Made from hand-picked Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in the Adelaide Hills, Sidewood Estate’s Isabella Rosé Sparkling 2015 has made its mark on the international wine stage.
The 11-year-old drop recently won Top Gold and the Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine in Show at the 2026 International Cool Climate Wine Show (ICCWS), adding another major accolade to Sidewood’s growing trophy cabinet.
“It’s an incredible result for the entire team and further cements Sidewood’s position as one of Australia’s leading sparkling wine producers,” Owen Inglis, Owner and Vigneron said.
“This wine has always held a special place for me because it was named after one of my daughters, Isabella.”
Fruit for the sparkling comes from vines grown at Sidewood’s Mappinga Road vineyard. It is lightly pressed before fermentation in stainless steel, with the wine gaining its distinctive colour through the ancient saignée technique, a method rarely used in modern sparkling wine and Champagne production.
For Sidewood, the approach is about preserving the purity and character of the original fruit.
The wine was then bottle-fermented and aged on lees for six years before disgorgement, followed by another four to five years ageing in bottle. That extended maturation has allowed the 2015 vintage to develop considerably before reaching its current release.
Across its history, Sidewood has released six vintages of Isabella Rosé, which have collectively received eight trophies at national and international wine shows, along with 50 gold medals.
Those accolades include a Platinum medal at the Decanter World Wine Awards, as well as Best Sparkling Rosé trophies at the Royal Adelaide Wine Show, Royal Queensland Wine Awards, National Wine Show of Australia, Adelaide Hills Wine Show, ICCWS and Australian Cool Climate Wine Show.
The latest result also adds to an impressive run for Sidewood at the ICCWS in recent years.
Its Mappinga Chardonnay 2024 was named Best White Wine and Best Chardonnay in 2025, following an even bigger result for the 2023 vintage, which took out Best Wine of Show in 2024.
The winery also claimed two Chardonnay gold medals in 2023, while its 2015 Chloé Cuvée Sparkling won both Best Sparkling Wine and Best Wine of Show in 2022.
This year’s trophy marks Sidewood’s second Best Sparkling Wine title at the competition and adds to two Best Wine of Show wins since 2022.
The 2026 show also continued a strong run for Sidewood’s Mappinga Chardonnay, with the young 2025 vintage awarded a gold medal.
It follows silver medals at the Royal Queensland Wine Awards, Perth Royal Wine Awards and Decanter World Wine Awards, with the Sidewood team expecting the wine to continue developing over the next 12 to 18 months.
“It’s going to be exciting to watch its progress. Watch this space.”
With fewer than 500 bottles of the Isabella Rosé Sparkling 2015 available to purchase, the award-winning vintage is unlikely to remain available for long.
Visit Sidewood Estate at 6 River Road, Hahndorf or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
