Where are the award winners?

Press, 17 March 1987, Page 10

Where are the award winners?

Maurice Hunter’s

GRAPEVINE

The almost monotonous regularity with which Villa Maria/Vidals’ wines win awards in both local and overseas competitions must be anything but monotonous for the winemaking team. Their trpck record during the last two years is such that a summary of wins makes interesting reading. At the 1985 Australian National wine show the ’B4 Villa Maria private bin sauvignon blanc was judged the best New Zealand white table wine, and the ’B3 Villa Maria private bin pinot noir both the best New Zealand red table and the best New Zealand table wine. In 1986 further successes followed with the award of the best gewurztraminer in the International Wine and Spirit competition with Villa Maria’s ’B5 reserve gewurztraminer.

The 'B5 Vidal reserve Chardonnay was awarded the Tourist Hotel Corporation cup for. the champion New Zealand table wine plus the Connoisseurs Club trophy for the best dry white table wine, in the 1986 Australian National show, the best New Zealand red table wine was the ’B5 Vidal reserve cabernet/merlot.

In the 1987 New Zealand Easter Show/American Express competition they hit the jackpot again with a 1986 Villa Maria Reserve Chardonnay, bar-rel-fermented, being judged the champion wine of the show and the best white wine of the show. As if this were not enough, on February 23, Villa Maria Estate Ltd., was presented with a Certificate of Excellence by the president of the International Wine Academy, Alan Young, for being the top New Zealand winemaker in the Acad-

emy’s inter-nation wine competition.

This was conducted in Melbourne during May/ June 1986, attracting 100 wine companies from New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand won 9 of 11 professional categories in the final which was judged by both professional and consumer panels comprising equal numbers of men and women, drawn from all the mainland states of Australia, and 25 per cent from New Zealand.

Following computer studies of 1800 judges’ scores, the New Zealand section was won by Villa Maria, just two points behind the overall winner, Cullen’s wines from Western Australia. As Vince Martin would say, “Heady stuff, huh?”

After such a detailed analysis, there can be little doubt that all these awards are well deserved. In talking about them I am abandoning, this once, the principle of reviewing only those wines which are available to the public. The burning questions to which I would like answers are: “When are

we going to see the wines in the South Island? Who gets these goodies? Are they kept in the winery as talking points?” We are all very happy for Villa Maria, but we will not be truly satisfied until some of the nectar is flowing over our palates. On the South Island front, small quantities of Hunter’s 1986 fume blanc have arrived in town. A silver award winner in the Easter Show, it does not appear to be destined for the dizzy heights of the ’B5 but it is, nevertheless, a delightful wine — full of

fresh fruit, clear and linely, with a clean, fresh finish which will be all the better for a little more time in the bottle. From the same vinyard, the ’B6 sauvignon blanc derves attention. Also fully fruited, it could, perhaps, do with a little more residual sugar for my personal taste, but has all the attributes for good development.

Hunter’s Spring Creek claret, I feel, deserves more than an Easter show bronze. A cabernet/pinot noir blend, it is of good, rich colour with a distinctive, fresh fruit bouquet. It is a full, soft red, almost dry, wih a lingering finish — a light drinking wine with wide appeal. A recent birthday led to the drawing of the cork of a Robard and Butler champagne which I had had tucked away for a special occasion. This is not a misnamed New Zealand sparkling. It

comes from a specialist champagne house in the town of Vertus, in the heart of the “Cote de Blanc” area of the Champagne regiori. i Predominantly Chardonnay, with a small percentage of pinot noir, it has a delightfully yeasty bouquet and flavour, with just enough residual sugar to convey the delicacy, elegance, and crispness of a top class champagne. An ideal aperitif wine, or' for drinking right through a meal, its shelf price of around $4O represents good value. From time to time I am asked to recommend books which will be of assistance to those wishing to learn more about wine. This is no problem, but there is a problem with the prices of some of the publications, usually anywhere from $4O to $lOO. The initial issue of a new glossy food and wine magazine "Cuisine,” has the answer. Apart from a host of topics to tempt the gourmets, all illustrated in superb colour, its 144 pages contain a 24 page New Zealand wine supplement covering pretty well any aspect which anyone could wish to know. Written by Geoff Kelly, a D.S.I.R. scientist, senior judge and wine colomnist for the “National Business Review,” it is, as one would expect, expertly researched and written in an easy-to-follow style. Geoff Kelly discusses the 1986 vintage (destined to go down in folklore), the history and destiny of sauvignon blanc, sweet wines and . botrytis, grape varieties and wine styles, the repercussions of the vine extraction scheme, wine competitions, and finishes with his choice of the top 12 wines. Added bonuses are the 1986 competition results, and a section containing recommendations of wines to accompany every recipe in the issue. Such a wealth of information would be impossible to obtain anywhere else for a modest $6.95.

Silver medallist comes to town