Judges award 84 golds from more than 1400 entries at country's top competition.
NZ's first Master of Wine Michael Brajkovich dissects the Air NZ wine awards on NBR Radio and on demand on MyNBR Radio.
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Winemaker Villa Maria has topped the list of gold medal winners at the Air New Zealand wine awards.
Villa Maria’s three labels, which also include Esk Valley and Vidal Estate, won 10 golds (one winner was also awarded gold in the open white class). Saint Clair picked up eight golds and was the second most awarded winemaker (it also has a gold winner in the open white category).
Speaking at the company's latest wine releases last week, Villa Maria founder Sir George Fistonich said while the company still put a big emphasis on awards, having too many shows can be confusing to customers.
He also said Villa Maria's issue of single vineyard wines emphasised the quality of its properties. At least six of the gold-medal winners come from these vineyards in Marlborough and Hawke's Bay.
But Sir George says the Air New Zealand awards are the pinnacle for local winemakers and awards are important to "keep the winemakers on their toes."
Out of more than 1400 entries, the judges chose 84 golds in 12 categories.
Pinot Noir leads varietals
Pinot Noir again scored the highest with 18, followed by 12 Chardonnay golds and 11 Sauvignon Blancs.
All regions featured in the spread of golds but Marlborough was way out in front with 41, followed by Hawke’s Bay with 19 and Central Otago 11.
Judging chairman Michael Brajkovich says while Pinot Noir is the leading varietal, there is a good spread across other regions and wine styles.
“Predominantly the [Pinot Noir] wines came from Otago, Marlborough and the Wairarapa, but Nelson, Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noirs were also in the mix,” he says.
“The top wines from other categories were exceptional, particularly from Chardonnay, Sparkling, Gewürztraminer and the Sweet White wines, while 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, bringing the total number of medals awarded in the 16 different classes to 855.
The trophy winners and elite gold medals in each of the 12 categories will be named at a dinner in Nelson on November 28.
The full list of medal winners is here.
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