Back in August, Alice headed to Napier to talk to the experts about how they pick out a good wine – and thankfully now they have done all the hard work, so we just have to look for a New World Wine Awards winner sticker to know it’s worth picking up!
It’s the night before I jump on a plane to Napier and I’m briefing my husband on what I’m allowed for dinner: no garlic, nothing spicy, nothing with too much of an aroma. I leave him to work out what we could possibly eat and begin hunting down my Cetaphil body wash that is fragrance free to use in the morning, likewise for my deodorant – then I throw my clothes into the washing machine with, yip, fragrance-free powder. Come the morning, I quickly shower, skip my perfume and jump on the plane after saying no to a coffee (despite desperately wanting one).
Am I on my way to some sort of sick health retreat? Some sort of intense fragrance cleanse?
I am, in fact on my way to Napier for the New World Wine Awards judging, where some of our top wine tasters will be in one room – and, as I’m learning, there are lots of protocols and it’s serious stuff! I’m very lucky to get a glimpse behind the scenes of it all, but it means I must be something of an olfactory ghost – no one should smell me there. Nobody needs my coffee breath or perfume potentially affecting their senses and putting a foot wrong in the awards.
It all sounded very serious and if I’m brutally honest, I then kind of assumed that when I turned up and tried to lurk in the shadows, watching the wine experts doing their thing, that, they’d all likely be… quite a snobby bunch? But I soon discovered this couldn’t be further from the truth – everyone I met ushered me out of the shadows to talk things through and delighted in telling me stories about wine and how it all works. They even set me up with my own fake tasting station and helped me through it.
I join them for lunch (specifically prepared to look after everyone’s tastebuds) and they run me through the wheel of tasting, and I remind myself to avoid —– (“there’s a few we call ‘baby sick’ or ‘cat’s pee’, one of the judges tells me – and, apparently that’s not necessarily a bad thing?!’)
Choosing a wine at the supermarket can be a daunting task – there’s so much to choose from, you’re often short of time and every other wine seems to have a sticker or label on it saying why it’s special. Thankfully, many years ago a wine friend once told me to stop just grabbing the bottle with the most stickers on it and actually read what they say. Some of them are bonkers – there’s no award, no endorsement, they just know that if they chuck a sticker on you’ll pick it up thinking it’s special and put it in your trolley.
So, I’d always been a bit dubious about stickers, but now I know what to look out for: the New World wine awards are the real deal, and best of all, the wine has to be less than $25.
As I’m learning, the wines go through a rigorous blind testing process. The judges are never anywhere near a wine bottle – there’s a whole glorious room that they’re not allowed near (that I’m not even allowed to photograph or really talk about) where the wine bottles are barcoded, numbered and poured. The judges must have no idea what they might be drinking. To the extent where, if they want to give any wines a second or third try, the wine is poured out the back and given a whole other number and then sneakily put back into the mix so there will be nothing to tip them off (without recognizing it by taste or smell) that it’s actually one they’ve tried before.
All up, the panels of well-known judges, each with a team leader, will work their way through 1,280 different wines over three days (the spittoons are well used, don’t worry!). Through this process they choose their top 50, as well as Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal winners. To win Gold, you’ll have been through rigorous testing, moving through different stages that see the wine tasted at least 19 times by 11 different judges. To get to the top level, a Champion Wine, it’ll have been tasted a whopping 36 times or more and given two thumbs up at every stage.
In short, it’s very, very difficult to get a medal and it’s really the only wine award of its kind in NZ now, so, you know that if you’re picking up one of these wines, you’re getting something very special.
The judges take regular breaks, and give their palettes a wee cleanse by swirling water, or a plain cracker or olive (apparently it’s the right pH to be effective!). But even still, I have NO idea how they do it. They kindly set me up alongside them for the red blends tasting session and I start eyeing up my first glass – thanks to the tips I got from the Chair of Judges, Jen Parr, I know as soon as I lift the glass that I’m not about to sip something similar to the pinot noirs I normally drink. Those, she points out, I should be able to see through a bit when they’re poured into a glass – whereas these blends should be more viscous and dense. If I can see through them, we’ve immediately got an issue.
The judges can all tell whether something is going to be good or not just by taking a whiff, but as a rookie, I still have a way to go. I give the first one a score and scribble some notes (floral? Fruity?) and head to the next – this one I definitely like more and give a higher score. It’s on the fourth glass that my appreciation for what the judges do really begins to grow – I start to get a bit confused. Is this one better than the second? When I go back to try it, my taste buds are beyond confused. I’ve been spitting – swirling water between each glass, but suddenly they’re all blurring into each other. And I still have 10 to go.
Thankfully, the judges have this one well under control though – no one is confused, and there seems to be little confusion about which wines are the standouts.
And last week, the judges and the general public finally got to find out the results (yip, the judges find out what the secret labels of their favourite wines were at the same time as the rest of us!). For the full list, you can head to the New World Wine Awards website, but, here’s a run down of the top wines in every category, to keep an eye out for when you’re next at the supermarket!
Champion winner: Rosé
Te Kano Life Rosé 2023
The Champion Rose Elegant and dry with fine aromatics and a vibrant finish.
Champion winner: Sauvignon Blanc
Triplebank Awatere Valley
Sauvignon Blanc 2024
The Champion Sauvignon Blanc with pristine fruit, intense flavours and great length.
Champion winner: Shiraz & Syrah
Church Road Syrah 2021
The Champion Syrah/Shiraz from an excellent vintage. Fruit-forward and opulent.
Champion winner: Single Variety Reds
Trapiche Pure Black Malbec 2022
The Champion Single Variety Red–perfect with grilled meat and veggies.
Champion winner: Aromatics
Tohu SV Whenua Matua Albariño 2021
Honeyed with juicy stone fruit and lime. Well-balanced!
Champion winner: Bubbles
Lindauer Special Reserve Rosé NV
The Champion Sparkling, with delightful flavours and great creamy texture.
Champion winner: Chardonnay
Church Road Chardonnay 2023
The Champion White Wine and unashamedly old school! Toasty, nutty and buttery– a winning combination.
Champion winner: Pinot Gris
Thornbury Waipara Pinot Gris 2024
The Champion Pinot Gris with great concentration and intense flavours.
Champion winner: Pinot Noir
Luna Estate Pinot Noir 2022
The Champion Pinot Noir with a fine texture and delicious savoury notes.
Champion winner: Red Blends
Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Barossa Shiraz Cabernet 2021
Full-bodied and complex with plum, chocolate and spice.
