The trophy winners of the 2010 Air N.Z. Wine Awards were announced last night at the awards dinner in Auckland. The Champion Wine of the Show award went to the Peregrine Central Otago Pinot Noir 2010, with the Gibbston Valley ‘China Terrace’ Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 taking the Champion Sustainable Wine award. These two top awards reinforce the strength of the Pinot Noir variety and category, as shown by the 32 gold medals awarded – by far the most for any variety in the competition. 2009 looks to be an exceptional vintage for the variety, especially in Central Otago.
In a regional examination, Hawke’s Bay was the most successful for the trophies, taking six of the 19 awarded. Marlborough and Central Otago took five trophies each and one each for Gisborne, Nelson and Waipara wines.
