Wineries are invited to submit their best wines for consideration at the New Zealand Wine of the Year™ Awards 2018.
The New Zealand Wine of the Year™ Awards, the merging of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards and the Bragato Wine Awards, is the official national wine competition of the New Zealand wine industry, owned and organised by New Zealand Winegrowers – the body for the country’s grape growers and winemakers.
Eight major trophies will be announced at the New Zealand Wine Awards dinner – New Zealand Wine of the Year™ Champion, Best Single Vineyard White Wine, Best Single Vineyard Red Wine, Best White Wine, Best Red Wine, Best Organic Wine, Best Wine of Provenance and Best Open Wine.
Varietal and regional trophies will be announced one week prior to the black-tie dinner, giving winners the opportunity to begin promoting their achievements.
Global Events Manager Angela Willis says minimum stockholding requirements are less than in previous competitions, allowing entrants more flexibility when it comes to entering wines. Requirements are 2,500 cases for the Open Category, 50 cases for the All Other Entries Category, and there are no minimum entry requirements for Provenance class entries.
“We encourage wineries to showcase their very best offerings and join us in celebrating everything that is special about New Zealand wine,” Ms Willis says.
The New Zealand Wine Awards dinner will be held on Saturday 3 November at TSB Arena in Wellington.
The evening will recognise the New Zealand Wine of the Year™ Awards winners, as well as other industry achievements including Young Viticulturist of the Year, Young Winemaker of the Year and the New Zealand Winegrowers Fellows for 2018.
Highly regarded Hawke’s Bay winemaker and chair of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, Warren Gibson, is Chair of Judges of the New Zealand Wine of the Year™ Awards, with Marlborough winemaker and Chair of the Bragato Wine Awards, Ben Glover, alongside him as Deputy Chair. Warren and Ben will lead a strong team of international and national judges in 2018.
More information on New Zealand Wine of the Year™ Awards can be found at www.nzwine.com/events