Double Win for Spy Valley Wines

Media Release 28 September 2015

New Zealand International Wine Show Produces a Double Win for Spy Valley Wines

Marlborough’s Spy Valley Wines is delighted to announce that their 2014 Gewurztraminer and 2014 Noble Riesling have both been awarded trophies at the New Zealand International Wine Show. Trophies were presented on Saturday night, 26th September at the awards dinner at the Crowne Plaza in Auckland.

The New Zealand International Wine Show is the largest wine competition in New Zealand. This year’s competition saw over 2,100 entries from 10 countries in 28 different classes. The judging took place from 7th through 9th September, and was chaired by Bob Campbell MW with assistant Chief Judges Larry McKenna, John Hancock and Kym Milne MW. The results give a wonderful overview of the wine market in New Zealand, giving excellent recommendations on crowded shelves.

“I am very pleased with the team and all the efforts that have gone into making these wines both in the vineyard and in the winery,” said Bryan Johnson, Spy Valley Wines Owner.

This trophy is the sixth trophy Spy Valley Wines has picked up for its Gewurztraminer, second for the 2014 vintage making it one of New Zealand’s leading Gewurztraminer producers.

“Just tasting the grapes for the 2014 Gewurztraminer before harvest was pretty exciting. To see the wine reflect that and to be awarded so consistently at this level just reinforces what a magic place Marlborough is for winegrowing. All the hard work in the vineyard and winery is definitely paying off,” said Paul Bourgeois, Spy Valley’s Chief Winemaker since 2007.

He describes the bouquet as possessing ‘roses, peach, apricot and delicate spices. The palate is typically rich and powerful, with assertive structure and a long crisp finish and lingering flavours of jasmine, white peach and aromatic spices.’

Under the guidance of Viticulturist Adam McCone, the grapes for both wines were estate-grown at the Johnson Estate Vineyard in the lower Waihopai Valley. “To be awarded these trophies is reassuring that we are doing the right things and puts us as a leading producer in New Zealand,” says McCone.

Spy Valley produces very small quantities of Noble Riesling and only in favourable years. Bob Campbell MW said "It takes a gambler to produce botrytised sweet wines.”

“To win a trophy is very exciting. It is a risk and we don’t do it every year,” Says Bourgeois. “Spy Valley has a targeted approach in the vineyard to help encourage botrytis. It takes three separate handpicking passes over the same vines to select the fruit at optimum ripeness, and it is a very labour intensive process”.

He describes the bouquet as possessing ‘Ripe orange, mango and fig, with spicy notes of green ginger and cardamom.’ The palate is ‘Rich and enveloping. The ripe citrus peel and exotic fruit characters are just the start of a complex flavour profile.’

Spy Valley is the informal name for Marlborough’s Waihopai Valley, a southern sub region of the main Wairau Plains. The name Spy Valley is derived from the Waihopai Satellite Communication Station (a spy base) which is part of the Echelon Global Network. Established in 1993, this family owned New Zealand company sources fruit predominantly from their own Vineyards. Pioneers of this Marlborough sub-region, the vineyards were established on land considered too poor for viticulture, but have since become one of the finest cool climate vineyards in the region. Spy Valley consistently produces global award winning wines including Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir.

ENDS

© Scoop Media