this article, he describes how Viña Undurraga’s Vigno 2019 – Carignan co-fermented with a splash of overripe Cinsault – has been a decade in the making.
IWC co-chair Helen McGinn commented: “It’s wonderful to see the Red Winemaker of the Year go to a Chilean producer for the first time. Viña Undurraga had a spectacular year and beating all other nations to claim this prestigious title proves that Rafael’s exceptional talent can stand up to the expertise of Old-World producers.”
White Winemaker of the Year
New Zealand’s Natalie Christensen, chief winemaker at Yealands Wine Group, was named IWC’s White Winemaker of the Year. Yealands Wine Group produced a spectacular set of results in this year’s Challenge, claiming 12 medals as well as the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Trophy for its Yealands Estate Single Block S1 Sauvignon Blanc 2022. You can read more about Natalie, who joined Yealands in 2015 and became chief winemaker three years later, and her experiments with Pinot Noir and Albariño here.
Sweet Winemaker of the Year
For the third year in a row, the Sweet Winemaker of the Year is Hans Tschida of Angerhof Tschida. This Burgenland legend has now won the title nine times since 2010.
Asked last year about how his winemaking has changed since he first won the Sweet Winemaker of the Year title, Hans replied: “We have remained true to our style: producing wine from autochthonous grapes in the highest quality with variety typicity and a balance of sugar, alcohol and acidity. The only change is the closure of the bottles – since 12 years we use screwcap for 0.75L bottles and Vinolok for 0.375L. Before we used cork, but we are really very happy now. With this decision, all bottles have the same ageing process.”
Read the full interview here.
Fortified Winemaker of the Year
Sherry winemaker Marcos Alguacil, who has been at Bodegas Osborne since 1998, was named Fortified Winemaker of the Year, having received 12 medals as well as the Amontillado Trophy for his Amontillado en Rama La Honda, which judges described as having “beguiling aromas of grilled nuts, pistachios and chocolate-covered hazelnuts”. They continued by saying the palate “is well balanced with bitter orange, sourdough and spiced apple. Exceptional.”
IWC Winemakers of the Year 2023
Sparkling Winemaker of the Year: Émilien Boutillat, Rare Champagne, FranceRed Winemaker of the Year: Rafael Urrejola, Viña Undurraga, Chile
White Winemaker of the Year: Natalie Christensen, Yealands Wine Group, New Zealand
Sweet Winemaker of the Year: Hans Tschida, Angerhof Tschida, Austria
Fortified Winemaker of the Year: Marcos Alguacil, Bodegas Osborne, Spain
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