NZ wines top world challenge
15 Jul 2009
New Zealand wines have taken the top awards for syrah and sauvignon blanc at the International Wine Challenge in London - considered the world’s most prestigious independent wine competition.
Kennedy Point, a boutique vineyard from Waiheke Island off the Auckland coast, won the International Syrah Trophy with its Kennedy Point Waiheke Syrah 2007. The wine also won the New Zealand Red Wine trophy, New Zealand Syrah trophy and the Auckland Syrah trophy.
Vavasour Wines
Vavasour Wines from the famous South Island wine growing region of Marlborough also walked away with a handful of awards. The vineyard’s Clifford Bay Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2008 won the International Sauvignon Blanc trophy, as well as the New Zealand White trophy and the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc trophy.
The International Wine Challenge (IWC) is the world’s most prestigious independent wine competition. This year there were 9,500 entries with wineries from all over the world sending more then 40,000 bottles of wine to be blind tasted in a lengthy process of elimination.
Kennedy Point
Waiheke Island is gaining an international reputation for outstanding red wines and winning the IWC awards is a major achievement for Kennedy Point, a small boutique vineyard planted in 1996.
Owners Neal Kunimura and Susan McCarthy say the awards are
"the fulfillment of years of hard work perfecting our vineyard and wine making process." Both will travel to London to receive the awards at a gala ceremony in September.
IWC Awards
The two-week wine challenge is the culmination of a mammoth operation in which every single bottle of wine entered - this year, more than 40,000 - must be logged, coded and tasted.
For the tasting process, wines are 'flighted' into groups of eight to twelve wines of the same category, wrapped in a bag (to ensure the tasting is blind) and tagged. They are then chilled if necessary.
IWC has built its reputation on the quality and experience of its judges. This year, more than 370 winemakers, merchants and writers from around the world took part in the event and up to 1,500 wines were assessed daily.
In the final round of the competition the winners of special trophies and the champion wines are decided and announced at a black tie gala dinner at The Grosvenor Hotel, in Park Lane.
The 2009 champion wines, Winemakers of the Year and Merchants of the Year awards will be presented on 2 September.
Other NZ winning wines
Other New Zealand wineries awarded trophies at the International Wine Challenge included:
- Ata Rangi Vineyard - New Zealand Chardonnay Trophy for Craighall Chardonnay 2007
- Gladstone Vineyards - Wairarapa Pinot Noir Trophy for Gladstone Pinot Noir 2007
- Hinton Estate Vineyard - Central Otago Pinot Noir Trophy for Hinton Estate Vineyard Barrel Selection 2007
- Mission Estate Winery - Hawke's Bay Syrah Trophy for Reserve Syrah 2007
- Saint Clair Winery - New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy, Marlborough Pinot Noir Trophy for Pioneer Block 15 Strip Block Pinot Noir 2007
In all, seven New Zealand pinot noir wines were awarded gold medals.
More information:
New Zealand wine industry
Waiheke Island wins 2009 smart travel pick
Auckland region
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