A few years ago, the prospect of being able to get your hands on a good-quality pinot noir for less than $25 was about as likely as achieving peace in the Middle East.
But my, how things change. Although Israel and Palestine still appear to be eons away from a group hug, the results of New Zealand's only under-$25 wine competition plainly show affordable, and drinkable, pinot noir isn't just a dream any more.
Of the 126 pinot noirs entered in the 2010 New World Wine Awards, 60 were awarded medals: five gold, 11 silver and 44 bronze. As well as meeting the requirement to retail for less than $25, each wine had to be readily available, with at least 500 cases on sale.
"This year, the judges found the pinot noir was a very strong class, with several gold medals awarded and the majority of wines displaying great concentration of classic pinot noir aromas and flavours," said Jim Harre, chair of the 2010 New World Wine Awards' judging panel.
Pinot noir is a tricky variety to grow and make, and yields-per-hectare are often much lower than those of easier, more hardy varieties like sauvignon blanc, which is why pinot noir is usually so much more expensive.
But prices and quality are definitely on the move - great news for pinotphiles like me and excellent news for those wanting to drink red wine but without the drying tannins of cabernet sauvignon or shiraz.
The competition attracted 1035 wine entries from New Zealand and overseas. Of the 160 vineyards entered, over 50 were new to the competition, reflecting increasing awareness and recognition of the awards among winemakers.
"The sauvignon blanc and 'red and blend' varietals won the highest number of medals overall, with 18 per cent and 15 per cent respectively," said Mr Harre.
"The pinot gris class also showed good growth, taking home 47 medals, up from 35 last year."
But it was rieslings that were on the radar of Dr Rowald Hepp, a world-class winemaker from Germany bought in to be a guest judge this year.
Mr Hepp is also director of the riesling-exclusive Schlos Vollrads, one of the oldest vineyards in the world.
"I've regularly judged at international wine competitions over the last 20 years and I met Jim Harre at a show in Japan a few years ago," he said.
"We kept in contact and Jim invited me across to New Zealand this year to be a judge ... I was excited to be one of the senior judges in the riesling class.
"Some of the wines showed lovely clean fruit, good acidity, balance and texture. I found it really very interesting to see riesling wines from New Zealand with such potential in terms of drinkability and potential to age.
"I also found it very interesting that people working in the New World supermarket wine departments are trained to be associate judges.
"They seemed very motivated and I think this is great for their wine service skills - and for the customer."
In addition to the expert judging panel, eight associate judges are selected from New World's team of liquor managers nationwide. They give their opinions on each wine, but their scores do not count towards the final mark.
They receive training and gain valuable experience by being part of the judging process, which allows them to enhance the way they select wines for the New World cellars, and to assist customers with questions about wine.
Many professional winemakers are called in to be expert judges at these shows because they have highly trained palates. But to eliminate any bias, the judging process at the New World Wine Awards is subject to a high degree of disclosure and regulation.
Judges are required to declare all interests and every endeavour is made to ensure no judge tastes wine they have an interest in outside the competition.
Across all varietals, the judges awarded a total of 35 gold, 105 silver and 348 bronze medals after ranking the colour, taste and smell of each wine. New Zealand wines claimed 29 gold, 71 silver and 248 bronze medals. Wines from the Marlborough region won the most medals (160), ahead of Hawkes Bay (74).
Power to the people
If you buy wine fairly regularly and feel you'd like to have a crack at deciding which wines deserve the big prizes, then there's a new type of wine show designed just for you. Created by online magazine thenewzealandweek.co. nz, The People's Choice Wine Awards 2010 is designed to encourage wine fans to vote via a special social networking site for the wines they really rate. On the site you'll meet and interact with professional judges, your friends, producers and wine lovers from all over the country. You can see their reviews, make comments and enjoy meeting and bantering with other wine enthusiasts. So here's how it works. The event runs over 12 weeks. You'll receive a box of six wines every fortnight and at the end of the event, your choices will determine the places won in The People's Choice Awards.
All the entries are premium wines, perhaps better than those you would buy everyday. You can subscribe and purchase these wines yourself, or else get together with friends and share the experience (and the cost).
Visit now and register on the site to have a look, but hurry because there are only limited places. www.thenewzealandweek.co.nz.
The top three
Top Red Wine - Wolf Blass Gold Label Shiraz 2008 (Australia)
Top White Wine - Dashwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (New Zealand)
Top Sparking Wine - Brancott Estate Reserve Brut Cuvee Chardonnay Pinot Noir (New Zealand)
"For the second year running, the Brancott Estate Reserve Brut Cuvee Chardonnay Pinot Noir was awarded top sparkling wine, which reflects the consistency and calibre of the wine," says Jim Harre, chair of the 2010 New World Wine Awards judging panel.
A top-50 selection of the award-winning wines will be showcased in the 2010 New World Wine Awards booklet and customers will have the chance to view food and wine matches, video clips of the judging process, recipes and full competition results on the revamped 2010 New World Wine Awards website at www.newworld.co.nz.
Plus, if you feel the urge to get all interactive, for the first time New World customers will be able to use their mobile phones to find food matches and information on all the top-50 wines via a mobile website by simply scanning a bar code on the wines' neck tag in any New World supermarket, or by texting a unique number displayed with each wine.
Awards prove that top tipples do come in sub-$25 range
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