Following 1,407 wines being entered in this year’s Air New Zealand Wine Awards, judges have awarded 84 gold medals to wines from around the country.
Chair of Judges and Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich said the most pleasing aspect of this year’s awards was the spread of gold medals across a number of varietal styles and regions.
“Pinot Noir was once again the star performer with 18 golds. Predominantly the wines came from Otago, Marlborough and the Wairarapa, but Nelson, Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noirs were also in the mix.
“The top wines from other categories were exceptional, particularly from Chardonnay, Sparkling, Gewürztraminer and the Sweet White wines, and the quality of Hawke’s Bay Syrah continues to impress.”
In addition to the 84 gold medals, 220 silver medals and 551 bronze medals were also awarded by the judges, bringing the total number of medals awarded across the 16 different classes to 855.
Sustainability continues to be a strong focus of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, with a record 99.7 percent of wines entered into this year’s competition having sustainable accreditation.
The acclaimed trophy winning wines and winners of the elite gold medals will be revealed at a black tie dinner in Nelson on 28 November. New Zealand’s top winemakers and industry professionals will attend the event.
The Air New Zealand Wine Awards celebrate excellence in New Zealand winemaking and are widely considered to be the country’s most prestigious wine competition. New Zealand Winegrowers, the national organisation for the country’s 1,600 grape growers and winemakers, has owned and organised the competition for 40 years.
For more information visit www.airnzwineawards.co.nz
