Triple success for Mills Reef winery

Tim Preston is toasting a remarkable achievement. Photo / File

Tauranga-based Mills Reef Winery is celebrating success with three of its wines making Winestate magazine's Top 40 Best Buy list after a massive Australasian wine challenge that involved 10,000 wines. The magazine is Australia's oldest wine publication.

The winemaker's Reserve Merlot Malbec 2013, Reserve Syrah 2013 and Reserve Chardonnay 2013 made the list.

"That's a remarkable achievement for Mills Reef," said chief winemaker and director Tim Preston.

"It's been an exceptional 2013 vintage for us across the board," he said, adding that the result was even more staggering given Mills Reef had been unable to include its premium Elspeth range because it had not been bottled at the time of the challenge.

"Getting three of our wines in the Top 40 is very gratifying," said fellow winemaker Paul Dawick. "It's a huge pat on the back for the whole team and proof that Mills Reef produces exceptional wines."

Mills Reef wines are produced principally from grapes grown in the Hawke's Bay region, especially Gimblett Gravels. The wines are made in Tauranga, where the winery has become established as one of New Zealand's premium labels, with a particular reputation for Bordeaux varietal reds and Syrah.

Mills Reef hit the headlines last week when it announced plans to begin redeveloping its 12.5ha site in Bethlehem, in order to fund its relocation to and expansion in a more rural area of the Western Bay of Plenty in response to the urban sprawl now surrounding the winery.