Selected by a panel of 13 experts from throughout New Zealand, the key benefit of winning a medal was the stamp of quality and wide exposure in 135 stores nationwide.
Hugo McCallum, of New Zealand's first Maori-owned wine company in Marlborough, knows the value of a New World Wine Award in helping to build the profile of boutique wineries which typically have a limited reach on consumers.
"Tohu Sauvignon Blanc's Gold medal win [last year] has far exceeded our expectations. As a result of the guaranteed distribution that comes with a medal win, we've seen a phenomenal jump in sales of 36 per cent on the previous year.
"Beforehand you could only find [us] in selected wine stores dotted around the country, but we can now confidently tell consumers that they just need to look in their local New World."
Each wine is blind-tasted during judging, which will take place over three days at Wellington's Te Papa museum in August, using the internationally recognised 20-point system to ensure winning drops are the best of their type.
All entries must retail for less than $25 a bottle and meet the minimum number of bottles for sale.
Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded, with the best wines in each category re-tasted to determine an overall champion wine of each varietal, as well as the champion red and champion white.
International guest judge Dr Rowald Hepp is director and head winemaker of Schloss Vollrads in the Rhine Valley of Germany, a castle and estate which has been producing Riesling for more than 800 years.
Results of the awards are eagerly anticipated by consumers, something that is reflected in sales - in the first six weeks following the 2014 announcement 282,000 bottles of the 'Top 50' wines flew off shelves.
-Entries must be in by Friday, June 26. For more information, visit: newworld.co.nz/topwines
