Air New Zealand Wine Awards in Queenstown!

Last weekend I attended the Air New Zealand Wine Awards in Queenstown. This was the first time the awards had been held in Queenstown and  they proved to be a real success. Of course, Central Otago is renowned  for its wine production, particularly Pinot Noir and with the beauty of Central Otago , the ability to get close to the source of some outstanding wines, the food prepared by  Peter Gordon and the excellent functionally of the Queenstown Events Centre - they really pulled it off!.

However what is even more  impressive  was the  quality of the New Zealand wine  offering. Right across the range, we now produce world class wines. Some of the longstanding wine producers such as Villa Maria  starred, but so did some of the smaller boutique producers who are making relatively small volumes of wines  of outstanding quality.


Air New Zealand  has been the principle sponsor of the Awards since their inception and it is exciting to see the integration of International tourism, wineries and food as part of the unique New Zealand offering.

I was surprised to learn that sustainability is high on  the winegrowers agenda with 96% of the medal winners certified as sustainable; which is interpreted as 'delivering excellent wine, to consumers in a way that  enables the natural environment, the businesses involved and the communities  to thrive'.

It was so good to see we can stand up and be counted anywhere in the world with our increasingly valued wine offering.

AIR NEW ZEALAND CHAMPION WINE OF THE SHOW

Nautilus Cuvee Brut NV

O-I NEW ZEALAND RESERVE WINE OF THE SHOW
Villa Maria Reserve Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2012

Click here to view all the winners.

petert@cecc.org.nz

www.cecc.org.nz