KEY POINTS:
The Cuisine magazine wine section has been completely overhauled - but its publishers say it has nothing to do with last year's Wither Hills furore.
The magazine stripped the Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2006 of a prized five-star rating when it discovered that its judges were sent a
different wine from the one on shop shelves.
Wine critic Michael Cooper, Cuisine's wine editor at the time, blew the whistle when he was told the magazine was not going to publish the reasons the accolade had been withdrawn, saying he had "a duty to the wine-drinking public of New Zealand".
He was already leaving Cuisine for amicable reasons but his role was terminated ahead of time given his "prominent role" in the controversy. He was told that as readers were aware he was leaving it would be confusing if he kept writing for the magazine.
After the controversy broke Cuisine informed its readers and said it had intended to do so all along.
Now for its May issue, Cuisine's publicity has announced "a new look and a new approach" for its annual pinot gris, viognier, riesling and gewurtztraminer tastings, of which more than 200 have been judged.
New wine contributor Michael Larsen will not just do tasting notes, but also focus on food-matching and cellar notes "aimed at increasing readers' confidence in and enjoyment of wine, regardless of their level of knowledge".
Its latest tasting panel is now chaired by John Belsham, former chairman of the industry's own Air New Zealand Wine Awards.
A change in direction in the way the magazine covered wine was under way before the Wither Hills controversy broke and was part of the reason Mr Cooper, who defines himself as a "serious taster", decided to leave.
A spokeswoman said the changes were part of a "reinvigoration" of the whole magazine. She said the competition's criteria remained the same - wines judged must be the same as those available to the public - and it would audit 30 per cent of the top 10 wines.
There has been widespread fallout in New Zealand's $1 billion-a-year wine industry since the Weekend Herald revealed in December that Mr Cooper's palate identified a difference between the sample Wither Hills sent for judging and one bought from the supermarket. This was confirmed by testing at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research.
The competition sample came from a separate early batch of the wine called BR315, of which there were 2228 cases made out of a total production run of over 100,000 - essentially giving consumers a one-in-50 chance of buying the award winner.
At the time Wither Hills winemaker and director Brent Marris argued that the difference had come about because of marginal differences in bottling runs.
On Tuesday, winemakers will finish reporting back to industry body New Zealand Winegrowers on some proposed changes to entry conditions to the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, including a category called "wine entered from multiple bottlings".
Winegrowers says that wine entered may be released to the market in multiple lots or bottlings "provided that each lot of bottling is identically composed and treated and displays a consistent sensory and chemical profile (taking into account maturation and analytical tolerances)".
Eight days ago, Mr Marris resigned from the company his family sold to Lion Nathan for $52 million in 2002, in a move he said was down to the controversy, which he described as "a big storm overnight". Asked if his reputation had suffered as a result of the scandal, he said that had not been reflected in the wine's sales.
Figures obtained by the Weekend Herald show Wither Hills sauvignon blanc remained the top-selling brand in its category in supermarkets over summer - but one of the most heavily discounted.
Wine notes
December
The Weekend Herald reveals that the Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2006 has been stripped of a five-star rating by Cuisine magazine after judges were sent a different sample from the wine on shop shelves.The wine is subsequently stripped of a gold medal awarded by the New Zealand International Wine Show. Wither Hills winemaker and director Brent Marris returns all medals the wine has won and resigns as chief judge of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards.
February
Mr Marris resigns as chief judge of the Liquorland Top 100.
March
Craggy Range general manager Steve Smith replaces Mr Marris as Air New Zealand chief judge. He says that, unlike Mr Marris, he will not enter his own wine.
April
Mr Marris quits Wither Hills but denies it is fallout from scandal.
