Waiheke, New Zealand, 2014-9-30— /EPR Retail News/ — The highest number of medals ever was awarded at the New World Wine Awards 2014, following a record number of entries. Among the full range of varietals entered, the Shiraz/Syrah category was a stand-out performer with the highest number of medals awarded among the red wine varietals and the second-highest number of medals overall, second only to Sauvignon Blanc.
Within the Shiraz/Syrah class, New Zealand wines took more medals than ever before, with a record-breaking three Gold medals for wines from Hawke’s Bay including the Ngatarawa Stables Reserve Syrah 2013, which was voted by the judges as best overall in the Shiraz/Syrah category.
“The New World Wine Awards Shiraz/Syrah category medals are usually dominated by Australian wines, but we were pleasantly surprised to see some incredibly strong New Zealand entries come through this year,” says Jim Harré, Chair of the judging panel.
“The quality of wines entered overall was outstanding. I think this reflects the wine industry’s growing recognition of the credibility and value of the New World Wine Awards, which are judged using the same internationally recognised 20-point system as all other major wine shows but are focused on wines that retail for $25 or less and have more than 6,000 bottles available for sale,” says Mr Harré.
Of the 1,165 wines entered, the judging panel awarded 63 Gold, 160 Silver and 454 Bronze medals – 677 medals overall. Of these, three New Zealand wines took the top honours in the final ‘taste-off’ to determine the Champion Red, White and Sparkling Wines:
- Champion Red – Thistle Ridge Pinot Noir 2013
- Champion White – The King’s Bastard Chardonnay 2013
- Champion Bubbles – Lindauer Rosé NV
The Champion Red, Thistle Ridge Pinot Noir 2013, was one of eight New Zealand Pinot Noir wines that won gold medals, up from five last year. The judging panel was impressed by the quality of this wine, particularly given the price point.
This year, the independent panel of 13 expert wine judges included guest international judge, Sam Harrop, who was voted the “10th most influential wine consultant in the world” by Drinks Business in 2013 and is one of only 312 wine experts globally to hold the prestigious Masters of Wine qualification.
“The New World Wine Awards are judged up to the same standard as other leading wine shows I have been involved with around the world, and the quality of the entries exceeded my expectations given the focus on affordable and widely available wines,” says Sam Harrop.
All medal-winning wines are distributed and promoted in New World’s 138 supermarkets nationwide. Food and wine matches, video clips of the judging process, recipes and full competition results are available on the New World Wine Awards 2014 website. The top 50 selection of Gold medal-winning wines will be showcased in the New World Wine Awards booklet available online and in stores from 29 September.
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