The trophy winners of the 2013 Spiegelau International Wine Competition, judged in Blenheim in June, were announced at an awards dinner in Auckland last night. The Matua ‘Single Vineyard’ Marlborough Chardonnay 2012 was announced the Champion Wine of the Show. This is an outstanding result that builds on Matua’s success with the 2011 vintage of the same wine, a multi-award winner which also took the Champion Chardonnay Trophy at last year’s Air New Zealand Wine Awards. It appears Matua is gaining a place among the consistent show winners now, and credit must be given to senior winemaker Nikkolai St George and his team.
A surprising result was the ‘Champion Producer’ title being shared among Johanneshof Cellars, Saint Clair Family Estate and Villa Maria. Johanneshof entered five wines and received two trophies, Saint Clair won six gold medals across different wine styles, and Villa Maria took five gold medals and a trophy. Competition Director Belinda Jackson deemed it too difficult to choose between the three so decided to “celebrate each one’s tremendous achievements”.
New Zealand wines won nine of the class trophies, Australia took four, and France and Portugal one each. Of the New Zealand trophy winners, six went to Marlborough wines, two to Hawke’s Bay and one to a Nelson wine. For a list of the gold medals and my analysis, click here. The full list of gold, silver and bronze medals can be seen on www.thespiegelauiwc.co.nz or www.wineshow.co.nz
