Trophy news from The Marlborough Express….
Region takes 8 Air trophies
Marlborough wine has done it again.
Wineries in Marlborough have another reason to celebrate after winning nearly half of the trophies at the Air New Zealand wine awards.
The awards were dominated by Marlborough and Hawkes Bay, with each region winning eight trophies. Central Otago picked up two trophies.
Marlborough winners were: Goldwater Sauvignon Blanc 2008, which won both the champion sauvignon blanc and champion new world white wine trophies, Daniel Le Brun Blanc de Blanc 2000, Forrest The Doctors Riesling 2008, Shingle Peak Reserve Pinot Gris 2008, Hunter’s Gewurztraminer 2008, Forrest The Doctors’ Noble Chenin Blanc 2008, Nautilus Four Barriques Pinot Noir 2007.
Nautilus Estate winemaker Clive Jones said he was pleasantly surprised to win the Kapiti Champion Exhibition Red Wine Trophy.
The wine was a blend of what they considered the best in the cellar in any particular year.
Forrest Estate owner John Forrest said he was a man of riesling, so to see The Doctors’ Riesling 2008 win acknowledged his passion for the variety.
Winning the Wineworks Champion Medium Sweet of Sweet Wine Trophy with the Forrest The Doctors’ Noble Chenin Blanc 2008 was brilliant, he said.
It is the fourth time in seven years, Forrest Estate has won this trophy.
Goldwater Estate owner Peter Scutts said their style had won the judges over.
“We’re very excited, obviously the judges liked the style … we picked before the rain and we picked for flavour, rather than the more technical sweetness or sugar levels.”
For Hunter’s managing director Jane Hunter the trophy topped off a winning end of week for the winery.
The Gewurztraminer 2008 followed up a win in the Royal Hobart Wine Show on Thursday with the Label and Litho Champion Gewurztraminer Trophy on Saturday.
“We’ve been growing gewurztraminer since 1982.
“It’s been a long time coming … everyone’s been focusing on pinot gris in the aromatics but we’ve kept on with gewurztraminer.”
New Zealand Winegrowers chairman Stuart Smith said it was great to see so many different wineries win trophies and not just one dominate the night.
Everyone was in celebration mode on Saturday night at the awards, which was attended by more than 700 people, Mr Smith said.
A panel of 26 judges picked the winning wines.
The champion wine of the show was awarded to Church Road’s 2007 Reserve Syrah which beat off competition from a record number of entries, 1751 in total.
Hawkes Bay also impressed the judges with its Crossroads Winery’s 2007 Elms Vineyard Reserve Vidal Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2007, Villa Maria Single Estate Omahu Gravels Viognier 2007, Selaks The Favourite Merlot Cabernet 2007, Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Tempranillo 2007 and Villa Maria Estate Reserve Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2006.
Central Otago wines’ two trophies were both for Rockburn Pinot Noir 2007.
Originally posted by Rachel Young and Cherie Howie.
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