Magpie Takes Off with Gold Medals and a Trophy!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday 29th August 2011

Magpie Takes Off with Gold Medals and a Trophy!

You know what they say – never leave anything shiny around when there are magpies about, because they’ll swoop in and pinch it faster than you can say “Quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle”, and the announcement over the weekend that Squawking Magpie wines collected two shiny new Gold medals and a coveted Trophy has really given owner Gavin Yortt something to crow about.

“Winning Gold medals for our 2009 Stoned Crow Syrah and The Nest Merlot 2008 at the Romeo Bragato Wine Awards was brilliant news for us” he said over the phone from the annual two-day conference “then to hear that The Nest also won the Merlot Trophy was just sensational!”

Being able to add some extra heavy metal to the trophy cabinet caps off a huge month for Hawke’s Bay’s most awarded boutique wine company as ‘The Nest’ also scooped a gold medal at the New Zealand International Wine Show judged a week earlier. Formed in 2005, the New Zealand International Wine Show is now firmly established as the nation’s largest annual wine competition. Truly 'International' in nature, wines from any country and made from any variety can be entered. A panel of 24 judges, led by Bob Campbell MW, reviewed 2,080 wines over three intense days of judging where only ten percent of entries achieved gold medal status.

So it’s no surprise that Yortt is chuffed, in fact he’s hardly had time to stop flapping his wings after hearing his other Merlot-dominant wine; The Chatterer Merlot Malbec 2009 has also just been ranked in the Top 12 in the latest issue of Cuisine magazine. “This wine offers threads of boysenberries and raspberries with hints of toffee and spice, attractive smoothness, good persistence and soft tannins”, were the comments from the judges in their annual Merlot tasting. Just one month earlier, Cuisine magazine had also lavished praise on Squawking Magpie’s Stoned Crow Syrah 2009 and The Chatterer Syrah 2009, ranking them in their Top 12 Syrah’s in the country.

The Stoned Crow Syrah was also selected as one of twelve wines making up the Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection, wines which represent the epitome of quality from New Zealand’s most famous sub-region, the potential of which Gavin saw decades ago when he became the first to plant grapes in the rocky, riverbed soils.

The Trophy winners for the NZ International Wine Show will be announced at the Awards Dinner on Saturday 3rd September at Auckland’s Crowne Plaza Hotel. Is Yortt quietly hopeful of another Trophy? “The Nest 2008 is a truly outstanding wine, and whatever happens I’m proud of it. I’m proud of all my wines”.

ENDS

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