
An Analysis of the Gold Medal Results
There were 49 gold medals awarded. A perusal of the gold medal results indicates that Chardonnay was the most successful class with 10 gold medals. 6 of these wines were from the Villa Maria stable. It is promising to see wines spread the length of the country from Auckland north to Central Otago. Pinot Noir took 9 gold medals, though no doubt from larger numbers, and 7 of these were from Central Otago.
Syrah and Riesling were also strong performing varieties, with5 and 4 golds respectively. The success of the 2013 vintage in Hawke’s Bay can be seen from the 3 golds each in the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon-based classes.
The lesser performing classes were Sauvignon Blanc with 4 golds and Pinot Gris with only 1 gold.
It is another exceptional result for the Villa Maria group who took 15 golds, nearly a third of the total. It is promising to see Pernod-Ricard with 5 golds, one of our largest companies showing viticultural excellence. Saint Clair, the single vineyard specialist took 4 gold medals, this being a great result for a smaller producer.