"The evolution, as the grapevines get older, means the wines are showing refreshing freshness and a degree of texture as they age that they haven't shown before."
The sauvignons are also showing the bounty of the last two vintages, 2014 and 2013, which many growers say have been the best in history. The wines tasted in the New World awards were mostly from the 2012, 2013 and 2014 vintages with a smattering from earlier years.
Harré says: "The 2014 vintage looks as though it will be excellent. I must say I personally prefer the 2013 sauvignons though, having said that, a couple of the 2014s were pretty outstanding."
Vintage offers consumers a great guide to the value they are purchasing. A New Zealand growing season spans the end of one year and the start of another - so the year printed on the label of the bottle is the year of harvest.
Those four numbers can tell consumers a lot about the resulting flavour and taste benefits. They tell a story of the weather, the region where the grapes were grown, the soil and other factors which affect the fruit.
The way to unlock that story is simple: sample. Try different wines, find a grape and a style you like and note the vintage, so you can continue to choose from wines from that year. Every growing season is different so the same grape and same wine from the same producer can vary depending on conditions.
Harré also says to monitor websites like the New Zealand Wine Growers', which offers a good breakdown of the vintage from various regions.
"Another good way to do it is to look at the number of gold medals on the shelf of the supermarket. About, 85 per cent of New Zealanders buy their wine at the supermarket and, while gold medals are not a completely exact science, if you see a grape that has a lot of gold medals [from various producers], that gives you a pretty good idea."
But be quick - last year's champion white wine sold out in a week at New World.
Kate Radburnd, winemaker and managing director of Pask Vineyards in the Hawkes Bay (and one of the 13 judges in this year's awards), says of a good vintage: "What we love is warm and particularly dry growing conditions. We really don't want rain during harvest because...rain can dilute the flavour. Good weather generally means great wine.
"We in Hawkes Bay have had two fantastic vintages in a row - 2013 and 2014 - and the luxury that gives you as a winemaker is the only criteria for deciding when to pick the grapes is ripeness and fruit condition; that is just a dream as far as winemakers are concerned."
Vintage can also signal the fluctuating fortunes of the wine industry. In 2008, a bumper vintage saw a 27 million litre wine glut that dropped wine prices - good news for consumers but not so good for many in the wine trade and New Zealand's $1 billion wine exports, many of which like to be positioned as premium wines.
In fact, from 2008-2011, the industry was generally in over-supply. Only in more recent years has that curve flattened out - and now the boost to the industry (and consumers) is coming from the two stellar vintages of 2013 and 2014, promising a great balance between price and taste.
• The 2014 New World Wine Awards saw a record number (1165) of entries of wines retailing for $25 or less (and having at least 6000 bottles available for sale) assessed by a panel of 13 New Zealand and international judges.
Read more about the importance of vintage
