We are pleased to announce the results of the 2021 Aotearoa Organic Wine Awards. Many thanks to all of the vineyards who participated in this years awards, as well as judges and other volunteers who made these awards possible.
Observations
For the eighth consecutive year we have experienced growth in entry volumes at the Organic Wine Awards. As with the trend in 2020 we have witnessed a rise in the number of participating wineries from the Central Otago Region. This could be due to the high prevalence of Central Otago certified organic vineyards, although could also in part be due to the high levels of success Central Otago wines enjoy at the awards.
Winery entrants were up 5%, and total wines entered up 10%. A number of wineries that have previously entered wine have chosen to expand their entry to encompass more wines. This could be to capitalize on a good vintage, build on existing success, or as more vineyard is converted to organic.
A few previous entrants chose not to enter, in the main, timing was the issue. The entry is around harvest time and small wineries are very busy, as well as a time many wineries have lower stocks of wine. We will consult with entrants to ascertain if the timing is still working for everybody. North Canterbury dominated the champion wines this year, taking 5 of the possible 8 champion trophies.
For 2021 we issued 8 Champion, 41 Gold (excluding champions), 53 Silver and 56 Bronze. Organic Wine growing allows for greater expression of terrior, vintage as well as characteristics not typically associated with a varietal, we believe this impacts the judging of top performing wines, particularly when judging complexity elements, which increase the score, pushing more wines into to the ‘gold bracket’. It is also worth noting that the entry standard for the Aotearoa Organic Wine Awards tends to be higher than many other awards, owing to the fact that many ‘Premium NZ Wineries’ are also organic.
This logic correlates with over-representation of organic wineries in lists such as Real Review Top Wineries and the NZ Fine Wines selection. We uphold a strict threshold for gold, silver and bronze medal wines, to ensure that consumers can be assured of a top quality wine from a gold medal winning wine, as well as from silver and bronze. Many great wines are not awarded a medal, however we want to assure our consumers the very best of what New Zealand’s organic wines have to offer.
2021 AWARDS
NZ Organic Wine Awards ‘Riedel Vineyard of the Year:
Terrace Edge
NZ Organic Wine Awards ‘Riedel Wine of the Show:
Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle Vintage 2015 Blanc de Blancs
NZ Organic Wine Awards ‘Sustainable Vineyard of the Year:
Carrick
Champion Wines represent the highest scoring wines in their respective varietal classes.
For 2021 they have also been matched with Over The Moon Dairy’s award winning cheeses.
Champion Pinot Noir:
Rippon “Rippon” Mature Vine Pinot Noir
Over the Moon Dairy: Creamy Blue
Champion Sauvignon Blanc:
Amisfield Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Over the Moon Dairy: Goat Camembert
Champion Riesling: Terrace Edge Liquid Geography Riesling 2020
Over the Moon Dairy: Galactic Gold
Champion Pinot Gris:
Terrace Edge Pinot Gris 2020
Over the Moon Dairy: OMG Brie
Champion Chardonnay:
Greystone Chardonnay 2019
Over the Moon Dairy: OMG Brie
Champion Sparking:
Quartz Reef Methode Traditionnelle Vintage 2015 Blanc de Blancs
Over the Moon Dairy: Double Delight
Champion Syrah: Greystone Syrah 2018
Over the Moon Dairy: Creamy Blue
Champion Rose: Terrace Edge Rose 2020
Over the Moon Dairy: Burgandy Moon
Website: https://organicwineawards.co.nz/2021-results/
To download a full press release with all award please CLICK HERE .pdf