Penfolds to host first international Grange Shiraz tasting with respected, independent wine journalists for the revered wine reference text

'The Rewards of Patience' Edition VII in New York City.

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Jun 15, 2012, 08:36 ET

NAPA, Calif., June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On Tuesday and Wednesday, June 19th/20th Penfolds will stage the Rewards of Patience tasting for the independently written, upcoming seventh edition of the winery's revered global text in New York City at the Mondrian SOHO. No other winery in the world opens its museum cellar for an external, independent assessment of their collection, spanning across half a century and worth approximately a million dollars.

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This tasting will focus on communicating the history, heritage, stories and exceptional quality of the Penfolds wine collection, with focus on the iconic flagship, Penfolds Grange Shiraz and the entry level Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet.

Released every five years, this text incorporates the independent opinions of internationally renowned wine journalists from Asia, the Americas, Europe and Australia, who share their wine-by-wine assessment of the drinking and cellaring potential of all Penfolds wines. The text is edited by Andrew Caillard MW and is a unique tome in the world of wine.

Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago said, "This is a truly significant occasion for Penfolds. Never before have we hosted such a tasting outside of Australia. We are reinvigorating the format of our tasting events on a global stage, with high-profile international judges. This tasting is also a special occasion as we will preview future vintages of Grange pre-release."

The New York tasting hosts a panel of distinguished judges from across the Americas, together with Penfolds Chief Winemaker Peter Gago, Senior Red Winemaker Steve Lienert, and author Andrew Caillard MW. The tasting will focus specifically on Penfolds luxury wine, Grange Shiraz – from 1952 to the 2010 vintage and the entry level Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet – from the inaugural 1976 vintage to 2010.

The New York judging panel comprises of:

Peter Gago	– Penfolds Chief Winemaker
Steve Lienert	– Penfolds Senior Red Winemaker
Andrew Caillard	– MW and Author of Penfolds, The Rewards of Patience, Seventh Edition book
Joe Czerwinski	– Managing Editor, Wine Enthusiast
Dave McIntyre	– Washington Post
Lettie Teague	– Wall Street Journal
Linda Murphy	– Decanter Magazine
Josh Raynolds	– Tanzer International
Ray Isle	– Executive Wine Editor for Food and Wine Magazine
Anthony Gismondi	– Canadian Writer, Broadcaster and Speaker
Marcelo Copello	– named as "The most influential wine journalist of Brazil" - Meininger´s Wine Business International

About Penfolds Rewards of Patience

Released every five years, Rewards of Patience incorporates the independent opinions of internationally renowned wine journalists from the Asia, Americas, Europe, & Australia who share their wine-by-wine assessment of the drinking and cellaring potential of all Penfolds wines. The text edited by Andrew Caillard MW is a unique tome in the World of Wine – no other winery in any country opens its Museum Cellar to an external, independent assessment of its wines extending back across over half a century.

About Penfolds

Penfolds has been producing an impressive array of wines since 1844 and indisputably led the development of Australian fine wine into the modern era. The introduction of Penfolds Grange in 1951 forever changed the landscape of Australian fine wine. Since then a series of standout wines, both white and red, have been released.

About Grange

Grange is Penfolds most celebrated wine. It demonstrates the synergy between Shiraz and the soils and climates of South Australia. Each release of Grange displays Penfolds winemaking philosophy and stamp as well as its own vintage character. The Grange style is the original and most powerful expression of Penfolds multi-vineyard, multi-district blending philosophy.

About Koonunga Hill

Created by Don Ditter in 1976, the Koonunga Hill wines have a reputation for over-delivering on quality. These wines are about freshness, generosity of flavor, and vivacity of fruit. They are affordable, great everyday drinking styles that reflect Penfolds' remarkable vineyard resources and outstanding red winemaking skills. In great Penfolds years, these wines have remarkable cellaring potential.

Contact: Lily Lane 707.299.3252
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SOURCE Penfolds