Seventeen judges are set to immerse themselves in Marlborough wine as the Marlborough Wine Show kicks off this week.
The judges will be kept busy with entries in most categories with more than 550 wines entered into this year’s awards.
While the majority of judges are local, there are two guests this year – James Millton from Gisborne, known as the father of biodynamics in New Zealand, and Australian Master of Wine, Annette Lacey.
“Annette has an important understanding of her marketplace and given Australia is our closest and one of our largest markets that’s important for our wine industry,” says Chief Judge Ben Glover. “I’m excited to judge with her and James.”
The Marlborough Wine Show director Marcus Pickens says entries for 2022 are up across the board, with the numbers entered in The Coterie Provenance category seeing a huge rise.
“Last year we had 45 entries, this year we have 122. The Provenance trophy will be given to the best single vineyard current release wine.”
The Marlborough Museum legacy award has also seen substantial growth in entry numbers over time, for a wine producer who has the highest scores for three vintages of the same variety over a 10-year period.
Glover says wine show results are important in the marketplace which is very different than pre-COVID.
“People are wanting to see more from Sauvignon Blanc and they are wanting to see more Marlborough varieties,” he says.
“Pre-COVID it was all Sauvignon Blanc. Now there is real interest in other varieties. But, it’s still hard out there and that is why it’s important to be able to deliver a clear and concise picture of all that is happening in the Marlborough wine world through something as detailed as the Marlborough Wine Show.”
Judging for the 2022 Marlborough Wine Show will take place over three days from Wednesday, 28th September.
Medal winners will be announced on October 7 with trophies announced at a Celebration Lunch at the end of October.
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