Nowadays, the road to becoming a successful small winery (or even a half-flash large one) is littered with obstacles. Our high dollar inhibiting export prospects, an oversupply creating a lake of cheap wine being lapped up by consumers and, of course, being at the mercy of Mother Nature at every
turn in the winemaking cycle is enough to turn anyone prematurely grey and fragile.
Combine those issues with the age-old chestnut of finding national distribution and you're really in trouble.
But here's where wine producers could get lucky. Entries are now open for the 2011 New World Wine Awards and, in addition to the distinction of an award, the competition guarantees winning winemakers national distribution and extensive brand exposure, which will drive sales.
"The awards are a key channel for reaching discerning consumers who enjoy high quality, affordable wine. The rigour of the judging process and the strong impact success has on sales means that winemakers value the competition very highly," said Jim Harre, chair of the judging panel.
More than 210,000 bottles of Top 50 wines - $2.8 million worth - were sold at New World stores nationally within six weeks of the 2010 awards. Extensive marketing associated with the awards - including advertising, in-store promotion, direct marketing to shoppers and a strong online presence - also means that winning winemakers benefit from brand-building over the long term.
The awards are the premier consumer-focused awards competition in New Zealand because affordability and availability of the wines are key criteria for entry. Wines entered into the competition must retail for below $25 a bottle, and there must be at least 500 cases of each wine available for sale.
So there you go, it's a no-brainer - but you've got to be in it to win it and entries close on June 3.
