Church Road Reserve Chardonnay 2006

MEDIA RELEASE 29 September 2008

A Proud Champion – Church Road Reserve Chardonnay 2006

Church Road Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2006 won the Champion Wine of the Show Trophy and NZ Champion Chardonnay Trophy at the New Zealand International Wine Show, the largest wine competition held in New Zealand.

Chris Scott, senior winemaker for Church Road Winery, collected the trophies on behalf of the Church Road team and paid tribute to the outstanding quality of the fruit, joking that the wine had "pretty much made itself" since it was wild yeast fermented and, with the exception of some lees stirring, was basically untouched from whole-bunch pressing to the end of malolactic fermentation in barrel. The spontaneous applause from the assembled crowd reflected the popularity of the result.

Not to be outdone, Saints Gisborne Chardonnay 2007 was awarded the Champion Commercial White Wine of the Show Trophy.

“This is a tremendous result as the wine is both affordable and widely available, allowing the New Zealand populace at large the chance to enjoy an outstanding trophy winning wine without blowing the family budget” said Steve Voysey, senior winemaker.

The Trophy winning wines announced at the awards dinner on Saturday 27th September, all won gold medals in their respective classes at the 2008 New Zealand International Wine Show. They have been singled out by the Judges as the 'Best of the Best'.

A further 10 gold medals were awarded to wines within the Pernod Ricard New Zealand portfolio rounding off a truly excellent evening.

- Montana Terroir Series Waihirere Chardonnay 2006
- Jacob's Creek Reeve's Point Chardonnay 2004
- Church Road Cuve Series Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2006
- Richmond Grove Limited Release Watervale Riesling 2004
- Stoneleigh Marlborough Pinot Gris 2008
- Montana T Terraces Marlborough Pinot Noir 2007
- Church Road Cuve Series Hawkes Bay Merlot 2005
- Church Road Reserve Merlot Cabernet 2006
- George Wyndham Shiraz 2005
- Sandeman Late Bottled Vintage Porto 2000

With 2273 entries, the 2008 New Zealand International Wine Show is the largest wine competition held in New Zealand and is one of the largest wine competitions in the Southern Hemisphere with the judging team being led by Larry McKenna and Peter Cowley.

ENDS

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