Waipara Hills Reaps Rewards

Media Release March 2009

Waipara Hills Reaps Rewards

The winemaking team at Waipara Hills is doing anything but resting on its laurels, despite the brand having picked up more than 300 awards since its first vintage in 2001. Waipara Hills includes the Soul of the South, Southern Cross Selection and Equinox labels, which reflect the wines’ grounding in the intense, complex climate of the South Island.

In 2008 the stand-out honours for Waipara Hills included a sought-after Blue-Gold at the Sydney International Wine Competition (for the flagship 2007 Waipara Hills Equinox Waipara Pinot Gris); a Gold and Best in Class at the International Wine and Spirit Competition – UK (for the reserve-tier 2007 Waipara Hills Southern Cross Selection Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc); and further awards at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, the New Zealand International Wine Competition, and the AWC Vienna International Wine Challenge, among others.

The wines are also receiving commendations in leading wine publications: the March 2009 issue of Cuisine magazine awarded the 2008 Waipara Hills Southern Cross selection Pinot Gris 5 stars and named it among the top 5 in its class; and the 2007 Waipara Hills Southern Cross Selection Central Otago Pinot Noir was a fellow 5 star recipient from Cuisine and was also awarded 4.5 stars (93/100) in the Penguin Wine Guide 2009.

Winemaker Simon McGeorge, a native of the Canterbury region, says his crafting of Waipara Hills’ award-winning wines is based on his knowledge of the varied nature of the climate in which the grapes are produced. “The South Island of New Zealand is a unique place known for its rugged beauty and wild weather, and our team enjoys the challenge of creating wines which capture the dramatic, special and at times unpredictable nature of this environment. I believe this is one of the reasons why our wines are stacking up so well against global competitors.”

CEO Baden Ngan Kee said the spate of awards reflected the broad appeal of Waipara Hills’ wines. “We also employ the strategy of sourcing grapes from a number of different wine-producing regions in the South Island, which is home to many fine vineyards. Clearly our success validates that strategy, which along the hard work and skill of the Waipara Hills team is producing wines with the strength and complexity to win awards.

“We have taken some important steps in the past year to develop our brand locally and internationally, and we are pleased that the quality of our wines is being recognized so widely.

“We will continue to work to create even better wines, and we hope to enjoy further awards success with our 2009 production.”

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