Wineries set sights on awards

Villa Maria's General Manager of Winemaking and Viticulture Alastair Maling says Hawke's Bay vineyards are constantly producing great wines.

Hawke's Bay's prowess at producing award-winning chardonnays and sauvignon blanc has been reinforced by results at two recent wine challenges.

While most wineries involved in the recent medal-section of the Hawke's Bay A&P Bayleys Wine Awards have taken a wait-and-see stance before the class trophies are handed out on the big awards night on October 22, Clearview Estate were keen to announce they were in the trophy running after securing three golds in the wake of the two-day tasting that took place.

And Villa Maria has taken the Top Chardonnay Trophy at the Six Nations Wine Challenge, staged in Sydney on Wednesday night.

They picked it up for their Single Vineyard Keltern Hawke's Bay Chardonnay 2012.

Clearview's three golds included a first for their barrel fermented 2013 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc to go with two in the aged museum category for the 2009 Enigma - a blend of merlot, malbec and cabernet sauvignon, and the 2009 Reserve Chardonnay.

Clearview co-owner Helma van den Berg was especially delighted with the 2013 Reserve's gold, since they were one of the first wineries to help pioneer barrel-fermented sauvignon blanc in Hawke's Bay.

"We planted sauvignon blanc vines when we bought the property nearly 30 years ago and have nurtured them ever since," she said.

"It began in the late 1980s with a vision of coastal plantings and the pioneering initial release of a Fume Blanc style."

Fellow co-owner and winemaker Tim Turvey said he was "proud that, after persisting with the barrel fermented style for around 26 years, it's finally won gold".

He was also please the aged museum entries had come up trumps.

For Villa Maria, the trophy win in Sydney was special, as the winery was "very passionate" about chardonnay, winemaking general manager Alastair Maling said.

"The Single Vineyard Keltern Chardonnay consistently produces outstanding chardonnay from one of our top Hawke's Bay vineyards," he said.

We want your story
Phone 06 873 0810 or email news@hbtoday.co.nz