Search For Top Wines Begins In Hawke’s Bay

More than 1,280 wines from around Aotearoa and the world will be put to the taste test in Hawke’s Bay this week, as the 22nd annual New World Wine Awards gets underway.

It’s the first time the region has hosted the full three-day New World Wine Awards judging event, one of the country’s largest wine competitions.

Already, 20 pallet loads of wine, glasses and equipment have been trucked to the Napier venue, and a team of nearly 70, including 26 expert judges, will be on site over the course of the show.

“While some may feel envious of the task ahead us, tasting some of the best wines around, the next few days will involve a lot of logistics and hard work,” explains Chair of Judges Jen Parr.

She says the competition stewards will pour more than 10,000 glasses for the independent judges, who will divide into panels to share the load of entries and assess around 100 wines each per day.

“Many of the judges are also winemakers, so we understand the effort and passion that goes into every bottle.

“From the first swirl of Sauvignon to the last sip of Merlot, we work to give each wine the time and consideration it deserves.

“We’ll be using the internationally recognised 100-point system to score wines on technical excellence, but we’ll also be searching for those wines with x-factor – the sorts of wines you’d be really excited to recommend to a friend or reveal as your price-savvy pick at a dinner party,” she adds.

During the competition, Parr will also lead her fellow senior judges in a series of rankings and taste-offs to determine the Champion wines by class and, most importantly, the New World Wine Awards Top 50 under $25.

“The New World Wine Awards stand out for their unique focus on under $25 wines, with the aim of helping their customers discover amazing yet affordable wines.”

Price isn’t part of the equation for the judges however, she highlights, as they will taste a mix of over and under $25 wines “blind”, with only the variety and vintage known.

“This means it’s only about evaluating the wine in the glass on the day,” says Parr.

The Top 50 winning wines will earn nationwide promotional support and distribution through more than 140 New World stores, where they are hotly anticipated by wine-loving shoppers and provide a handy guide to those new to the aisle and not sure where to start.

Head of marketing and CX for New World Giselle Bleakley, whose team helps deliver the Awards campaign each year, says it’s a pleasure to bring the event to a new and exciting location and help support local tourism and hospitality suppliers in Hawke’s Bay, especially after such a challenging period for the region.

“As a brand built on 100% New Zealand ownership, with family-operated stores in communities all across the country, we know how important it is to support local.

“Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Marlborough have been fabulous hosts for these awards and its sister event the New World Beer & Cider Awards, but the Hawke’s Bay has been on our ‘must visit’ list for some years.

“Being synonymous with great wine, the area will provide the perfect backdrop to inspire us this week, and we are really pleased to be able to help shine a small spotlight on that while we are here.”

The Hawke’s Bay region is both the country’s oldest wine region, and the newest to join the prestigious Great Wine Capitals of the World.

The New World Wine Awards Top 50 under $25 will be announced in October.

Note:

New World Wine Awards judging by the numbers

• 20 pallets of wine, glasses and equipment are needed for the three-day judging event.
• The stewarding team of 15 will place 5,100+ bottles in position and pour 10,000+ glasses of wine samples. Many will walk up to 20,0000 steps per day as they set-up multiple flights.
• Each judge will swirl, sniff, sip, spit and score around 100 wines each day.
• Dozens of packets of plain water crackers, jars of green pitted olives and bottles of sparkling water are used to cleanse the palate during judging.
• Around 140 wineries and distributors, representing 350+ brands, have entered over 1,280 wines to be judged.
• Around 60% of entries are from New Zealand vineyards, with the balance from international locations including Australia, France, Italy, Spain and the US.
• Marlborough entered the most wines (approx. 350), followed by Hawke’s Bay (approx. 160).
• The most-entered classes are Sauvignon Blanc (170+), followed by Chardonnay, Rosé, Pinot Noir and Sparkling wines – all with around 130 entries each.
• The biggest growth in entries has been in Red Blends, up nearly 30%, and Chardonnay, up nearly 20%.

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