Triangle wines mark their success

The "triangle" troops gathered this week to toast a fine year. Pictured (from left), are Douglas Armstrong (Hawke's Ridge), Chris Wilcock (Ashridge), Grant Edmonds (Sileni), Phil Wilcock (Ashridge), Peter Cowley (Te Mata), Chris Scott (Church Road), Paul Ham (Alpha Domus), Jason Stent (Paritua), Bob Armstrong (Hawke's Ridge) and Dermot Haworth (Abbey Cellars).

When it came to getting together this week to toast a remarkable string of national and international awards for wines from Hawke's Bay's Bridge Pa 'Triangle', none of the 10 winery representatives who turned up arrived empty handed.

They arrived with award-winning wines from what has quickly become a firmly established part of the region's winemaking landscape.

"We are on a red hot run," was how Bridge Pa Triangle Association chairman Paul Ham from Alpha Domus put it.

The association was formed earlier this year with 17 small and large wineries in the triangular-shaped 2000ha spread collaborating to promote the unique characteristics of the area.

And as Mr Ham put it, it had been quite a year.

In recent months many of the 17 wineries in the area had taken out national and international awards, culminating in the latest accolade for Church Road Winery's McDonald Series Syrah 2013 taking out the Air New Zealand Champion Wine of Show title.

Mr Ham said wines produced in the triangle had also fetched some of the highest prices at the recent Hawke's Bay Wine Auction, including a collaborative red blend 225l barrique from several wineries which sold for $950.

"Many of the wineries in the triangle have vines that are coming of age and this is resulting in major award wins and critical acclaim from the world's leading wine writers," Mr Ham said.

Syrahs had led the awards rush. Apart from Church Road the Sileni 2014 The Peak Syrah had also struck gold at the Air New Zealand awards, while the 2013 and 2014 vintages of Te Mata Estate's Bullnose Syrah were awarded the highest ratings from international WineOrbit and Decanter magazines.

Paritua's Syrah 2013 picked up a gold medal at the CWSA awards in Hong Kong while its Stone Paddock Syrah grabbed a double gold.

Redmetal Vineyards' 2013 Basket Press Syrah picked up five stars from leading wine writer Bob Campbell and Ngatarawa's Stables Reserve Syrah was a Sydney Top 100 winner and its Proprietors Reserve Syrah 2013 took an Elite Gold at the Air New Zealand Awards.

Alpha Domus also scored a double gold at the Six Nations Wine Competition last year for the 2013 Barnstormer Syrah.

Mr Ham said while the "hot run" of awards tended to centre on syrahs it had also extended to merlot cabernets and chardonnays.

Tuesday's gathering was effectively to share and celebrate each others' successes.