Two trophies and a gold for its premium 2015 Alpha Domus AD Noble Selection has left the winery's managing director Paul Ham and winemaker Barry Riwai with plenty of reasons to smile.
The latest success of the dessert wine, which came with a trophy at the 2017 Winestate Magazine Wine of the Year Awards, came in the wake of the Bridge Pa Triangle-sited winery celebrating another treble of success with its 2015 Barnstormer Syrah taking gold medals at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, the Sydney International Wine Competitions and the Hawke's Bay A&P Wine Awards.
The run was described by Mr Ham as a "huge coup" for the single vineyard family-owned company.
"In an increasingly crowded marketplace with a large number of big players, it is testament to the care and attention we as a boutique wine producer place on every stage of the process from vine to wine," Mr Ham said, giving credit to winemaker Barry Riwai and vineyard manager Darren Chatterton as well as the unique terroir of the Bridge Pa Triangle sub-region.
The AD Noble Selection took a gold medal at the Six Nations Wine Challenge which is an invitation-only competition, as well as top trophies at the 2016 Hawke's Bay Wine Awards and recently the Winestate trophy.
Mr Ham said he and his small but dedicated team were delighted with the latest treble of awards - cementing the AD Noble Selection's reputation as one of New Zealand's most highly regarded dessert wines.
He was also thrilled to hear Alpha Domus had picked up a Blue Gold award at the 2017 Sydney International Wine Competition with its Wingwalker Viognier 2014.
The company has also seen its Navigator 2013 included on Air New Zealand's Business Class services.
Mr Ham said it was all good news not only for Alpha Domus but for the Hawke's Bay winemaking region as a whole.
The national and international recognition gained through the exceptional vintages of 2013 through to 2016 had been invaluable, and he was confident it would continue.
"We have stunning chardonnay and our premier Hawke's Bay blend, the cabernet sauvignon dominant AD The Aviator 2015 is due for release shortly and will not disappoint," he said.
The wine is only produced when it is deemed to be of outstanding quality.
Mr Ham said quality and consistency rather than size and scale would continue to be the hallmark of Alpha Domus which emerged in the early 1990s.
"We are a small producer with big goals and we want to continue producing bespoke wines that hold their own on the world stage and, most importantly, are great to drink."