Show season
Claudine Earley
AS we creep out from under our rocks to meet the new spring sun, so too do the wine judges. There have been at least four wine shows in the past month, celebrating fine pickings of NZ wine: The Tri Nations, Bragato, NZ International Wine Show and the New World Wine Awards. Many wineries will be celebrating their success, so keep an eye out for bargains at your local bottle store.
In the eighth year of the Tri Nations Wine Challenge New Zealand trumped Australia and South Africa yet again to take the supreme prize by winning the most medals. This is the fussiest competition of all, since wineries cannot enter but are invited by judges to submit samples.
The three judges, one from each country, each select five to seven of their favourite wines for each of the 13 categories. When the judging takes place, the judges rate their favourite six in each category, then undergo a heated debate to pick a winner. The 13 top wines are then rejudged to decide Top Red, Top White and Wine of the Show.
This year’s big winner, Wine of Show, was from NZ. Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 ($40) Red Wine of Show went on to edge out Australian rival McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2005, White Wine of Show, to win the supreme accolade. All in all, New Zealand took six trophies, Australia five and South Africa two.
Wine of the week: New label Marlborough Exotica has taken the wine show world by storm. All three of their varieties won gold at the Bragato single vineyard awards last month. Brainchild of Darius and Homai Karani, the range is crafted specifically to accompany Asian and Indian cuisines. It is exported as far away as India, China, Vietnam and Brazil. My pick of the bunch is Marlborough Exotica Pinot Gris 2009 ($21). It’s a dry style gris, all about pears, with satisfying texture. Enjoy with Thai food.
In the eighth year of the Tri Nations Wine Challenge New Zealand trumped Australia and South Africa yet again to take the supreme prize by winning the most medals. This is the fussiest competition of all, since wineries cannot enter but are invited by judges to submit samples.
The three judges, one from each country, each select five to seven of their favourite wines for each of the 13 categories. When the judging takes place, the judges rate their favourite six in each category, then undergo a heated debate to pick a winner. The 13 top wines are then rejudged to decide Top Red, Top White and Wine of the Show.
This year’s big winner, Wine of Show, was from NZ. Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 ($40) Red Wine of Show went on to edge out Australian rival McWilliams Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 2005, White Wine of Show, to win the supreme accolade. All in all, New Zealand took six trophies, Australia five and South Africa two.
Wine of the week: New label Marlborough Exotica has taken the wine show world by storm. All three of their varieties won gold at the Bragato single vineyard awards last month. Brainchild of Darius and Homai Karani, the range is crafted specifically to accompany Asian and Indian cuisines. It is exported as far away as India, China, Vietnam and Brazil. My pick of the bunch is Marlborough Exotica Pinot Gris 2009 ($21). It’s a dry style gris, all about pears, with satisfying texture. Enjoy with Thai food.
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