Stunning Run for Rockburn continues
Stunning Run for Rockburn continues at Air New
Zealand Wine Awards
Rockburn Pinot Noir 2011
has taken the Fairfax Media Champion Open Red Wine Trophy at
the Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2012 announced on Saturday
night at a black tie awards dinner in Wellington.
The Air New Zealand Wine Awards are considered to be New Zealand’s premier wine competition, a show at which Rockburn Pinot Noir has proved a prolific winner. The Trophy was collected by Winemaker Malcolm Rees Francis who gave a rousing acceptance speech, injecting much levity to the evening with some witty references to Hobbits and in particular thanking the support of the Rockburn Directors.
Rockburn’s results at the Air New Zealand
Wine Awards are a reflection of the company’s growing
pedigree. Their first Air NZ Gold medal was in 1999 and they
have since gone on to win consistent recognition at the Air
NZ Wine Awards, including the Champion Open Red Trophy in
2007 and both Champion Pinot Noir & Champion Open Red
Trophies in 2008. This weekends’ result marks the third
time Rockburn has taken out the Open Red Trophy in the last
six years; very few other producers have displayed such
prowess at delivering both quality and quantity to the wine
drinkers of New Zealand.
General Manager Paul
Donaghy commented; “To be considered for the Open category
you must have at least 2,500 cases available, so this is
fantastic news for Pinot Noir lovers – all too often
trophy-winning wines are in such limited quantities
consumers can’t even find them let alone drink them. But
we are happy to advise that we will have the 2011 vintage
available now for our customers”.
The Trophy rounds off an absolutely stunning period of awards with Rees-Francis earlier in the month being named Finalists Choice Trophy winner for the Australian Wine Society’s Young Winemaker of the Year awards; and in August the Rockburn Pinot Noir 2010 was awarded a Double trophy at the Bragato Wine Awards, receiving Champion Reserve Wine and Champion Pinot Noir.