The gold medal winning wines of the 2014 Air New Zealand Wine Awards have been announced. Of 1,552 wines entered for judging, 112 (7.22%) were awarded gold, 226 (14.56%) silver and 411 (26.48%) winning bronze, giving a total of 749 (48.26%) of the wines winning an award.
Pinot Noir was the strongest performer, with 27 golds, 18 of these from the 2013 vintage. 7 of the golds were from 2012. Central Otago performed the best with the variety, winning 14 of the golds, followed by Marlborough with 9 golds.
Sauvignon Blanc was the next most successful variety with 19 golds. 11 of these were from the 2014 vintage, with 7 from the 2013 vintage. Normally older vintages do not show as strongly, this result indicating the strength of 2013 for that variety. 17 of the golds were Marlborough fruited wines.
Chardonnay was the third most successful variety with 17 golds showing the welcome return to favour of this variety. 13 of these wines were from the 2013 vintage, adding credence to this vintage being a superlative one. 10 of the Chardonnay golds were Hawke’s Bay wines, and 9 of the golds were won by the Villa Maria group of companies.
Riesling with 10 golds was a success for Marlborough, with 8 golds. The wines were fairly evenly split between 2014 and 2013. Pinot Gris was also a successful class with 8 golds. 6 of these were from the 2014 vintage, and 3 of them from Nelson, a region that is showing particularly well with the variety.
Gewurztraminer and Viognier were relatively poor performing with 2 and 1 gold respectively. The growing Rosé category mustered 3 golds. There were 6 Sweet Wine golds, all from Marlborough, 4 of which were Riesling-based and 2 Sauvignon-based.
The Bordeaux varietals were moderately successful, winning 6 golds. All were from Hawke’s Bay, all bar 1 Merlot-predominant, and all bar 1 from the 2013 vintage. Syrah took 5 golds, 4 from Hawke’s Bay and 1 from Waiheke Island. 4 of these wines were from the 2013 vintage. Maybe the best of the 2013 releases from Hawke’s Bay are yet to come?
As can be expected, Marlborough was the most prolific gold medal winning region, with 50 golds. Hawke’s Bay followed with 26 golds, then Central Otago with 20 golds. This reflects the size of the growing regions and is proportional to the number of entries from them.
The Villa Maria group was rampant with 19 golds, 11 for Villa Maria, 5 for Vidal and 3 for Esk Valley. This is 16% of the gold medals. Saint Clair captured a creditable 6 golds, and good results for Matua and Lawson’s Dry Hills, each with 4 golds.
The competition was judged in the first week of November in Auckland with the judges chaired by Michael Brajkovich MW. Guest judges were David Brookes from Australia, and Sebastian Braun from Sweden.
The Elite Gold Medal and Trophy winners will be announced at the awards dinner in Hawke’s Bay on 22 November. www.airnewzealanwineawards.co.nz All the medal winners can be seen at www.wineshow.co.nz Here is a list of the gold medal winning wines according to varietal category.
Sauvignon Blanc
Clos Henri Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Giesen ‘The August’ Sauvignon Blanc 2012
Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Jules Taylor Wines Marlborough ‘OTQ’ Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Kim Crawford ‘Small Parcels’ Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Lawson’s Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Morton Estate ‘White Label’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2013
O’Dwyers Creek Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Peter Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Rapaura Springs ‘Reserve’ Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Saint Clair ‘Pioneer Block 3 43 Degrees’ Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Seifried Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Sileni ‘The Straits Estate Selection’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Starborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Te Tera Sauvignon Blanc 2014
The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc 2014
The Kings Favour Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Tohu ‘Mugwi Reserve’ Sauvignon Blanc 2013
Riesling
Abbey Cellars Medium-Dry Riesling 2014
Forrest ‘The Doctors’ Riesling 2014
Giesen Riesling 2013
Highfield Riesling 2013
