11 November 2009

DEPTH AND DIVERSITY WINS FOR MARTINBOROUGH WINES  

With 6 gold medal winning wines at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, the premium boutique Martinborough wine district has further consolidated its reputation for depth and diversity.

Four grape varietals shared the honours. 

Three gold medals were for Pinot Noir, Martinborough’s best known variety, awarded to Julicher and Pond Paddock. 

Gold medals in the Champion Exhibition White category were awarded to Margrain for its entire range of 2009 dessert wines:  Botrytis Chenin Blanc, Botrytis Riesling and Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc.

Margrain winemaker Strat Canning was “bowled over to take a hat trick with all our botrytis wines”. 

“The Chenin Blanc vines were among the first grapes planted in Martinborough, so this is a great 30th anniversary celebration for this varietal.   The grapes were picked very late after a colder than usual autumn, without many of the classic conditions for botrytis.” he commented.

“Martinborough consistently delivers exceptional performance despite this being among the county’s smallest wine regions, over a diverse range of varietals.” said Wines from Martinborough General Manager Rachael Fletcher.

“These awards are a tribute to Martinborough’s marvellously intense flavours, developed gradually in this genuinely cool climate.

“The region is notable for the high proportion of boutique scale vineyards and wineries, many family-owned.  All the gold medallists are typical of this local trend, with wines hand-tended and crafted on a small scale by international standards.” she concluded.

Martinborough winners were:

Julicher 99 Rows Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2008,
Julicher Pinot Noir 2008,
Pond Paddock Te Muna Pinot Noir 2008,
Margrain Botrytis Chenin Blanc 2009,
Margrain Botrytis Riesling 2009,
Margrain Botrytis Sauvignon Blanc 2009.

In addition, nearby Gladstone winery Fairmont Estate took a Gold medal for its Pinot Noir 2008, bringing the total gold medals from the Wairarapa region to 7. 

Ends