Vintage best on the vine

Vintage best on the vine

Vintage Wines & Spirits has been named Wine Company of the Show at this year’s New Zealand International Wine Show, one of the country’s small number of elite wine competitions.

It is also New Zealand’s biggest – there were 2273 entries this year – and one of the largest in the southern hemisphere.

Convened by Kingsley Wood, a respected retailer, judge and long-time wine events organiser – including the iconic national wine options, run every year – this show is held in increasingly high esteem for its strong grounding in consumer demand, at the same time encouraging excellence in winemaking.

“Winning trophies and gold medals at the New Zealand International Wine Show is an important goal because they recognise that you are providing the premium wine that New Zealand buyers really want,” says Nick Hern, Vintage’s managing director and major shareholder.

“The level of competition is tremendously high and the judging calibre up with the very best.”

This year’s judging panel was headed by co-chairmen Peter Cowley and Larry McKenna. McKenna was a popular winner himself, being honoured with the George Fistonich Medal as the 2008 Legend of New Zealand Wine.

“We were extremely proud that companies in our marketing portfolio picked up an almost incredible two trophies and 15 gold medals, as well as silver and bronze medals,” says Hern. “They did the hard work in making some of the best wine available in New Zealand while we were fortunate to present a portfolio that embraces such a wide range of leading brands.”

Vintage won the prestigious Wine Company of the Show accolade because of the large number of trophies and gold medals achieved by the wines it sells.
The two trophies went to the same Barossa Valley, South Australia, winery: the Thorn-Clarke William Randell Barossa Shiraz 2005 took the Vino Fino Trophy for Champion Shiraz and its stablemate, Thorn-Clark Sandpiper Barossa Shiraz 2007 won the Winestate Trophy for Champion Commercial Red Wine.

The Thorn-Clarke family have produced wine in the Barossa for six generations, now sourcing fruit from four vineyards which highlight the individual micro-climates of the valley’s nooks and crannies.

“These feature distinctively different terroirs which they can bring to the fore in single vineyard wines or take parcels for cross-terroir blending to achieve complexity and interest,” Hern explains.Another pleasing aspect of the show results for Vintage Wines & Spirits was that the trophies and medals were drawn from right across the company’s extensive wine portfolio in terms of both style and region, including red and white still wines, champagne and port, produced in New Zealand, Australia and Europe.

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