This year, 1,045 wines from 178 wineries were judged over two days. 14 international judges blind-tasted and evaluated the wines. Judging alongside the professionals were six Associate Judges selected from New World stores who undertook special training for the event.
In the ‘back room’ 3,200 bottles of wines were allocated their correct positions and over 6,000 glasses of wine were poured by a team of 12 stewards. Each steward walked 15km a day and carefully washed up the Spiegelau tasting glasses.
Each wine is judged solely on its merits. Using a double blind identification system, a panel of 3 judges individually assessed and scored each wine using the international 20-point system. The judges then convened to discuss their findings and re-taste the top Gold and Silver wines. Bronze wines score 15.5 to 16.9 points, Silver score 17 to 18.4 points and Gold medal wines score 18.5 and above.
This year 521 wines were awarded medals with 50 Gold, 135 Silver and 336 Bronze. These results show you just how many brilliant wines you can buy for under $25 at your local New World.
At the end of the judging, the best wines in each category were re-tasted by the entire judging team to determine the Champion Red, Champion White and the Champion Bubbles. Look out for the Champion stickers to taste the best of the best.
Visit the New World Wine Awards Website for more information
Download a copy of the full results
Watch a video overview of the competition