Lake Chalice ‘The Falcon’ Riesling 2014
Saint Clair ‘Pioneer Block 9 Big John’ Riesling 2013
Stoneburn Marlborough Riesling 2013
Vidal Estate Marlborough Riesling 2014
Villa Maria ‘Cellar Selection’ Marlborough Dry Riesling 2013
Villa Maria ‘Reserve’ Marlborough Dry Riesling 2012
Pinot Gris
Askerne Pinot Gris 2014
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot Gris 2013
Mount Michael Pinot Gris 2014
Peter Yealands ‘Reserve’ Pinot Gris 2014
Sea Level Pinot Gris 2014
Terra Sancta ‘Lola’s Block’ Pinot Gris 2013
Waimea Pinot Gris 2014
Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Gris 2014
Gewurztraminer
Lawson’s Dry Hills Gewürztraminer 2012
Spy Valley Gewürztraminer 2013
Chardonnay
Clearview ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay 2013
Coopers Creek ‘SV’ Hawkes Bay Chardonnay ‘The Limeworks’ 2013
Esk Valley ‘Winemakers Reserve’ Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2013
Invivo ‘Michelle’s’ Central Otago Chardonnay 2013
Osawa Wines ‘Prestige Collection’ Chardonnay 2013
Quarter Acre Chardonnay 2013
Saint Clair ‘Pioneer Block 4 Sawcut’ Chardonnay 2013
Stoneburn Marlborough Chardonnay 2013
Terra Sancta ‘Riverblock’ Chardonnay 2013
Vidal ‘Legacy’ Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2010
Vidal ‘Legacy’ Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2012
Vidal ‘Legacy’ Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2013
Vidal ‘Reserve’ Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2013
Villa Maria ‘Reserve’ Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2013
Villa Maria ‘Single Vineyard Ihumatao’ Chardonnay 2012
Villa Maria ‘Single Vineyard Taylors Pass’ Chardonnay 2011
Villa Maria ‘Single Vineyard Taylors Pass’ Chardonnay 2013
Other Whites
Falconhead Viognier 2013
Matawhero ‘Church House’ Arneis 2013
Matua ‘Single Vineyard’ Albariño 2014
Nautilus Grüner Veltliner 2014
Villa Maria ‘Cellar Selection’ Gisborne Albariño 2014
Sparkling
Akarua Vintage Brut 2010
Osawa Wines ‘Prestige Collection’ Sparkling NV
Tohu ‘Rewa’ Méthode Traditionnelle Blanc de Blanc 2011
Sweet White Wine
A Sticky End Noble Sauvignon Blanc 2011
Giesen ‘The Brothers’ Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2012
John Forrest ‘Collection’ Noble Riesling 2013
Riverby Estate Noble Riesling 2013
Tohu ‘Raiha Reserve’ ‘Limited Release’ Noble Riesling 2013
Villa Maria ‘Reserve’ Marlborough Noble Riesling Botrytis Selection 2013
Rose
Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2014
SOHO ‘Westwood’ Rosé 2014
Terra Sancta Estate Pinot Noir Rosé 2014
Pinot Noir
12,000 Miles Pinot Noir 2013
Akarua Pinot Noir 2013
Akarua ‘RUA’ Pinot Noir 2013
Akitu ‘A’2 2013
Archangel Pinot Noir 2013
Desert Heart’ Mackenzies Run’ Reserve Pinot Noir 2013
Gibbston Valley ‘Glenlee’ Pinot Noir 2013
Greystone Pinot Noir 2013
Hawkdun Rise Pinot Noir 2011
Hawkdun Rise Pinot Noir 2012
Hawkshead ‘First Vines’ Pinot Noir 2011
Jackson Estate ‘Vintage Widow’ Pinot Noir 2012
Jules Taylor Wines Pinot Noir 2013
Kuru Kuru Pinot Noir 2013
Lawson’s Dry Hills ‘Reserve’ Pinot Noir 2013
Lawson’s Dry Hills ‘Reserve’ Pinot Noir 2012
Lowburn Ferry ‘Home Block’ Pinot Noir 2013
Mondillo Pinot Noir 2013
Murdoch James ‘Blue Rock’ Pinot Noir 2013
Saint Clair Marlborough ‘Premium’ Pinot Noir 2013
Saint Clair ‘Pioneer Block 22 Barn Block’ Pinot Noir 2012
Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2012
Te Kairanga ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir 2013
Villa Maria ‘Reserve’ Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013
Villa Maria ‘Single Vineyard Southern Clays’ Pinot Noir 2012
Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 2012
Yealands Estate ‘Winemakers Reserve’ Gibbston Valley Pinot Noir 2013
Merlot, Cabernet and Blends
Church Road ‘McDonald Series’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Church Road Merlot Cabernet Malbec 2013
Crossroads ‘Winemakers Collection’ Cabernet Merlot 2012
Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2013
Matua ‘Single Vineyard Matheson’ Merlot Malbec 2013
Matua ‘Single Vineyard’ Merlot 2013
Syrah
Church Road ‘McDonald Series’ Syrah 2012
Matua ‘Single Vineyard’ Syrah 2013
SOHO ‘Valentina’ Syrah 2013
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2013
Villa Maria ‘Cellar Selection’ Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2013
Other Reds, Unspecified or Blended
Mudbrick ‘Velvet’ 2013
