MEDIA RELEASE 5 September 2013
Waipara Sauvignon Blanc proves a winner at the Bragato Wine Awards.
Waipara Hills Equinox Sauvignon Blanc 2012 has been awarded ‘Pure Gold’ at the 2013 Bragato Wine Awards.
Held each year as part of the Romeo Bragato Conference, growers and viticulturists from around New Zealand are recognised for their viticultural excellence – the foundation of making wines of true quality.
495 wine entries resulted in 51 Gold, 107 Silver and 181 Bronze Medals being awarded. Waipara Hills Viticulturist, Jean-Luc is thrilled with the ‘Pure Gold Medal’ award. “It feels good to be up there with the best – a fantastic result for Waipara and a wonderful wine!”
Only in an exceptional year is an Equinox wine produced. The 2012 season delivered perfect growing conditions with the longer, cooler ripening season, creating flawless fruit for Waipara Hills Winemaker, Simon McGeorge, to work with “the Waipara Hills Equinox Sauvignon Blanc is made following quite an old world model of winemaking; utilising barrel fermentation and lees stirring to build texture and complexity, while also seeking to preserve the freshness and vibrancy of a dry Sauvignon Blanc,” says Simon.
The 2012 Waipara Hills Equinox Sauvignon Blanc parades class and exhibits an interesting and vibrant palate that reveals a wonderful mixture of smoke, spice, stone fruit and citrus flavours; a perfect accompaniment with seared scallops. All these characters give the wine its line and length and are a true expression of the ‘Soul of the South’.
Equinox wines are made in small parcels; carrying a personal element of patience and winemakers’ craft and delivering complexity, and distinctive aromatic characters – something Waipara Hills Equinox wines champion.
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Waipara Hills Equinox Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – RRP $32 – $34 proudly distributed by Hancocks and available at leading fine wine retail stores and restaurants nationwide. Also available online www.waiparahills.co.nz
For more information, images or to set up a media visit with Waipara Hills, please contact Kate Cameron – Communication, PR and Event Co-ordinator – Phone: + 64 21 222 7858 Email: kate.cameron@nzve.co.nz
Waipara Hills winery
Established in 2001, Waipara Hills wines have become famous for their intensity, character and complexity – wines that express the true ‘Soul of the South’. From the Air New Zealand Wine Awards to the International Wine Challenge in the UK, Waipara Hills wines have received more than 200 awards in the brand’s short history. At Waipara Hills our philosophy is simple. It’s about allowing the characteristics of each season’s fruit to shine, then creating perfect balance with as little interference as possible. The result is wine that is rich, vibrant and bursting with complex flavour. For us every harvest signals the beginning of a new adventure, the chance to create wine that is distinctly from our place – a place where from contrast comes beauty.
More about our Winemaker – Simon McGeorge
After completing a degree in commerce and marketing, Simon studied winemaking at Lincoln University in Canterbury. He then spent several years travelling between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres working harvest and following styles and winemaking techniques, until he was offered a fulltime position at De Loach Vineyards in the Russian River, California in 1999. After four seasons Simon travelled to France for his next harvest and made wine in the Loire.
In 2006 he was excited to be offered a role as Winemaker at Waipara Hills, an opportunity to work in an emerging wine region with aromatic varieties such as Riesling and Pinot Gris, two of Simon’s favourites. Several years on, Simon has played an instrumental role in forging the direction of the Waipara Hills wine styles, seeking to reflect both the region that they come from and the people that work to create them.
PO Box 1034, Blenheim 7240, New Zealand | Phone: +64 3 520 6011 | Fax: +64 3 578 1765
marketing@waiparahills.co.nz www.waiparahills.co.nz