New Zealand Organic Wine Awards 2017 Results

The results of the 2017 New Zealand Organic Wine Awards have been announced. This is the fourth time this competition has been run. It is an independent show run by curator Luke Shore to raise the awareness and increase the market share of organic wines for consumers. The competition is based on the belief that “producing a wine organically gives the winemaker the potential to create a superior wine”. Health benefits and environmental issues are also cited as considerations of the awards. Being independent, there is no affiliation with ‘N.Z. Wine’ or ‘Organic Wine N.Z. The judging is open to New Zealand wines which come from certified organic vineyards, the show has seen a steady growth in wine entries and exhibiting wineries, this year with 139 wines judged from 28 N.Z. Based organic wineries.

The judging of the awards was in Christchurch over four varietal-based sessions in April and May. The team of judges comprises “local experts, wine enthusiast and consumer specialists” who have no vested interest in any of the wines judged. At present, the identities of the judges involved remain confidential, this being a point I would like changed to add credibility to the results. The wines are judged to the internationally accepted scales resulting in gold, silver, bronze or no-awards,

The format of the competition is relatively open and innovative, with a category for ‘skin contact’ wines, though this year there were very few skin contact or ‘orange’ wines submitted. The show sees a high proportional number of alternative oak-influenced Sauvignon Blancs entered. For the first time in the history of the competition, there were more Pinot Noirs entered than Sauvignon Blancs, indicating the suitability of the grape or the philosophy of Pinot Noir producers to take an organic approach to their making. This year also saw an increase in the number of Chardonnays entered.

Of the 139 wines entered, there were 26 (18.7%) golds, 19 (13.67%) silvers and 17 (12.23%) bronzes awarded, making a total of 62 (44.6%) of the wines gaining an award. The proportions are similar to previous results of this show, but differ somewhat to that of other wine judging which have a lower proportion of golds and a much higher proportion of bronzes. This is probably or possibly a reflection of the wines being entered and their quality aspirations, if not the results of organic production! (More research is needed here!)

The results of the show are actively promoted on social media, and through the competition website, as well as medal stickers which can be obtained for the winning wines. www.organicwineawards.co.nz

 The 2017 Results