A Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir has beaten wines from celebrated Pinot producing regions throughout New Zealand and Australia to take the title of top Pinot Noir at the prestigious Sydney International Wine Competition.
Sileni Estates ‘The Plateau’ Pinot Noir 2013 was crowned best Pinot Noir at the food oriented wine show, in a class dominated by wines from New Zealand’s powerhouse Pinot regions. “We’re absolutely elated that a wine from Hawke’s Bay, a region that has never been celebrated for Pinot, has come out on top. Our Plateau Pinot is made from fruit grown in cooler Hawke’s Bay sub-regions. The wine is a blend of fruit from ‘The Plateau’, consisting of river terrace gravels which is cooler due to its elevation at 120 metres above sea level, and ‘Parkhill’, a coastal vineyard which has clay based soils and is cooled by the sea breeze,” says Chief Winemaker Grant Edmonds.
The 2015 Sydney International Wine Competition was judged by a panel of 14 international and Australian judges, with the top wines judged alongside appropriate food dishes to ensure that the results reflected the way most consumers drink wine – with food.
“Our wines are made to be enjoyed alongside wine drinkers’ favourite local cuisines, which makes this trophy even more exciting. It is recognition that balance and finesse make for great drinking, food-friendly styles of wine,” says Mr Avery.
This award tops off an impressive run for Sileni Pinot Noir. The same wine received Gold at the prestigious 2014 Mundus Vini International Wine Awards in Germany. The 2012 vintage of the ‘The Plateau’ Pinot Noir was awarded the ‘Best New Zealand Wine’ at the 2014 China Wine and Spirits Award and ‘Best New Zealand Red Wine’ at the 2014 Korea Wine Challenge. ‘The Plateau’ Pinot Noir 2011 also received Gold at the 2013 Selections Mondiales des Vins in Montreal.
