Earlier this year Winegrowers of New Zealand hosted a seminar 'The Rise of New Zealand Reds' with the prediction that some of our country's red wines would soon gain the same dazzling international reputation as our quality whites such as sauvignon blanc. At the 2003 Air New Zealand Wine Awards presentation in Auckland last night (Sat. 8th Nov.), the growing prowess of the quality of the reds was further endorsed

The Air New Zealand Champion Wine of the Show was presented to the Akarua Pinot Noir 2002, the first time a Central Otago wine has taken both the Pinot Noir and Champion Wine of the Show trophies, although it is the 3rd time in 5 years that Pinot Noir has been overall Champion. Vidal Estate Soler Syrah 2002 from Hawkes Bay was named the Reserve Wine of the Show. Both wines are sealed with screwcaps.

Spy Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2002 was awarded the trophy for the Best Commercial Red Wine while Highfield Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2003 took the equivalent white wine trophy. These commercial trophies are awarded to the best wines with at least 1000 cases available.

A record 77 gold medals were awarded at this year's show, up almost 25% on last year's tally. A further 162 wines were awarded silver and 459 won bronze. 43% of the entries received no award. Chardonnay received 13 gold medals, Pinot Noir received 13 and Sauvignon Blanc received 12.

Marlborough wines took out the highest number of gold medals with a tally of 35, followed by Hawkes Bay with 29, Otago with 7, Gisborne with 3, Wellington (including Martinborough) with 2 and Canterbury with 1.

Villa Maria Estate, with 12 gold medals and two trophies, was the most awarded wine company in the show.

The full list of gold medal winning wines follow -
(sc) indicates a screwcap wine seal^*

Sparkling
Morton Estate Premium Brut - Trophy Winner

Gewurztraminer
Spy Valley Gewurztraminer 2003 (sc) - Trophy Winner
Forrest Estate Gewurztraminer 2003 (sc)

Pinot Gris
Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Gris 2003 (sc) - Trophy Winner
Esk Valley Black Label Pinot Gris 2003 (sc)
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Pinot Gris 2003 (sc)

Riesling
Saint Clair Marlborough Riesling 2002 (sc) - Trophy Winner
Cardmember Ponder Classic Marlborough Riesling 2002
Forrest Estate Riesling 2003 (sc)
Framingham Classic Riesling 2002 (sc)
Hunter's Riesling 2003 (sc)
Kim Crawford Marlborough Dry Riesling 2002 (sc)
Vidal Estate Riesling 2003 (sc)
Villa Maria Private Bin Riesling 2002 (sc)

Sauvignon Blanc
Sacred Hill Cairnbrae The Stones Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc) - Trophy Winner
Borthwick Sauvignon Blanc 2003
Cape Campbell Wines Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2003
Cellier le Brun Terrace Road Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc)
Highfield Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc)
Matua Valley Paretai Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc)
Saint Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc)
Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc)
Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc)
Waipara Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc)
Willowbank Sauvignon Blanc 2003
Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2003 (sc)

Chardonnay
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay 2002 (sc) - Trophy Winner
Clearview Reserve Chardonnay 2002
Gibbston Valley Reserve Chardonnay 2002 (sc)
Matariki Chardonnay 2001
Matua Valley Judd Estate Chardonnay 2002
Mills Reef Reserve Chardonnay 2002
Morton Estate Riverview Hawkes Bay Chardonnay 2000
Sacred Hill Riflemans Chardonnay 2001
Selaks Founders Reserve Chardonnay 2002
Spy Valley Chardonnay 2002
Tohu Chardonnay 2002
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Chardonnay Hawkes Bay 2002 (sc)
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Waldron Chardonnay 2002 (sc)
Villa Maria Reserve Chardonnay Gisborne 2002 (sc)
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Waikahu Chardonnay 2002 (sc)
Villa Maria Reserve Chardonnay Hawkes Bay 2002 (sc)

Sweet White
Kim Crawford Reka - Riesling 2002 - Trophy Winner
Matua Valley Shingle Peak Botrytis Riesling 2003
Selaks Founders Reserve Noble Riesling 2001

Pinot Noir
Akarua Pinot Noir 2002 (sc) - Trophy Winner
Allan Scott Prestige Pinot Noir 2001
Bald Hills Pinot Noir 2002 (sc)
Bannock Brae Estate Goldfields Pinot Noir 2001
Bannock Brae Estate Barrel Selection Pinot Noir 2002
Berridge Vineyard Estates Drystone Pinot Noir 2002
Cardmember Hawkesbridge Marlborough Pinot Noir 2002
Kaituna Valley Canterbury Pinot Noir The Kaituna Vineyard 2002
Kawarau Estate Reserve Pinot Noir 2002
Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2002
Vidal Estate Stopbank Pinot Noir 2002 (sc)
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Seddon Pinot Noir 2002 (sc)
Villa Maria Reserve Pinot Noir 2002 (sc)

Merlot
Villa Maria Reserve Merlot 2001 (sc) - Trophy Winner
CJ Pask Reserve Merlot 2002 (sc)
Esk Valley Black Label Merlot 2002 (sc)
Kathy Lynskey Merlot 2002
Mills Reef Reserve Merlot 2002
Mills Reef Elspeth Merlot Block 4 2002

Cabernet Sauvignon
Schubert Cabernet Sauvignon 2001 - Trophy Winner

Cabernet Sauvignon and or Merlot Predominant
Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2001 - Trophy Winner
Bilancia Bilancia 2001
Esk Valley Black Label Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (sc)
Mills Reef Elspeth Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
Nautilus Marlborough Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2001
Sileni Estates Merlot Cabernets 2000
Vidal Estate Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (sc)

Syrah
Vidal Estate Soler Syrah 2002 (sc) - Trophy Winner
Trinity Hill Gimblett Road Syrah 2001

Other Red Varietals
Mills Reef Elspeth Malbec 2002 - Trophy Winner
Delegat's Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2000
Murdoch James Estate Cabernet Franc 2002

For details on silver and bronze medals, please refer to www.wineshow.co.nz.

^* Wines in screwcap accounted for 35% of this year's total entry and just over 50% of the gold medal winning wines. Eight of the 13 varietal trophy winners had screwcaps. Chairman of judges, John Belsham, said the success of screwcaps was due to the fact that many premium wine makers were choosing the caps. He also said he noticed a huge reduction in the number of wines that were dismissed during judging because they were corked.