Sweet Success For Hawke’s Bay’s Alpha Domus Winery

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Media Release 28.11.16
For immediate release

Sweet Success For Hawke’s Bay’s Alpha Domus Winery

Boutique Hawke’s Bay Winery Alpha Domus continues to attract attention at national and international competitions, with a string of awards to its name.

Most recently, Alpha Domus’s 2015 The Barnstormer Syrah has won three gold medals, at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, the Sydney International Wine Competition and the Hawke’s Bay A&P Wine Awards. Managing Director Paul Ham says this is a huge coup for the family-owned winery.

“In an increasingly crowded marketplace with a large number of big players, it’s testament to the care and attention we as a boutique wine producer place on every stage of the process from vine to wine,” says Mr Ham.

The Barnstormer joins other champion wines with the 2015 Alpha Domus AD Noble Selection winning gold at the Six Nations Wine Challenge. This prestigious invitation-only competition compares the very best wines from New Zealand, Australia, Chile, South Africa, USA and Canada, with wines judged by six of the most influential voices from each participating nation.

The 2015 Noble Selection also won trophies at the 2016 Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards and the 2017 Winestate Magazine Wine of the Year Awards, cementing its reputation as one of New Zealand’s most highly regarded dessert wines.

Other recent successes include The Wingwalker Viognier 2014, which was awarded Blue Gold at the 2017 Sydney International Wine Competition, and the inclusion of The Navigator 2013 on Air New Zealand’s Business Class service. As a boutique producer these wines are available for tasting at the cellar door.

Mr Ham says the Hawke’s Bay region is gaining attention with exceptional wines coming from the 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 vintages. “We have stunning Chardonnay and our premium Hawke’s Bay blend, the Cabernet Sauvignon dominant AD The Aviator 2015 is due for release shortly and will not disappoint.” This limited edition wine is part of the flagship ‘AD’ range and is only made if it is deemed to be of outstanding quality.

Sited on 20 hectares of prime grape growing land on the Western Heretaunga Plains, Alpha Domus is part of the renowned ‘Bridge Pa Triangle.’ Mr Ham credits the unique terroir of this sub region for producing complex, elegant wines that are inherently aromatic, with soft rounded tannins and a generous finish.

“With our particular combination of soil, topography, and climate, Alpha Domus is very excited for the future of the sub region with ongoing development in wine quality for Alpha Domus and all the producers in the area.”

Developed in the early 1990s, the pioneering winery is still 100% family owned and continues to evolve by careful selection of new clones and varieties that are ideally suited to the site. “The reason single-vineyard wines are so good is because the grapes are harvested from the same blocks every year, the wines produced are uniquely matched to the soils in which they’re grown; they retain their personality through this consistency,” says Mr Ham.

A small but dedicated team includes Vineyard Manager Darren Chatterton, who has been with the family for nine years and Winemaker Barry Riwai, who is heading into his third vintage with Alpha Domus.

Mr Ham says quality and consistency, rather than size and scale will continue to be the hallmarks of Alpha Domus wines. “We’re a small producer with big goals. We want to continue producing bespoke wines that hold their own on the world stage, and most importantly are great to drink.”

ENDS

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