A Canterbury team of four has won the inaugural National Wine Tasting Competition following the final held in Auckland on August 1.
The team – comprising of winemaker CP Lin with Ashley Stewart, Tony Dale and Michael Ormandy – won the competition by just one question.
Each team tasted eight wines and answered 40 questions during the competition with the top five slots rotating regularly.
The OPEN category team came in second and third place was taken out by the Hawke’s Bay team.
“This is the first time our association has run a public wine tasting competition and we are delighted to see the interest around New Zealand which included 12 teams competing in Martinborough,” says Celia Hay, Chair of New Zealand Sommeliers and Wine Professionals Association.
“The wines tasted in the competition were selected from well-known regions that have recognisable styles, so that people who regularly taste wine could have a reasonable chance to identify them.”
The wines were…
White wines
Badenhorst ‘Secateurs’ Chenin Blanc 2020, Swartland, South Africa
Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Marlborough, NZ
Hospice de Colmar Riesling 2016, Alsace, France
Villa Maria Ihumātao Chardonnay 2018, Auckland, NZ
Red wines
Dominique Piron, Fleurie 2019, Beaujolais, France
Giesen Clayvin Syrah 2019, Marlborough, NZ
Hans Herzog, Spirit of Marlborough 2015, NZ
Peter Lehmann, The Barossan Shiraz, 2018, Barossa, Australia
A digital app was used to present the questions and each team used a smart device to tap their answers.
“It’s fun and provides a unique environment to test wine knowledge. We will continue to offer the competition each year,” says Hay.
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