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Hawke's Bay champions sustainable wine
For the second year running, Hawke's Bay has taken top honours for sustainable winegrowing at the country's premier wine awards.
Crossroads Winery Elms Vineyard Hawke's Bay Reserve Syrah 2007 has won the Bell Gully Champion Sustainable Wine Trophy at the 2008 Air New Zealand Wine Awards. The trophy is awarded to the top wine produced according to sustainability requirements, which include approaches to waste management, water consumption and pest disease management. Chair of Judges, Steve Smith, Master of Wine, praised this year's winner from the boutique Crossroads Winery as boasting a "round and granular feel on the palate, with a nose of dark plum, cassis, Asian spice, rose and dried herbs".
Another Hawke's Bay Syrah, Church Road Reserve Syrah 2007, has won the Air New Zealand Champion Wine of the Show Trophy. Smith is optimistic about the varietal, believing it to have "huge potential for the New Zealand wine industry".
The winners of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards, organised by the New Zealand Winegrowers, were announced on Saturday 22 November in Wellington. Once again, Bell Gully senior partner and long-standing adviser to the wine industry David McGregor was there to present the Bell Gully Champion Sustainable Wine Trophy. Of the record 1,751 entries received this year, 18 trophies, 28 elite gold medals and three pure elite gold medals (awarded to sustainably-produced wines) were awarded across six winegrowing regions.
Bell Gully is a proud supporter of the Air New Zealand Wine Awards and has been providing legal advice to New Zealand's wine industry for over 30 years.
For a full list of award winners, see www.airnzwineawards.co.nz
