Media Releases
29 April 2008
CANBERRA'S CENTENARY CELEBRATED WITH LOCAL WINES
Premium Shiraz and Riesling wines will be produced by ACT winemakers to mark the Centenary of Canberra in 2013 announced Chief Minister Jon Stanhope today.
The announcement follows yesterday's commitment by the ACT Government to substantially increase funding by $4.3 million over four years to effectively plan for the city's 100th birthday.
The centenary wine project is being driven by the Canberra and District Wine Industry Association with the assistance of the ACT Government's Centenary organisers.
"The best grapes from the ACT's 2008 bumper harvest will be used to create the commemorative wines for release in 2013," Mr Stanhope said.
"The 2008 vintage has a special significance because in 1908 the Yass-Canberra district was selected by the Australian Parliament as the site for the new nation's capital.
"The Riesling and Shiraz were selected because they are varieties synonymous with this region and grown by many of the vineyards in the district."
Panels of expert winemakers will oversee the process to ensure two exceptional wines are produced for the city's birthday celebrations.
"I'm pleased to announce the wines will be a feature of government functions in 2013 and I understand there will be the opportunity for the public to purchase the wines through the cellar doors of the region's vineyards.
"This is a great opportunity to showcase the talent of our local winemakers and further establish the region as a premium cool climate wine district," Mr Stanhope said.
The Chief Minister also unveiled the labels for the wines which have been designed to be classic and stand the test of time.
The labels pay tribute to the city's history, using the iconic image of the Marion Mahony Griffin's ‘City and Environs' image as well as a watermark of the Foundation Stones Ceremony.
Mr Stanhope said, "The labels reflect the quality of the product and the wine district at large."
